Red, the Kid of Adventure
by Magma Red
Summary: Red is a runaway kid who dreams of becoming the greatest Fossil Fighter the world has ever seen. He will take challenges head-on, make life-long friends, and do and see somethings NOBODY saw coming. Not even him!
1. Runaway

**Summary: Red is a runaway kid who dreams to become the greatest fossil fighter the world has ever seen. He will take challenges head-on, make some life-long friends and do and see some things NOBODY saw coming.(Not even him!)**

* * *

><p>Chapter One-Run Away<p>

I opened the window in my room. A chilly wind blew into the room and against my face. I looked out into the dark night. There was no moon so I figured that I would have little trouble. I took one last look around the room and lingered at my bed. My dog, Rex, laid on it sleeping peacefully. He's a pure breed golden retriever that's only two years old. I stroked his ear. _Who knows when I'll be back here?_ I thought. It was one 'o'clock in the morning, but the adrenaline in me had me wide awake.

I climb out the window and quietly climb down into the backyard. My hair is its natural color, dark gray and I have the biggest bluest eyes you've ever seen. I look up at my window and sadness fills me. _No! _I think. _Remember WHY you're doing this._ My Aunt Jane and Uncle Hugh, whom I love, have eleven year old twins. Who I can't stand. They break my stuff, beat me up, call me names, and always get away with it.

"Oh no." Everyone always says. "Their little angles." Well no more. In place of my usual outfit, a navy blue t-shirt, brown shorts and tennis shoes, I had black sneakers on, black pants, a black long-sleeved turtle neck, and a black toboggan on my head and my blue and gray backpack on my back. _I am running away._ I thought. Of everything I thought I would never do, this was one of them. My aunt and uncle's house had damage done to it during a storm, and I lived in a house _PERFECT_ for seven people. They were coming to live with us. Permanently.

_I'm no longer Red Jacob Ranger. _I thought. _Well, I'll keep Red. _I look at the house across from ours, and see a second story light on. My best buddy, Zeke, was pulling his usual all-Friday-night-video-game marathon. I have a flash back to when we had our first one together...

"WHOO-HOO!" Zeke yelled. He had light brown hair and brown eyes, tan skin, and always wore a black jacket, army green cargo pants, red sneakers, and a white T-shirt. "New high score!" He laughed.

"I have to admit this is pretty awesome." I told him. "I'm no gamer like you, but still." I smiled.

"I TOLD you we would have fun didn't I?" He asked.

"Yeah, you did." It was seven in the morning, so it was officially over. We had been playing his favorite game Robo Wars, which was the best game I had ever played. But that's not the only reason I remember it so well. We went outside to play soccer in the front yard when a moving van pulled up to the house next to mine.

"We got neighbors." I said.

"Hey, look." Zeke said pointing. A white truck pulled into the drive way of the house, it was big enough to carry four people and the back of it was full of stuff tied down. We looked at each other, then back at the truck and saw the people inside it climbing out. The closest door, the back right one opened and the person stepped out. My mouth partly opened and I felt like there was butterflies in my stomach. In the drive way, there was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She had light blond hair that came down to her shoulder blades, bangs covering her forehead and light blue eyes. She wore a sea green collared T-shirt, sky blue skirt that came down to her knees, and white boots and neckerchief tied around her neck.

I smile and a involuntary sigh escapes me. Zeke elbows me playfully, he has a playful smile on his face, and his right eyebrow is raised.

"What?" I ask.

"Your in _LOVE_." He teases.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Pfffft! Yeah rig-"

"Hi!" A voice says. We turn to see the girl standing on the sidewalk in front of Zeke's house. "I'm Mary Rightland."

"Hiya! I'm Zeke Thomas and this is my best buddy Red Ranger." He says.

"Nice to meet you." I say. I can feel my knees wobbling.

"What are you guys doing?" She asks.

"Playing soccer." I tell her. "Y-You want to try it?" I ask nervously.

"Sure!" She replies enthusiastically. She turns out to be really good at it and we play it all morning. At noon we go over to my house and have lunch. I introduce her to my parents and Rex takes and immediate liking to her. We have sandwiches for lunch and then we go outside and play tag with Rex. At sundown Zeke and Mary go home.

"Today was so much fun!" She says happily.

"We should do this again tomorrow." Zeke suggests.

"Sounds good to me." I say. Zeke crosses the street to his house, but before Mary leaves she gives me a hug.

"Umm..." My face and the tips of my ears grow hot."So... I'll... see you tomorrow?" I ask.

"Defiantly." She says.

The flash back ends and I find tears pouring out of my eyes. _I...I...I'm sorry guys..._ I think. _I'll never forget you two._ I climb over the back fence, hop some more and come to the street with the river next to it. I sprint down the side walk and turn into the harbor. I find an old row boat with a price tag on it. _Ten bucks?... SWEET!_ I take out a scrap of paper and scribble _For the old row boat._ on it. I fold it up and put ten dollars in it and slip it under the door of the shop. I run back to the boat, untie it and start rowing. After awhile of rowing upstream I take out my map. It has the towns along the river and the river's currents. The current I'm in now will take me upstream and on to the bank about a half mile from a town.

I put away the ores and lay my head on my backpack and drift to sleep. I wake up at dawn when my boat hits the pebble shore. I see a cave and manage to get the boat into it._ Okay, _I think._ so far so good. Now, I need a passport so I can get on a plane... I got an idea._

I sprint to the town and find a clothing store. It's not open so I pick the lock and go inside. I grab an armful of clothes, some shoes, and a bottle of hair gel, total up the price and leave the money on the counter. Outside in a deep ditch, I change clothes. I have an ash gray crown with a gray band on it, a gray v-neck short sleeve shirt, the neck, arm bands and band at the bottom of the shirt are the same ash gray, I'm wearing black cargo shorts, light gray gloves and gray boots. I use the hair gel to make my hair into spikes that follow the outline of my crown, but let my bangs hang down. I manage to stuff everything else in to my pack and climb out.

I walk down to a photo store and walk in. The woman sitting behind the counter looks up at me and smiles and bright white smile. Her skin is the color of chocolate, she has black hair and dark brown eyes.

"How may I help you?" She asks politely.

"Do you know where I could get a passport?" I ask. She hands me a clip board with a sheet of paper on it and a pencil.

"I just need you to fill this out." She tells me.

"Thank you ma'am." I say. I go over to a chair put my pack next to it, sit down, and start to fill out the paper. My biggest problem is my name. I can't use my real one of course, but then I get an idea...

"Here is your passport Mr. Red Zeke Walker." The woman behind the counter says. She hands me the small leather book.

"Thank you." I tell her. I take out the money for it but put in an extra five as a tip. I leave the store and walk to a bus stop. I look at the map and find a bus route to a town with an airport outside it. I wait for the bus and get on it when it arrives. The driver looks at me and asks:

"Aren't you a little young to be by yourself?" I look at

him and smile.

"Only physically." I say. He chuckles and lets me sit down before he continues driving. I fall asleep. When we get to my stop my wakes me up.

"Hey kid, this is your stop." He says.

"Thank you." I say. I pay for the ride and step off the bus. It drives away as I walk up to the air port. I go in and ask if I can get a ticket to Vivosaur Island.

"No," The man behind the counter says. "but you can get a ticket to the air port on an island not too far from it and then ride a boat there."

"Can I get a ticket for that?" I ask.

"Yes, here you are." He says handing me the plane ticket. "The flight leaves in one hour so be sure you're ready by then."

"Yes sir. Thank you sir." I say. I pay for the ticket and then go through security and put my pack on the convertor belt to be stored away in the plane. I go over to a phone and look up a phone number and dial it.

"Hello, this is Vivosaur Island's Relic Hotel. How may I be of service?"

"I would like to reserve a room for one please." I say.

"Very well, what kind of room would you like?" After a few minutes my room is reserved and I hang up. I go back to the waiting area and sit down. Sixteen minutes later I'm called to board the plane. I yawn. It's ten thirty and I haven't eaten anything and I have barley slept. On the plane I sit down in my seat. I'm the only passenger on board. The plane flies to the destination once a week every week to take supplies to the island. One minute after I sit down I'm out cold. About three hours later the co-pilot shakes me awake.

_Ugh._ I think. _JUST like the first day of school. _I get up and get out of the plane and grab my pack. I see the boat I need to get on I climb aboard and find that their giving me some food to eat for lunch.

"You sure can eat." A man says. I turn to see a man in a wide brimmed straw hat, blue Hawaiian shirt with a white and yellow sun on it, white shorts, flip-flops, and brown hair standing behind me.

"I'm hungry." I tell him. He laughs.

"Well isn't that the truth?" He asks. He goes over to the control area and checks some things then says "Okay, good to go." He turns the boat on and eases it forward. I lay down on a bench and fall asleep.

"Hey, wake up."

"Hmmmm." I stir a bit.

"Come on! We're almost there."

_Almost WHERE?_ I think. Then I remember. I crack open an eye and yawn. I sit up and rub my face. I check my watch. 3:30 p.m.

"So what's your name?" The captain asks.

"Red." I say.

"Captain Travors." He replies. "So, you going to be a fossil fighter?"

"Yes sir!"

"Yeah, I've seen that twinkle in your eye before." He says. "So, you a fan of V-raptors?" I nod. "Figures. I can just imagine a famous fighter named Red. But you know you look like one of those people whose going to do something big... Something that will help everyone... Something that will be so shocking that it will shake the earth to its core... Ah! There it is!" I jump up and run over to the window.

_Vivosaur Island. _I think.

The boat pulls up to a dock and I grab my backpack and hop out. Captain Travors wishes me luck and drives his boat away. I take a deep breath. _I made it... take THAT evil cousins! _I take another breath._ Adventure... What an amazing thing to smell._

* * *

><p><strong>AN- This is my very first fan fiction so I hope you liked it! But if you don't like Rosie, too bad. Also, I am going to follow the storyline, BUT Holt is going to appear more often AND there's going to be a huge twist you <strong>**WILL NOT**** see coming.**

**Red: Aw yeah! Vivosaur Island! ... When can I dig, clean, revive and battle?**

**Me: Don't worry, I'll get to that part!**

**Red: *GROAN***


	2. Getting Started

**AN- If you've been waiting for chapter two IT'S HEEERREEEE!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Two-Getting started<p>

I notice two women in almost identical outfits walking toward me. One of them has red hair, a long sleeve turquoise shirt, a green ascot, a pink vest and skirt and green heels. The other one has sandy hair, a long sleeve yellow shirt, orange ascot, dark periwinkle vest and skirt and orange heels.

"Hello. I'm Sue and that's Beth." Said the woman with red hair.

"It is our pleasure to be the first ones to welcome you to Vivosaur Island." Beth said.

"Thank you." I said.

"We will show you around town and-" Sue began.

"Whew! So much to do, so much to do!" I looked past Beth and Sue and see a man with turquoise hair, dark brown skin, glasses, a white lab coat, a Hawaiian sunset shirt, orange shorts and sandals coming this way. He was tinkering with... well... SOMETHING... "Hang on a tick..." He gets an idea and continues to fiddle with it.

Sue walks up to him and says "Good afternoon , I take it you are here to take the new fighter to the Fossil Center?"

"Hmm? Oh yes! I'm always happy to show a rookie the ropes! Let me just change schedule... What were we talking about? Never mind." He turns back toward a dome-shaped building and starts walking. "So much to do, so much to do."

Beth sighs."That was . He's the one who's in charge of giving you your fighters license. Good luck with that."

_Oh great._ I think.

"Please come with me." Sue says. I follow her to the large dome-like building and stop. "This is the Fossil Center. It's where all of your cleaning and reviving will take place. Please, go right in." I walk into it and find myself in a large room. A long counter occupies most of the far wall, to my left are some benches. There is a clearly mark path on the floor which directs me to an automatic door on the far wall of the room, another door on the far left wall and a door on the left side of the far wall.

"Hello." I look at the counter and see the woman behind it looking straight at me. Her hair is a dirty blond color, she has a long-sleeved purple shirt, blue ascot and green vest and skirt. "Welcome to the Fossil Center. I'm Wendy, if you're looking for he just wandered off again. You might want to check into the hotel while you're waiting."

"Okay, Thanks." I say. I walk outside and look around. _So where's the hotel?_ I think.

"LOOK OUT!" I hear someone yell. I turn around and SOMETHING slams into me. I fall down with an OOF! "Sorry!" I open my eyes and see another fighter standing there worried. She has short orange-brown hair, a salmon archeologist's hat, a salmon shirt, white gloves, a black belt, red cargo shorts, brown socks with a white stripe at the top, red shoes, and is very thin. "Are you okay? I was running so fast I couldn't stop. I'm trying to get in shape ya know?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine." I tell her. I stand up and straighten my pack. "Hey, do you know where the hotel is?"

"It's right there." She says pointing at the building right of the Fossil Center.

"Thanks."

"No problem!" She says with a smile. She turns and continues jogging. I walk over to the hotel and go inside. It's nice and clean with some huge trees planted in the center of the room.

"Excuse me," I see a man with dark brown hair and glasses in a black suit walking over to me. "I'm the manager, we have a hotel room waiting for you. Right this way." He takes me over to an elevator and we step in. He pushes the button labeled "5" and we start going up. It stops and we step out into a hallway. He leads me down to the very last door and opens it. I step in. A bed with Tyrannosaurus Rex bed stands and lavender sheets is against the wall. On the far wall is some sliding glass doors that go out to a balcony, in front of me is a shelf and in the far right corner is a desk with a computer. I see an archway next to the desk go over to it and step through into a kitchen with a dining table in it. I then go over to a door and open it to find a rather nice bathroom.

"Very nice." I tell the manager when I go back in to the bedroom.

"I'm glad you think so. Well, I'll let you get unpacked, if you need anything just call." After he leaves, I put my backpack on the bed and open it. The bed has some drawers on its bottom part under the mattress, so I put my stuff in them. I take out a photo album and look at it. I then open it and look through it. All the good times I had with Mary and Zeke fill my mind. The very last picture is us with our arms around each other's shoulders. We all have big smiles on our faces and I remember what I said after the picture was taken...

"You know guys, there's NOTHING that will ever tear us apart." They agreed with me one hundred percent. I look at the picture a few more seconds before I shut the book and hide it at the back of the drawer that has all my shirts. The last thing I take out is an ammonite fossil in a normal rock. My dad gave it to me a few days before I found out that my cousins were going to live with us. I set it on the desk and lay down on my bed. _Well here I am. One year ago I didn't think or even imagine I would be here. Sixteen hours ago, I was sitting in my room waiting for the right moment to sneak away... _I get up and grab my backpack. _He's probably there now._ I leave the hotel and go into the Fossil Center.

"Yes, he's in the cleaning room. Just go through the door on the right and you will find him." Wendy told me. I walk into a large room with weird grid things all over the place and some large chamber machine things. I see by a control panel and walk over to him.

"Excuse me, I'm a new fighter." I tell him. "I need to get my fighters license."

"You're that new fighter I saw at the dock." He says. He smiles, embarrassed. "Sorry if I was absent-minded earlier. This place really keeps me busy."

"It's okay." I tell him with a smile.

"Well, let's get started shall we?" He asks rubbing his hands together. "You need to know how to clean your fossil rocks very well otherwise they will take longer to rank up. So, let's see how good you are." He gives me a large hammer and drill and takes me over to one of the grids. He gets a fossil rock and puts it in the grid. "Now, you use the hammer to carefully remove the top layers of rock. Then you use the drill to remove the bottom layer of rocks. In each cleaning you will have ninety seconds to successfully clean it." He looks at me. "Think you're ready to give it a try?"

"Yes sir!" I reply. I get on top of the grid and get ready. The timer starts and I check how hard it is with my drill then use my hammer to remove the top two layers of rock then carefully remove the bottom layer with my drill. I finish before time runs out and turn to see him with a device that shows him the results of my cleaning.

"Amazing." He says.

"What?" I ask him.

"You got a perfect one hundred." He tells me. "Is this your first time cleaning a fossil rock?"

"Yes sir." I answer. He puts his hand on his head in amazement.

"Then I guess I have nothing more to teach you." He says. "Well lets revive this fossil." I pick up the fossil and put it in the chamber thing. pushes some buttons on the panel in front of it. "REVIVE!" He exclaims as he pushes a large button. I hear a humming noise that gets louder very quickly, then there's a flash of light and there's a vivosaur in the revival chamber. The front opens and out steps a Spinax. Its underside is grassy green and its upside is a bluish-gray with spikes longer than my arm. It has the exact same build as a T-Rex, so it has stubby arms with sharp claws and sharp teeth. The weird thing about it is that its eyes are blue.

"Whoa." I whisper. It looks me straight in the eye and I look back at it. We stand there for a few seconds before he licks me. _'Ew.'_ I think.

_'Sorry. I'm just glad to meet you is all.' _I look at him in amazement.

_'I can hear your thoughts... AWESOME! Wait, do you want me to name you or do you want to be called Spinax?' _I ask him.

_'Do you have a name?'_

_'How about Air Strike?'_

_'I like it.'_

"I'm guessing you two just had a conversation." says. I nod. "Great! Now, when a vivosaur goes into its medal you can still sense its thoughts and emotions even though it's not out. Amazing isn't it?"

"How do I get them in and out of their medals though?" I ask.

"You can tell them to go in and you can call them out, but that doesn't mean they will." He answers.

"Huh." I look at Air Strike. "You can go into your medal if you want." There's a bright flash of light and where he was standing there is now just a Dino Medal with his picture on it and a green ring around the edge of the medal. I pick him up and I can feel him in my mind.

"That's how it's done." He tells me.

I leave the Fossil Center and go to a very large building next to it. Inside there are some bookshelves to the right and some benches to the left at the back of the room there's a desk in the shape of a semi-circle that goes all the way to the back wall. To the right and left of the desk there are two automatic doors and another one on the right wall past the bookshelves.

"I'm here for my license test." I tell the woman behind the desk. She has red-brown hair, a green ascot, turquoise long sleeve shirt, and a pink vest and skirt.

"Hello, my name is Tiffany." She says. " Your test is in two parts: first the cleaning test then the battle test. Just go through the door on the left when you're ready."

I go over to the door and it opens. I step through into a short hallway and walk to the end. There's a robot floating there. It's yellow with an orange drill on top of its head and it has two arms coming out of both sides of the head part. At the end of its arms are to yellow spheres with three claws coming out of them.

"Hello, I am KL-34N. I will be testing you on your ability to clean fossil rocks." He tells me. "You must score 50 points or higher in order to succeed. Let us begin." He turns around and a door opens. We go through into a cleaning room and he leads me to one of the grids that already has a fake fossil rock on it. I climb up into the grid and get ready. When the timer starts I check how hard it is with my drill, then remove the top two layers of rock with my hammer and then drill the bottom layer of rock away and score a one hundred. We leave the room and go into the lobby.

"Very good. Go talk to Tiffany at the desk to arrange your fossil battle." KL-34N tells me. He turns and goes back into the hallway. I walk over to the desk and tell her that I'm ready to continue.

"Congratulations on passing your cleaning test." She tells me. "Next is your fossil battle test, just go through the door on the left when you're ready." I walk over to the door and take a deep breath. Excitement and nervousness fills me.

_Okay, _I think._ Bring it._ The door opens and I walk down the hallway and see Captain Travors standing there waiting.

"Remember me?" He asks. I nod. "I thought you would. You'll be battling me, so if you don't win no license for you, so you better win!" He tells me with a smile. We hear the announcer come on over the intercom.

"LADIES and GENTLEMEN the fossil battle is about to begin!"

"Here goes!" Captain Travors says. He turns around and the door to the stadium opens.

"He's the guy who takes fighters to and from the island, you've all met him, and he's the guy you have to battle to get your fighters license, CAAAPTAIN TRAAAAVOOORS!" He walks through the door and the crowd goes wild. "Fighting for his license, the newest fighter, and a pretty good-looking one at that," The crowd laughs. "REEEEED WAAAALKER!" I go through the door and in to the arena. The crowd cheers and I go to my side of the arena. I take out Air Strike and look at him in his medal.

_Moment of truth. _I think.

"Come on out!" I yell and throw the medal. In mid-air it turns white and glows. It turns into his shape and the glow goes away and there he stands, ready to fight. Captain Travors takes out his Dino Medal and it transforms into a Goyo. It's a dark periwinkle with a purple underside and spikes sticking out of the back of its head. Its feet have a rocky look to them with purple claws and it has light sea green and sandy patterns on its face, neck, arms, and thighs.

"Let the battle begin!" The announcer yells.

"Goyo, Rock head on Spinax!" Captain Travors yells. Goyo attacks doing nine damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Goyo!" He attacks and does forty seven damage. Goyo staggers back and falls over, then turns back into his medal form. "Good job Air Strike!" I say congratulating him.

"RED WINS!" The announcer says. The crowd goes wild.

In the lobby, Captain Travors congratulates me. "By the way I have something for you." He says. He takes out a fossil rock and hands it to me. "It's a fossil from the vivosuar you said you liked. But sorry, It's only the legs, YOU need to find the head, it's out there waiting for you to find it." We tell each other good bye and I watch him as he leaves.

"Congratulations on passing!" I turn to see Dr. Diggins walking over to me. He hands me a card and stamps it. The card has my picture and my name next to it. Under my name it says 'level 1 fighter' and under that it says 'Vivosaur Island Fighters Association'. "I hereby certify you a fossil fighter."

_YES!_ I think happily.

"Thanks !" I say looking up at him with a smile.

"Your welcome." He checks his watch and his eyes get big. "Yikes! Where did the time go?" He looks back at me. "Your life as a Fossil Fighter start tomorrow, so you better rest up! Best of luck on becoming a Master Fighter!" He tells me with a smile. He turns and leaves the stadium. I smile.

_Nice man. _I think. I leave the stadium and walk back to the hotel. In the lobby I look at the clock. 5:30p.m.

I go up to my room and my stomach growls. I go into the kitchen and open a cabinet. Nothing. I look in the rest of them and the refrigerator but I find nothing. I grab my backpack. _There should be a store somewhere. _I think. I leave the hotel and look around. I see a girl with orange hair, a sunny yellow archeologists hat and shirt, dark yellow cargo shorts, white gloves, dark yellow socks with white bands at the top, and sunny yellow shoes. "Excuse me." I say. She turns and looks at me.

"Hey, you're that new fighter." I nod. "Well I personal don't see it. My name is Zoey by the way."

_Gee, thanks for your input that I didn't even ask for. _I think.

"Could you tell me where a grocery store is?" I ask.

"There's one in the guild area." She tells me.

"And where's that?" I ask.

"Just follow the road past the stadium. You'll see a tall building, just go inside and up the elevator and you'll find it." She says.

"Thanks." I tell her. I walk down to the road, turn right and keep walking. There's no cars here so I don't have to worry about getting run over. The road goes through a cluster of trees and then goes into a large clearing. I look around and see the tall building with a sign on it that says _Fossil Guild_. Next to it is a three story building that must be a police station. Next to it is a tall red building that I don't recognize. I walk over to it and start walking up the steps.

"Hey, wait!" I turn and see a man in a red uniform that resembles a British police officers. Even the dome-helmet-hat thing on his head is red. "This is the Richmond Building it's not open to the public."

"Sorry, I didn't know." I tell him. I walk back down the steps. "Why is it called the Richmond Building though?"

"Well after Mr. Richmond of course." The guard tells me.

"Who's he?" I ask. The guard blinks in surprise.

"You don't know who he is? He's the most important man on the island and he owns the island."

"Oh." I smile sheepishly. "Sorry. I'm new."

"It's okay." The guard says with a smile. I walk back to the Fossil Guild and go inside. There's two elevators on either side of the back counter that has a sign on it that says _Info Clerk_. On the right there's another counter that has a sign on it that says _Mask Salon_ and a counter on the left whose sign says _Fighter Supplies_. I go over to the left elevator and push the up button. In step in and push the button marked "2" and the elevator moves upward. The door opens and I step off it's a small store, but it has all the stuff I need. I get some chicken, rice, a bag of salad, ranch dressing, milk, cheese, bread, mayo, fruit, vegetables, some cookies, butter, ketchup, mustard, some single serving cereal boxes, and some nuts. I pay for it and somehow manage to pick everything up and walk over to the elevator. _Now how am I going to do this?_ I think.

"Need some help?" I turn and see a ten-year-old kid, the same age as me, looking at me. He has shaggy blonde hair, brown eyes, a black archeologist hat with a red band and yellow sides, a plain red bandana around his neck, a black short sleeve shirt with yellow sleeves, black pants with yellow pockets that puff out as they get closer to his boots which are red and dark blue, a red belt and yellow gloves. He pushes the elevator button for me.

"Thanks." I say.

"No problem." He says. "I'll carry some of those for you." I give him two of the brown paper bags so we each have the same amount. We step in the elevator and I push the button marked "1".

"Name's Holt." He says. "What's yours?"

"Red." I tell him.

"But your hair isn't red." He objects

"It was when I was born. Then a few days later it turned its current color." I explained. The elevator door opens and we walk out and to the hotel then up the elevator to my room. We go into the kitchen and put everything away. "Want to stay for supper?" I ask him.

"Okay with me, but I need to call my uncle." He tells me.

"Phone's right there." I say pointing to the phone on the wall. He goes over and dials a number and waits.

"Hello? It's me. Is it okay if I have supper with a kid I met at the store?"He stands there for a few seconds. "Don't worry. _HE_ is very nice." He stands there a few more seconds. "Yes sir. Thanks, bye." He hangs up. "So what's on the menu?"

A few minutes later we're sitting at the table eating some baked chicken, rice and salad. "This is pretty good." Holt comments.

"Thanks." I say smiling. There's a knock at the door. "I'll be right back." I get up and go to the door and open it. There's a hotel employee standing there with a cart that has a TV and stereo on it.

"For entertainment purposes, we are putting these in every room." He explains. I let him in and he puts the stereo on the desk and the TV on the bottom part of the shelf, angled toward the bed, and leaves. I go back into the kitchen and finish eating.

"Hey," Holt says when he sees the stereo. He walks over and turns it on. "Let's have some fun shall we?"

"It would be my pleasure!" I reply with a smile. Then, we GET DOWN DANCIN'! Around seven thirty we're too tired to keep dancing so I turn off the stereo and we both lay on our backs on the rug. "Now THAT was fun." I pant.

"Yeah." Holt says I agreement. "Pals?" He asks looking at me. During our 'get down', we had gotten to know each other. I kept secret who I am of course, but he's really nice, friendly, and loves Fossil Battles more than anything.

"Buddies?" I ask.

"Friends." He says.

"Wingmen." I reply. He smiles. We sit there for a few moments looking at the ceiling before he gets up.

"Well, I gotta get back. See ya 'round." He says.

"Bye." I say getting up. After he leaves I go into the bathroom, take off my clothes and take a shower. I put on a clean pair of my navy blue boxers and climb in bed. I'm completely exhausted, but I talk to Air Strike some. I keep him in a side pocket on my backpack which is hanging by its left strap on the desk chair.

_'So what do you think of all this?' _I ask him.

_'Well, with you running away, it was the right thing to do rather than take your cousins bullying.' _He tells me. _'But maybe you should have left a note saying goodbye.'_

_'Well I thought about it but...' _I sigh. _'Can we talk about something else?'_

_'Sure.' _He says. _'What do you hope to find here? Besides fossils.'_

_'Adventure! Excitement! Action!' _I respond enthusiastically.

_'How about a little romance on the side?'_ He asks playfully.

_'No.' _I say angrily _'I hurt Mary. I know I did. I don't want to do that to anyone.'_

_'I'm sorry.' _He says. _'I didn't mean to make you angry.'_

_'It's okay.' _I tell him. _'We need to get some sleep. Night.'_

_'Sleep well.' _I roll over towards the wall and fall asleep into a dream.

_I was standing on the bridge in my hometown watching the sun set. Rex walks up to me and sits down leaning on my left leg. I rub his head with my hand and look up to see Mary walking towards me. We stand there looking at each other, smiling. Neither of us move, but a distance starts to grow between us. I start running toward her but the distance only increases. I look back over my shoulder and see my cousins standing there waiting with evil looks in their eyes. I run faster and faster but they only get closer and Mary gets farther away. They're about to grab me..._

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Sorry to end it there but, I want to keep you guys on the edge!<strong>

**Red: COME ON! When can I do some digging?**

**Me: I'M GETTN' THERE!**

**Red: *GROAN* ... Again!**


	3. I've Found More Than Fossils

**AN-You'll see why it's called this at the end. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Three- I've found more than fossils<p>

RRRRRRRIIIIINNNGGGGGG! "GAH!" I yell as I wake up suddenly pushing myself up on one arm. I pant and look around _Just a dream._ I think. RRRRRRRIIIIINNNGGGGGG! I look at the alarm clock that sits on the shelf above my pillow. I slap my hand down on it and roll onto the floor. I do some push-ups, curl-ups, and jumping jacks before I get dressed. I go into the kitchen and get a single cereal box and pour into a bowl with some milk and eat it. I wash the bowl and spoon then hear a knock at the door.

"Hello? Anyone home? Red? It's Dr. Diggins." I open the door and let him in. "I forgot some things yesterday. I do that sometimes." He hands me a pick axe. It has a yellow ring at the bottom of the handle and two yellow brackets on the blue thing that connects the handle and the pick, which is gray with a red top and a blue spike. He then hands me a rectangular object that is an inch thick and has a switch on the upper left side, a button next to my left thumb and circle that takes up most of the center. "You'll need these if you hope to dig up any fossils." He says with a smile.

_So this is a sonar._ I think looking at the rectangular object.

"Now you should head over to the trial dig site. Just go to the park area and talk to Bea Ginner, and please, no jokes about her name. Good luck!" He walks out the door and closes it behind him.

"Alright, let's go Air Strike!" I say grabbing my backpack. I leave the hotel and stop. _Where's the park?_ I look at the road and notice that it goes past the hotel and through a cluster of trees. I walk down it and find myself in another large clearing. To my left is a column of dirt that has a complete T-Rex fossil in it and beyond that is a large grassy area. To my left is a thick cluster of trees and bushes and beyond that is a railing that allows you to look out to sea with some trees planted in the center of the area and beyond that is a shrubbery. Next to it is a sign that says _Fossil Cannon Construction_. In front of the grassy area I see a woman with sandy hair in a long sleeved orange dress with a red tie and brown shoes. _That must be her._ I walk over and introduce myself.

"Hello my name is Bea Ginner. Please, no jokes. Follow me." She leads me across the grassy area and into some woods. We follow a path and come to a small dirt clearing. "There a fossil rocks buried here, you need to dig them up, but before you do that, use that switch to turn on the sonar." I flip the switch and a green grid and yellow arrow appear on the screen. She points at the arrow. "This is you. You want to be standing right in front of the fossil in order to dig it up. Why don't you give it a try?" I push the button and I hear a beep. The radar is half way around when a green dot appears on the screen and I hear a blip noise. I walk over to where I think the green dot was and swing my pick. It hits the ground and the dirt and rock clear away to reveal a fossil.

"YES!" I exclaim. I take out the fossil rock and examine it. _This must be a different one. 'Hey, we're going to have a new member on the team.'_

_'Yippee.' _Air Strike responds.

"Wait, how am I suppose to carry a bunch of fossil rocks around?" I ask.

"Oh, I completely forgot." Bea face palms herself. She hands me a strange wire that has light laser light bulbs on it. "Put it around the opening to your backpack." She explains. I take off my backpack, open it, and put the wire around the opening. It instantly feels lighter as if it's completely empty. I put the fossil rock in, but no weight is added.

"How does THAT work?" I ask.

"No idea. A kid came here with her collage class to do some excavation and made these for the fighters." She said. "You can put any thing in there any size or weight, and it won't fill up or add any weight."

"A... kid... in... COLLAGE!"

"She was quite brilliant actually."

_'WEIRD.' _Air Strike tells me_._

_'Ditto.' _I say in agreement. I dig up another fossil, a Spinax head, and a normal rock. I head back to the fossil center to clean the new rock. I walk in to the cleaning room and see standing next to a robot that resembles KL-34N, but this one is silver with a bluish tint and has a yellow drill on its head.

"Hello Red." says. "This is KL-34N. He's here to help you with cleaning and I've programmed him to learn by observing you clean, so maybe one day he will be able to do all of the cleaning for you!" He says with a smile. KL-34N spins around.

"Greeting master! I look forward to learning from the best!" He says. laughs.

"You have to give him points for enthusiasm don't you?" He asks. "There's one more thing though," He walks over to a strange contraption that looks like a slot machine. It's blue and yellow, the top looks like a dinosaurs head, and when he pulls the lever on the side a slot pops out. "You can use these to arrange and name your teams." He explains. "There are ones like these at dig sites, but they have warp-function so you can get to town faster." He checks his watch. "Well I need to get going. Goodbye." He turns and walks out of the cleaning room. I take out the fossil rock and put it on one of the grids to clean. Perfect one hundred as always.

"A Shanshan head fossil! You have not revived this vivosaur yet. COMMENCE REVIVAL!" I take the fossil over to the revival chamber and put it in. I enter in the revival commands how KL-34N tells me, then hit the revive button. The machine comes to life and revives the vivosaur and it steps out. It's also built like a T-Rex but it's pink with three yellow lines on either side of its face, yellow spines sticking out above its eye which are green, its jaw is cream colored along with some clouds on the outside of its thighs, purple claws on its hands and feet, which have yellow on them, and pink spines that are yellow at the end on its tail and thighs.

_'Hello.'_ It's a girl vivosaur, I can tell by the sound of its voice.

_'Hi.' _I respond. I try to think of a name but none come to mind.

_'How about Cloud Cover? You know, since I have clouds on my legs?' _She asks.

_'... Not bad.' _I tell her with a smile. She goes into her medal and I pick it up. _Back to the park! _I sprint out of the fossil center and back to the park where Bea takes me to the trial dig site. _The only thing I'm going to find is Shanshan head fossils..._

"Hi Red." I turn around and see Holt, But now he has a red, black and yellow backpack.

"Hey Holt!" I say happily. "How ya doing?"

"Good." He notices the two Dino Medals I take out to show him. "Hey, you've gotten your second vivosaur! You can fight with multiple now!" He raises an eyebrow and smiles. "You want to battle?"

"Think you can beat me?" I say with a sly smile.

"Wait." Holt says. "Let me explain something first. You see, there are three zones that your vivosaurs attack from. Attack Zone, AZ, Support Zone, SZ, and Escape Zone, EZ. The AZ is in the very front, the support zones are left and right of it and the Escape Zone is in the back. The vivosaur in the AZ gets help from the ones in the Support Zones. But, is also attacked the most, so vivosaurs with high Life Points do better there. The EZ is a zone that vivosaurs can go to recover or if they have low LP, be safe for awhile. They don't attack but they don't get hurt. The good news is, that when one of your vivosaurs gets defeated, you get a huge chunk of Fossil Points to make up for it. Okay, Let's go!" We get far enough apart and call out our vivosaurs.

"Come on out guys!" I yell as I throw the medals in the air. Air Strike comes out followed by Cloud Cover.

_'Alright listen... up... rookie...' _Air Strike says looking at Cloud Cover. His jaw drops.

_'Who you calling rookie?' _She asks.

_'Uh...' _I feel his thoughts. His mind is practically mush. I chuckle at it. _'What's so funny?' _He snaps.

_'Oh, nothing.' _I say. "Let's battle!" I yell. I look at his vivosaurs. He has a V-raptor, which has a silver white back and teal face and stomach, yellow-brown eyes with snake pupils, blue spines coming out of its head and back, and sharp dark teal claws on its hands and feet. His other vivosaur is an Igua which is a light jade color with a yellow under side, a grayish-brown nose, the same color going down its back to its tail and orange eyes.

"V-raptor, Veloci-Claw on Spinax!" He attacks doing eight damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Igua!" He charges at Igua and attacks doing forty-seven damage, causing Iqua to go into his Dino Medal.

"Veloci-claw on Shanshan!" Holt yells. V-raptor attacks doing twelve damage.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on V-raptor!" She charges at him but he jumps out of the way. She skids around and grabs him out of the air by his foot and hits him against the ground, doing fifteen damage.

_'WHOA.' _Air Strike says _'That was amazing.'_

_'Thanks.' _She says.

"Air Strike, finish him off with Spinax Fang!" He attacks V-raptor doing thirty-three damage, making him go into his Dino Medal. "Whoo-hoo!" I yell as Cloud Cover and Air Strike let out roars of victory.

_'That was a very good attack.' _Air Strike tells Cloud Cover nervously.

_'Thanks, you weren't too bad yourself.' _She turns back into her medal and I pick her up. I look at the medal for a few seconds before I laugh.

_'What's funny?' _Air Strike asks.

_'In your case,' _I tell him. _'I've found more than just fossils.'_

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Sorry if this was a bit shorter but, if you get what Red just said, you'll agree with it.<strong>

**Red: I get it.**

**Me: That's because you said it.**

**Red: I know. NOW WHEN CAN I DO SOME DIGGING AT A DIG SITE!**

**Me: Hold on, YOU'RE ALMOST THERE!**

**Red: *moans impatiently***

**Me: *groan***


	4. Stolen Medals

**Red: How about now?**

**Me: JUST WAIT A FEW MINUTES! }:C**

**Red: *groan***

* * *

><p>Chapter four- Stolen Medals<p>

"Good battle!" Holt says as we high-five each other.

"You can say that again." I tell him. We laugh. I hear a beeping noise and Holt checks his watch.

"Oh, man! If I don't hurry, my uncle will have me up to my ears in chores!" He says with wide eyes. "See ya around!"

"Bye!" I call as he runs down the path.

"Hi there, Red!" I turn around and see Dr. Diggins standing there. He notices the two Dino Medals in my hand. "Well you've already gotten two vivosaurs." He smiles. "I Guess you've learned everything you can here and can go on to the honest-to-goodness dig site, Greenhorn Plains!"

"A real dig site!" I exclaim happily. I turn to run to the path and stop. "How do I get there?"

"Just talk to Beth at the dock and she will arrange for the boat to take you there." He explains.

"Thanks!"

"Good luck, and don't excavate anything I wouldn't excavate!" He says. I turn and sprint down the path and to the park, then to the fighter area and to the dock. I stop at the podium Beth is standing behind.

"I'd like to go to Greenhorn Plains please!" I say excitedly. She does something with some kind of computer device of the other side of the podium and then looks up at me.

"You're all set." She tells me. I turn and walk to the end of the dock and wait a minute, my eagerness growing. The boat pulls up to the dock and I jump on and run up to the bow of the ship. The boat starts forward and gains speed quickly. It feels amazing. The sound of the wind blowing and water slashing fills my ears, the wind tugs at my hair and clothes, the water speeding by, and the wonderful smell of the crystal ocean.

Right now, I AM the king of the world.

The boat speeds onward for a few minutes before coming to a dock. "Just follow the path and you'll come to Greenhorn Plains." Captain Travors tells me. I jump off the boat and sprint down the path. I come to two pillars that come up about five feet then curl into a spiral. The side facing away from the path is green and has three spines coming out of it while the side facing the path is a pale yellow with a piece of jasper in the center of the spiral.

_GREENHORN PLAINS!_ I think. I take out my sonar, put the strap around my neck and right shoulder and take out my pickax. I turn on the sonar and dig in a crazy, excited manor. After digging up a bunch of fossils, I run back to the dock, jump on the boat, get back to the fighter area and sprint to the cleaning room in the fossil center to do some cleaning. I revive and integrate some fossil after getting smashing successes at cleaning them, then head back to Greenhorn Plains. I immediately run around while looking at my sonar to see if any fossil appear. Then I slam into someone. "Sorry." I say as I sit up.

"It's quite alright." The person says. It's a man who works at the fossil center. His hair is a sandy brown color, glasses, grayish-green shirt with two blue stripes, grayish-green pants and dark teal shoes. "I know that your excited about finding fossils but I know a place that is rich with rare fossils beyond your wildest dreams." He says as he helps me.

"REALLY?" I ask with an excited smile.

"Yes. It's right down this path BUT," He hold out a hand. "Fossil Battles are strictly prohibited. I will need you to give me your Dino Medals." I take them out of the side pocket of my backpack and look at them.

_'It'll only be a minute.' _I tell them.

_'Go on we'll be fine.'_ Cloud Cover tells me. I hand him my medals and immediately get a sick feeling in my stomach.

"Thank you, you're now free to enter." He steps aside to revel a path. I take off down it. I check my sonar and get a blip. I run over to it and throw down my pick. It's a normal rock. I toss it aside and look some more. I find another rock. Another rock. Another rock. I throw down my pick and pull out the rock it detected.

_I-I-I don't believe it... _Another rock.

"UGH! An old boot!" I turn and see another fighter with shaggy light brown hair, a pale army green mining hat, maroon t-shirt, gold-colored archaeologist vest, dark blue pants, and black boots. "What next an old tire?" I walk down the path a bit more keeping my eyes on my sonar. I then notice someone circling me. I look up and turn in a complete circle trying to see who was circling me. In front of me, is a girl my age with a pale pink archaeologist hat with a turquoise band, a sleeveless pale pink shirt that has a collar that covers the bottom half of her neck with an oval turquoise rock pin, a pink skirt that comes down midway on her thighs, pink knee socks, white gloves, turquoise and white shoes, a black belt, pink eyes, and pink hair pulled back into pigtails with bangs that stick out from under her hat.

"Huh. I've never seen you before. Guess you're new. Good luck finding some fossil rocks in this place." She says before walking past me and up the path.

_There's nothing here. This was a waste of time. _I think. I sprint down the path and stop. The man isn't there. _MY MEDALS! _I run up to where he was standing and look around franticly.

_'Look down.'_ It's Air Strikes voice. I look at my feet and there are all my medals. I fall to my knees, pick them up and hug them tight.

_'Thank goodness you're all okay.' _I tell them.

"Hey! Where did he go?" I turn around and see the girl with all the pink on standing there with anger on her face. "He took everyone's medals!" She notices the medals in my hands. "Oh. He tossed yours. Well you're a rookie so your must still be pretty weak."

"You can't talk about my vivosaurs that way!" I snap.

"Sorry. May he THOUGHT they were weak." She says. "But mine were really powerful! I was ready for the level-up battle! He said he worked for the Fossil Center, so that's the place to start. Come on!" She says grabbing me by my wrist and dragging me along.

_'What do __I__ have to with this!' _I ask.

_'Just go with it.' _Air Strike tells me.

When we get to the Fossil Center we go straight to the front desk.

"I hope you have an explanation for this!" She says enraged.

"Is there a problem?" Wendy asks.

"YES! My Dino Medals were stolen by one of your employees in Greenhorn Plains!" She responds. Wendy gets a confused look.

"Hold on, let me check the duty roster." She walks down to a computer and types something in. She walks back to us. "That's odd, we don't have anyone scheduled to work at Greenhorn Plains today."

"WHAT? Then who stole my medals?" She turns toward me. "Come on, we need to talk to the police!" She grabs me by my wrist and drags me off again. We get to the police station and she lets go of my wrist. There's a counter with bookshelves behind it, some prison bars on the back wall in line with the door, an elevator in the back left corner that has a three pointed crown on it and three police officers in uniforms that resemble the one I saw on the guard, but these are blue. "Captain Bullwort should be able to help us." She says. One of the police officers looks at us.

"Captain Bullwort is in his office... as usual." He tells us looking at the elevator.

"Thanks." I tell him. We get in the elevator and go down a floor. We step off the elevator, turn right, walk down a ten foot long hallway, and turn into the captains office. There is a desk in the back of the room and behind it is a picture of the captain. On either side of us, the walls and display cases are filled with medals and trophyies We walk up to him. He has brown hair, a mustache, white gloves that come up to his elbows, white boots, white belt, a blue officers hat, and a blue uniform outlined with gold colored cloth.

"Captain! Captain Bullwort, we need your help." The girl says. He looks at her and laughs.

"Aw, what's the matter young lady?" He asks. "Did someone throw away one of your dolls?"

_'Hey! He shouldn't be talking to her that way! Why I oughta...' _I think.

_'What's with the sudden defensive?' _Air Strike asks.

_'I... I don't know.' _I respond.

"Hardly!" The girl says. "My Dino Medals have been stolen! My Dino Medals! Without them do I EVEN COUNT as a Fighter? There needs to be a police investigation! The crook could be stealing some now!." He jumps in surprise.

"That defiantly IS serious. Do you remember what he looked like?" He asks. She thinks for a second.

"Yeah... He had eyes like a lambeosaurus... and his mouth was just like an anatotitan's!" She says. The captain frowns.

"Hmm... Finding him might be harder than I thought." He tells us.

"WHAT!" The girl exclaims. "I had TEN Dino Medals! Do you have any idea how long it took me to get them?" She buries her face in her hands. "I had the perfect team all ready for my level up battle!" She stands up straight, lets her hands back down to her sides and looks at me. "I won't stand for this!"

"Then sit down." I say. She and the captain burst out laughing.

"Oh geez," She says face palming herself. "Here I am dragging you all over the island and I haven't introduced myself! I'm Rosie!" She says with a smile.

"I'm Red." I respond.

"Nice to meet you! I'd really appreciate it if you helped me find the thief." Rosie tells me.

"Wait a minute!" The captain exclaims. "If you got some brand-new vivosaurs, you would want to try them out to see how good they are right? The criminal might be at Fossil Stadium."

"That's it! Thanks Captain Bullwort!" Rosie says happily. She looks at me. "Let's get to Fossil Stadium!"

"Right!" I say. We leave the police station and head to the stadium. "I would like to compete in a battle please." I tell Tiffany.

"May I see your Fighters License?" She asks. I take it out of my pocket and hand it to her. "Okay, when you're ready, go through the door on the right to the Battle Area." The door opens and Rosie and I walk through it down the hall to the door that leads to the Battle area. It opens and I see Rosie gets angry.

"HEY! That guy has my vivosaurs! The rat!" She says. She looks at me. "But don't worry those aren't my best ones. You'll be able to win easily. But, if you don't, we won't be able to catch the thief. Now go get'em!" We walk out on to the area and the crowd goes wild.

"Hey folks looks like Red is back here for some more battling! But, will he be able to defeat his opponent? Give a warm welcome to P.B. JAY!" The announcer says.

"Come on out guys!" I take out Air Strike and Cloud Cover, throw them in the air and they come out. _'Okay, he has a Spinax and a V-raptor, piece of cake guys.'_

_'Let's do it!' _Cloud Cover says excited.

"V-raptor, Veloci-Claw on Spinax!" He attacks doing seven damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax fang on V-raptor!" I yell. He charges, attacks V-raptor doing forty-four damage, causing him to go into his medal.

"Spinax, Spinax fang on Spinax!" P.B. Jay yells. Spinax charges to attack, but Air Strike gets his head down causing Spinax to fall on him. Air strike then snaps his head up, sending Spinax against the wall doing fifteen damage to him.

_'Good job!' _I tell him with a smile.

_'Nice.' _Cloud Cover comments.

"Now, Cloud Cover Shan Combo!" I tell her. She attacks doing seventeen damage.

"Spinax, Spinax fang on Spinax!" P.B. Jay says. He charges but Air Strike jumps out of the way. Spinax can't stop on a dime though, so he hits the wall, doing fifteen damage to himself.

"Air Strike, Spinax fang!" I yell. He attacks doing thirty-four damage. "Now Cloud Cover finish him with Shan Fang!" Se attacks doing twelve damage.

"THAT'S THE BATTLE FOLKS!" The announcer yells. The crowd goes wild. I meet Rosie in the lobby.

"Yay! You did it Red!" We turn to P.B. Jay. He has brown red hair, a blue head band, a dark teal short sleeve jacket, brown belt, dark brown pants and dark tan shoes. "I'll be take MY vivosaurs back now, thank you very much!" She says holding out her hand. He looks confused.

"Whoa, whoa. Hold up. I bought these with my own money. What makes you think they're yours?" He asks.

"You bought them? You sure you didn't steal them from me?" She asks. He gets an utterly confused look on his face.

"Of course I didn't steal them! What's going on?" He asks.

"The ones you just battled with were stolen from her at Greenhorn Plains." I explain. "Who did you buy them from?"

"I got them from a guy named Medal-Dealer Joe. Can't miss him, he's got eyes like a lambeosaurus." He explains.

"Yep. That's the guy. Do you know where we can find him?" Rosie asks.

"Well, no." He tells us. " I first heard about him at the Fossil Guild."

"Okay. We'll check it out." Rosie tells him. "But, could I have my Dino Medals back?"

"Of course." He says handing them back. "I wouldn't have bought them if I had known. But I need to go tell the police about that con man Medal-Dealer Joe." He walks out of the stadium.

"OK, Red. Let's get to the Fossil Guild." Rosie says. We leave Fossil Stadium and walk to the Guild area. We turn and walk into the Fossil Guild and to the back counter.

"Yes?" The man behind the counter asks. He has black hair and side burns, a green, yellow and red hat, white collar, long sleeved gold colored shirt, green vest, red pants, and tan belt.

"Excuse us, but we're looking for a man called Medal-Dealer Joe." I tell him.

"Medal-Dealer Joe, eh? Let's see... he said something about doing some business in Greenhorn Plains." He tells us.

"Greenhorn Plains again, huh?" Rosie says. We look at each other. "YES! I can finally get back the rest of my Dino Medals!"

"Let's go!" I say. We run out of the Fossil Guild, to the Fighter Area, then down to the dock. "We need to get to Greenhorn Plains ASAP." I tell Beth. She gets the boat to come and we jump on. When we arrive at the dock outside of Greenhorn Plains, we jump off and speed down the path, between the two pillars, through the plains and to the path he was standing at. We see him standing under a tree on the path and Rosie stomps up to him, enraged, as I follow.

"Gotcha, Medal-Dealer Joe!" She says.

"Or should we say Medal-Stealer Joe?" I ask. "You should have known we would find you."

"Yeah!" Rosie says in agreement. She holds out her hand. "Now hand over my Dino Medals!"

"Well, it seems like I don't need this disguise anymore..." There's a flash of white and the he's standing there. He has orange-yellow hair spiked in the back, a sleeveless maroon shirt, red gloves that come up to his elbows, blue pants, brown boots, and a thick gold belt. "But these medals?" He holds them up. "These are mine fair and square. The only way you're getting these back is if you defeat me in a fossil battle."

"You'll have to fight him Red. He's got all my good medals." Rosie tells me. "Good luck!"

"Okay." I tell her. I take out my medals and let Air Strike and Cloud Cover. Joe takes out the medals he's going to fight with and throws them in the air. A Shanshan, Goyo, and Metria come out. The Metria is a grassy green with a blue-teal underside, blue eyes, yellow dots on its sides and legs and a green and yellow fin on its back.

"Goyo, Rock head on Spinax and Shanshan, Shan Fang on him too!" Joe barks. They attack doing a total of nine damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Goyo!" I yell. He attacks doing thirty-eight damage.

"Goyo, Rock head on Spinax and Metria, Green Fang on him too!" They attack doing a total of twenty-three damage. "Goyo, get in the EZ!"

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Metria!" He attacks doing fifty-seven damage, putting him back into his medal. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Shanshan!" She attacks doing thirteen damage.

"Shanshan, Shan Fang on Spinax!" She attacks doing eight damage.

"Air Strike, finish Shanshan off with Spinax Fang!" He attacks doing forty-seven damage forcing her into her medal. "Cloud Cover, finish Goyo off with Shan Fang!" She attacks doing nineteen damage. "YES!" I yell as She and Air Strike release roars of victory.

"You did it! You're amazing Red!" Rosie exclaims.

"Thanks." I say with a smile. We look at Joe, whose in a daze.

"Hmpf. I'll take my Dino Medals back now you creep." She says as she snatches them away.

"Gosh DARNIT!" Joe yells. He takes a step back. "You haven't seen the last of me! I'll get you, so you had better watch your back!" He turns and runs down the path.

"Think again Joe. Your under arrest!" Me and Rosie jump in surprise when we see Captain Bullwort and another police officer jump in his way and slap the cuffs on him.

"Nooooooo!" He yells. They grab him on his upper arms and drag him up the path to us.

"We couldn't have caught this thief without you two." The captain says. "My sincerest thanks."

"You're welcome." I say with a smile.

"Level-Up Battle are starting soon, I hope you're both trying out for next level." The captain tells us. "But, thanks again! Over and out." He and the other officer take Joe away.

"Hear that? Level-Up Battles! And I have my medals back!" Rosie says excited. "If you pass one, you can advance to the next level! But the best part is that every time you level-up you get access to a new dig site! You're going to sign up right?" I would have said 'You BET I am!' right away, but for some reason, I feel like saying something a bit more mature. I ignore the thought.

"You BET I am!" I say with enthusiasm.

"Great! Lets root for each other!" She says with a smile. "Thanks for helping me get my medals back though. See ya!" She walks up the path a few steps then turns around and waves good-bye. She walks away and I just stand there and think about the impulse I had to act more mature. I never had that feeling around anyone or anything.

_Well, I can think about that later. _I raise a fist in determination. _Cause right now I have a battle to fight and win! _I run up the path, across the dig site, down the path to the dock, and ride the boat back to the fighter area. I step of the boat and walk up the road when some fireworks go off.

BING-BONG-BING!

"Attention everyone, Level-Up Battles will be beginning shortly. All participating fighters should make their way to Fossil Stadium for registration." The announcer says.

BING-BONG-BING!

I run into Fossil Stadium and walk up to the desk. "We are currently accepting entries for Level-Up Battles." Tiffany says. "Would you like to begin yours?"

"Yes ma'am." I respond.

"May I please see your fighters license?" She asks. I hand it to her. She scans it with some sort of device. "Okay, let me explain how Level-Up Battles work. You will be tested on cleaning fossils, then if you pass the cleaning test, you'll go on to the Fossil Battle test. Depending on your level, that part may have multiple battles or an extra rule. When you're ready, head through the door on the right to start your Cleaning Test." I walk over to the door and walk through. KL-34N takes me into the room they use to test your cleaning abilities, I take the fossil rock and get ready. I have to score fifty-five points or higher in order to pass, but I make a perfect one hundred. I go out into the lobby and walk up to the desk.

"Congratulations on passing your cleaning test." Tiffany says. "Next is the Fossil Battle test. You'll be fighting a Level 1 Master. If you win you will be promoted to Fighter Level 2. When you're ready go through the door on your right." I walk over to the door and go through it. Wendy is standing at the end of the hallway with a smile on her face.

"You may know me as the Fossil Center receptionist, Wendy." She says. "But today, I'm a Level 1 Master and your opponent. I'll be testing you to see if you're qualified to be a Level 2 Fighter, so I'm not taking it easy on you. Hit me with your best shot." She faces the door which opens.

"LADIES and GENTLEMEN the fossil battle is about to begin!" The announcer says. "She's the receptionist for the Fossil Center, a good friend of Dr. Diggins, and a Level 1 Master, WEEENDYYY IIIISAAAAC!" She enters the Battle area and the crowd goes wild. "Fighting to be a Level 2 Fighter, the kid who helped catch Medal-Dealer Joe, and, from what we've seen, a very impressive fighter, REEEED WAAAALKEER!" I step out on to the Battle Area and the crowd cheers. I let out Air Strike and Cloud Cover then look to see what vivosaurs Wendy's using. A Goyo, Shanshan, and V-raptor.

_No problem. _I think.

"V-raptor, Toxic combo on Spinax!" Wendy says. V-raptor attacks doing a total of twenty-four damage and poisoning him.

"Air Strike, Spinax fang on V-raptor!" I yell. He attacks doing thirty-eight damage. The poison kicks in and does fifteen damage.

"V-raptor, poison combo on Spinax!" He attacks doing a total of thirty-four damage and poisoning him again. "V-raptor, get in the EZ!"

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Goyo!" He attacks doing sixty-one damage making him go into his medal. "Now Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Shanshan!" She attacks doing twenty-two damage. Then the poison in Air Strike kicks in and does eighteen damage.

"Shanshan, Shan Fang on Spinax!" She attacks doing eight damage.

"Air Strike, finish her off with Spinax Fang!" He attacks doing forty-one damage, sending her back into her Dino Medal. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on V-raptor!" She attacks doing fifteen damage and putting him in his medal.

"RED WINS!" The announcer says. The crowd cheers and Air Strike and Cloud Cover release roars of victory.

"Congratulations Red! You defeated a Level 1 Master!" Wendy tells me in the lobby. She takes out my Fighters License. "I hear by certify you for Level 2 Fighter status." She stamps it and hands it to me. I look at it and see the 1 has been replaced with 2. I smile. "Lastly I have one piece of advice for you. There's a collection of journals on that bookshelf over there." She points at one of the bookshelves left of the door. "There's a section on Level-Up Battles. You might find some useful tips in one. But for now, bask in your victory. Good luck on becoming a Master Fighter someday!" She turns and leaves. I notice Rosie walking toward me with an old man following her. He looks kind of like Santa Clause. He has a white beard and mustache, full head of white hair, blue eyes, is short and stout, and is wearing a powder blue suit with a purple dress shirt, pink tie, and tan dress shoes.

"You already leveled up?" Rosie asks in amazement. "Wow Red! I failed pretty bad at my cleaning test. When I finally passed, I got crushed in my Fossil Battle." She sighs miserably. "I'm going to try again now."

"You can do it. I know you can." I tell her with a reassuring smile.

"Thanks." She says with a small smile. She steps aside and the man behind her steps forward. "But first, let me introduce you to my grandfather. He's a very important man."

_Very... important? _I jump in surprise._ He's Mr. Richmond! _I think.

"How do you do Red? I'm Mr. Henry Richmond." He says. "I heard about the incident with the medal dealer. I appreciate you looking after my granddaughter. Thank you, and I hope you and Rosetta will be good friends. You seem to work well together. Come by and visit me whenever you'd like. I'm in the Richmond Building over in the Guild Area."

"Thank you." I tell him. He smiles and wishes Rosie luck in her Fossil battle then heads off to the stands while she goes through the door to the Battle Area. I go into the stands to watch her battle and get a front row seat. The announcer calls her and who she's battling out, they come out and I hoop and holler. They go to their side of the Battle Area and call out their vivosaurs. "ROSIE!" I yell. She sees me and waves. I wave back and I hear the two boys next to me talking excitedly.

"Oh man, dude! She's looking this way!" One of them says in a high-pitched excited voice. He has blond hair, blue eyes, has on a black t-shirt, tan shorts, brown hiking boots, a tan archaeologist hat and a tan backpack.

"Does my hair look okay?" The boy next to him asks. He looks just like him but without the hat.

"Looking good!" The one with the hat replies. The battle starts. Throughout the enter battle, I cheer, and yell 'You can do it Rosie!', 'Good job!', or 'Hit'em now and hit'em hard!'. She wins the battle and I meet up with her in the lobby.

"That was a great battle you fought." I say smiling. She smiles.

"Thanks. I saw yours and I have to say, you got what it takes to be a Master Fighter." She says.

"Thanks. I-" I hear a gong five times in a row and realize that is was a clock. _'It's five 'o'clock already?'_

_'Well time flies when you run around on an island this big.' _Cloud Cover tells me.

"Sorry. I got to get going." Rosie says. "I have to get back in time for supper."

"Okay. See ya around." I say.

"Bye." She walks out and I hear my stomach growl.

_Hoo-wee am I hungry. _I think. I go back to my hotel room and get out some food, cook it, and devour it. I clean and put away the dishes then get on the computer to check the news. I see a notice and I click on it. The page that pops up is a missing poster.

Of me.

It has my age, height, birthday, hair color, eye color and picture. _PLEASE tell me no one here has seen this. _I think. I turn off the computer and watch some TV. At eight I shower, put on a clean pair of boxers, and get in bed. I sigh.

_'What's the matter?' _Air Strike asks.

_'I'm worried. I don't want them to find me and take me home. I like it here. And if they did I would probably never be allowed ANYWHERE alone and I would never see you guys again.' _I reply.

_'That's a good reason to be worried.' _Cloud Cover says.

_'Well, what do you think of Rosie?' _Air Strike asks.

_'She's nice.'_ I say.

_'What do you think of Mr. Richmond?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'To be perfectly honest with you, he reminds me of Santa Clause.' _I say. They laugh.

_'Remember what he said? _'I hope you and Rosetta become good friends. You two seem to work well together.' _Well?'_ Air Strike asks.

_'Yeah, I remember. What about it?'_

_'Then he approves of you.'_

_'So?'_

_'SOOOOO...' _Cloud Cover says. _'He wouldn't mind if you went out with Rosie!'_

_'Why would I want to go on a date with her?' _I ask.

_'Don't you remember? You got that sudden defensive feeling AND you felt like responding with something a bit more grown-up when she asked you if you were going to fight in a Level-Up Battle?' _She asks.

_'And?'_ I ask. They both respond with a playful tone at the same time.

_'You're falling in LOVE!'_

_'I am not.'_

_'Are TOO!'_

_'You guys are millions of years old! Grow up!' _I roll on my side, put one hand under my pillow, lay my other arm next to it, and drift to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Alright, that's all for this chapter! If you have any questions, comments, or requests please post it in a review! :D<strong>

**Air Strike: If we can touch his mind, can we control what he dreams?**

**Me: I guess so, why?**

**Cloud Cover: *Happy face***

**Me: OOOh boy, here we go.**


	5. Digadigs, Digadigamids, and Dino Cakes

Chapter Five- Digadigs, Digadigamids, and Dino Cakes

**AN- In case you don't know, G is the currency in the game. It'll pop up later.**

* * *

><p><em>Me and Rosie are sitting on a rock at the top of a cliff looking at the sunset on the ocean's horizon. The colors melded together perfectly, filled with pink, red, orange, yellow, purple, and midnight blue as if it had been painted by a master artist. The sky was dotted with a few pink, purple and golden clouds and the whole thing reflected off of the crystal ocean, making it more beautiful than anything. I look at Rosie and see looks at me. We're both smiling. There's a light blush on her face and I feel my heart swell. In a good way...And I love the feeling. We lean toward each other... closer... closer...<em>

I shoot up in my bed in my hotel room. I look out the window and see the golden rays of dawn coming through the sliding door.I look at the clock. Five a.m. Then I notice an amused aura coming from my vivosaurs. _'YOU GUYS DID THAT!' _

_'Yes.' _Cloud Cover giggles.

_'That's not funny!' _I tell them enraged. _'What happens in my mind when I sleep is not for you guys to control!'_

_'He's right it's not funny.'_ Air Strike says.

_'THANK YO-'_

_'It's HILARIOUS!' _He says. He and Cloud Cover burst out laughing. I grab my pillow, pull it out from under my head put my head back down and put the pillow over my face.

_'What're trying to hide? Your blush?' _Cloud Cover teases. It makes them laugh harder.

_'STOP LAUGHING! IT'S NOT FUNNY!' _I roar at them, pulling the pillow off my face. They suddenly stop laughing and I feel hurt inside them. _'I'm sorry... I didn't mean to yell. It's just, I don't want to leave anyone that I... really like... behind again. I don't want to hurt another person like that.' _But I am blushing.

_'It's okay. We shouldn't be acting like that.' _Cloud Cover says.

_'Yeah, you're right. We're millions of years old and need to grow up.' _Air Strike says in agreement. I smile and roll out of bed.

_Might as well get some extra exercise. _I exercise for an hour and stop when my alarm clock goes off. I turn off the alarm and get dressed. I go in the bathroom, splash some water on my face and dry it. I look at my reflection in the mirror and notice something. _How did I not see this earlier? _Ever since I learned that my cousins were going to live with us, I started working out whenever I could. Now, because of that, the baby fat under my chin and on my face has disappeared. My jaw line is much more noticeable and my features are more predominate. _I look different. _I think. _It'll make finding me a might bit harder. _I notice that the exercises I've been doing has also put a much more muscle on me. I pull up my arm, flex it and say "Boom." It makes me laugh.I pull on my gloves and eat some breakfast. I grab my backpack and head out the door. I walk out of the hotel and that girl, Zoey, stops me.

"Is it true you became a Level 2 Fighter?" She asks me.

"Yep." I respond.

"Good to hear that, Bucko." She says. "But this island is overflowing with Level 2 Fighters. If you really want my congratulations, call me when you hit Master status."

_I don't want your congratulations. _I think. I walk over to the dock. "Any new dig sights I can go to?" I ask Beth.

"Yes." She responds. "Knotwood Forest. There is a tribe of people known as the Digadig tribe deep in Knotwood Forest who have lived there for a extremely long time. They're very nice, kind and honest people, but the language they speak is strange. It's nice to know something about the place you're going to isn't it? Have a nice trip!" The boat comes and I hop on. It takes me to a dock surrounded by a dense forest and I run down the path until I come to two wooden totem poles. The tops are carved to look like T-Rex heads and they have flat wooden arms, legs, and a tail coming out of them. I walk through and start digging. I find a rock with a green jewel sticking out of it a little bit and realize I could probably get a lot of money for this. I need to get some more money. The clothes, passport, plane ticket, and food sucked almost all of it up. I do some more digging when I over hear someone talking.

"I'm sorry, but this area is currently off-limits. I can't let you pass" I look up and see a staff member from the fossil center standing in the middle of a path that leads deeper into the forest. He looks like how Medal-Dealer Joe did in his disguise. Rosie is standing in front of him with a confused look on her face.

"Why not?" She asks.

"I'm sorry, but it's my job to warn people that they can't pass. I don't know anything else." The man replied. "My boss was like 'This area's off limits, so don't let anyone through.' and I was like 'Okay, boss.'."

"Hey Rosie." I say walking up to her, smiling.

"Red, you've GOT to hear this." She says. "This guy just told me that the area past here is off-limits and that I can't pass. Is it secret? Dangerous? Both? I really want to check it out!" She gets an idea and turns back to the staff member. "You know what? I've had enough of this nonsense!" She turns back to me. "We'll get to the bottom of this. Let's ask my grandfather!" She starts walking back to the path and as she passes me she grabs my wrist. "Come on, Red!" She drags me back to the dock and Captain Travors sees her holding my wrist.

"Heh heh." He says. "Cute." I face palm myself and feel my face grow hot. I climb on the boat after her and we ride back to the Fighter area. We get off the boat and walk to the Guild Area then into the Richmond building. In the lobby, the floor is sky blue, the walls are white with dark yellow pillars sticking out of them and huge trees in large pots pushed against the walls of where we're standing. There's three small bridges that go over three different parts of a small crystal clear river that forks and disappears under the walls. There are three sections of floor connected by the bridges, two small ones in the back and the large on we're standing on. The two in the back each have an elevator and a guard standing next to the elevator on them. Rosie guides me over the right bridge to the right elevator and she pushes the button. We step into the elevator, ride it up to a floor, and step off. The room has a rocky pattern on the floor, white walls with brown yellow floor boards. We turn right and I notice a large fish tank with an ammonite fossil in it. Behind the fish tank is the rest of the room which has a light brown red carpet, an official-looking sofa, coffee table, two plants in two different corners, a large desk that has an earth orange top, brown on the upper half of the front and the same orange on the bottom half, on top of the desk is a small plant and a very high-quality laptop, a map on the wall behind the desk, along with a brown chair that has Mr. Richmond sitting in it. We walk around the fish tank and up to the desk.

"Well, well. Rosie and Red!" Mr. Richmond says. "You two didn't lose your medals again now did you?" I smile.

"Grandpa can I ask you something?" Rosie asks. "We need to get deeper into Knotwood Forest, but it's off limits and they won't let us in!"

"Knotwood Forest? Why was I thinking about that recently?" He puts his hand on his chin, thinking. "Oh, I remember! Dr. Diggins said something about it... What was it...?" He thinks for a few seconds. "You know, you should just talk to him. He seems to know everything that goes on around here these days."

"I don't know..." Rosie says. "He looked pretty busy last time I saw him..."

"Is there anything we could use so that he'll take the time to explain?" I ask Mr. Richmond.

"Why yes." He says. "Come to think of it he absolutely loves Dino Cakes. They sell some in the shop, just talk to the man behind the counter labeled _Fighter Supplies. _They're a snake they make for Fighters."

"Dino Cakes, thanks Mr. Richmond." I say. "Let's go!" Me and Rosie get in the elevator and go down to the lobby. "Hey, what does that elevator go to?" I ask pointing to the left elevator.

"It goes to the bedrooms and kitchen." Rosie explains. We leave the Richmond building, go into the Fossil Guild, and we walk over to the left counter.

"Yes?" The man behind it asks. He has a teal, cream, and maroon hat, brown hair and sideburns, a yellow collar and belt, long sleeved black shirt, a bright purple vest and teal pants.

"We would like some Dino Cakes please." I tell him. He looks at me, then at Rosie, then back at me. He raises an eyebrow.

"We?" He asks.

"I," I say indicating to myself "would like some Dino Cakes."

"Great!" He says with a smile. He takes out a blue package about one foot long and one foot wide. "Rich and moist, made with only the best ingredients! And this is the last one. Fifty G. Whaddaya say?" I take out the rest of my money.

"I say I only have twenty-five." I tell him.

"Just enough." Rosie says as she put twenty-five bucks on the counter. I put my money with it and he hands us the package. "That was close. Now let's get these to Dr. Diggins!"

"Right!" I say. We hurry out of the Fossil Guild, to the Fighter Area and into the Fossil Center. We walk over to the door on the left side of the counter and I read the sign next to it. _Dr. Diggins Office._ We walk in and I have to say, it looks like a tornado went through the place. There're books and papers scattered everywhere, on the floor, the two sofas, the coffee table and on his desk which has a computer on it. Next to the desk is a large fossil scanner and there's a bookshelf built into the wall. Dr. Diggins is hurrying around when he notices us.

"Oh, hello you two." He says. "There something I can help you with?"

"Yes sir." I say. "We need to get deeper into Knotwood Forest, but we were told it was off-limits."

"I'm sorry," He says. "I'm afraid that's not possible right now. There's been an incident in the Digadigamid ruins near Digadig Village, so I had the area closed and sent a famous Fighter there to handle it. But, come to think of it..." He looks at the wall. "We haven't gotten word back since yesterday. I hope nothing's happened..."

"Then why don't you send us to check up on that Fighter?" Rosie asks. Dr. Diggins looks at us, conflicted.

"Oh, boy..." He says. "What should I do...? Hmmmm... Hrrrmmmmm..." He looks back at the wall. "I'm exhausted. I wonder if I've been working too hard..."

_Wonder? _I think.

"I sure could use a sweet snack." He says. Me and Rosie look at each other, sly looks on our faces. I've been holding the package of Dino Cakes behind my back this entire time.

"Hey what's this Red?" She asks taking the package from my hands. "Is this a package of sweet and delicious Dino Cakes?"

"The VERY LAST package!" I say. "Want to split them?" Dr. Diggins snaps his head back toward us.

"D-D-D-Dino Cakes?" Dr. Diggins stammers. "Last... package?" He looks worried. "I've been craving those so badly!" He gets a miserable look on his face. "Oh no, I can smell them from here..."

"Really?" Rosie asks. "I'm sure we can make some sort of arrangement."

"Oh, hey!" I say. "WE'RE trying to get deeper into Knotwood Forest! Maybe if you gave us a pass..."

"Ummmmm... I'm not sure that's such a-" He starts to say.

"Oh well..." Rosie sighs. "I guess WE'LL just have to enjoy ALL TWENTY of these SWEET Dino Cakes won't we Red?"

"Oh! I know this GREAT spot in the park!" I tell her. "Come on, let's go!"

"NO! You win! I'll give you a Clearance Card for Knotwood Forest!" Dr. Diggins blurts out. We look back at him. "Now give me the cakes! Dino Cakes! I must have them now! Give me the cakes, the sweet, sweet, Dino Caaaaaaaaaaaaakes!" He has a pleading look on his face.

"Okay, give him the Dino Cakes Red." Rosie tells me. I hand him the package which he quickly opens.

"Thank goodness!" He says. He pulls one out and takes a huge bite out of it and relaxes as he begins to chew it. He looks at both of us. "You two planned this didn't you?"

"Yep." We both say nodding our heads simultaneously. He walks over to his desk picks, up a card and hands it to me. It's yellow and has 'Knotwood Forest Clearance' in black and all capital letters.

"Just show this to the staff and stay out of trouble okay?" He says.

"Yes sir!" I say. "Come on Rosie!" We run out of his office and run to the dock where we board the boat. We sit down and wait for us to arrive at the dig site. I take out a Dino Cake shaped like a T-Rex and examine it. It's a cross between a brownie and a cake with a layer of fudge with white swirls on top.

"You took one?" Rosie asks.

"Two actually." I say as I pull out another one shaped like a triceratops.

"You little sneak!" She says with a smile.

"Want one?" I ask.

"Sure." She takes the one shaped like a triceratops. "Thanks." She says. I smile. We start eating them and they really are quite delicious. I notice Captain Travors watching us eat them.

"Heh." He says.

"What?" I ask.

"You two look adorable together." He says. I again face palm myself and feel my face grow hot. We get to the dig site's dock, jump off the boat and run down the path to the dig site. We then walk over to the staff member on the path and I show him the card.

"If Dr. Diggins says it's okay, then I have no choice but to let you pass." He tells us. "Going beyond this point requires a certain amount of maturity though. I'll to test that level... Are you ready for some battling!"

"Yes sir." I reply.

"Then I'll go ahead and explain elemental types." He says. "Each vivosaur has a specific type, which very important to know. There are five different types-Fire, Earth, Water, Air and Neutral. Each type is stronger or weaker against another type of element. Fire beats Earth, Earth beats Air, Air beats Water, Water beats Fire, and Neutrals just stay the same. Now, let's proceed with the test." He takes out his Dino Medals and I get out mine. We call out our vivosaurs and I look at his. His Alectro is teal, has red eyes, steel-colored claws on its hands and feet, and blue hair on the top of its head, sides of its face, chest, back, thighs and tail. His Venator is brown, has a teal stomach, orange diamond spots on its thighs, arms and between its eyes, which also have orange around them and are teal. His claws are snow white and the ones on his feet have orange around them, he has orange arches on his sides, and fins coming out of his back which have orange for the lower half and yellow for the top half.

"Venator, Venator Bite on Spinax!" The attendant yells. He attacks doing twenty-four damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Venator!" I yell. He attacks doing twenty-four damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Venator!" She attacks doing ten damage.

"Venator, Venator Bite on Spinax!" He attacks doing twenty-six damage. "Now get in the EZ!"

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Alectro!" He attacks doing fifty-nine damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Alectro!" she attacks doing thirty-one damage, making Alectro go into his medal.

"Venator, Venator Bite on Spinax!" He attacks doing twenty-six damage.

"Air Strike, take'em down with Spinax Fang!" He attacks doing twenty-nine damage, putting Venator in his medal. Mine go back in their Dino Medals, I pick them up, and turn to the attendant.

"You may pass." He says stepping out of the way.

"Yes!" Rosie says excited. "Let's go!" She grabs my wrist and drags me down the path. After walking a little bit she lets go and we do some digging. I see a vine. I get an idea...

"Hey Rosie!" I call. She look around and then sees me in the tree I climbed with the vine in my hands. I jump off the branch and swing by her as I say: "I'm at Tarzan Boot Camp!" She bursts out laughing and I come over a decline in the path. Then the vine snaps. I hit the ground with a thud, then roll down the path and stop in front of some bushes. I sit up, groan, and rub my head.

"RED!" Rosie yells. I see her appear at the top of the hill. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I tell her. I look at the bush. _I wonder what's behind this... _I sit up on my knees to see what's behind it, and at the same time, a person in a blue mask, that is orange on the face area and red around the eyes, pops up. I blink in surprise. I then slightly tilt my head to the left and they do the same. I raise a hand, they do the same. Whatever I do they mimic perfectly. Rosie stands beside me watching and laughing. _It's probably a reflection of some kind. But it looks so-_ It grabs my shoulder. I jump backward about five feet while letting out a startled yell.

"You ARE real, digadig!" The person says. They stand up and another person wearing the same kind of mask pops up. They have marigold-colored fur capes that come down to the small of their backs, necklaces with wooden beads and feathers around their necks, grayish-cream colored long sleeved shirts, red bands around the lower parts of their forearms, blue fur skirts that come down midway between their thighs, red socks that come up to their knees, and blue leather shoes.

"You are Fossil Fighters, yes, digadig?" The new one ask.

"Yes..." Rosie says as I walk back over. "Why?" One of them steps forward.

"You must help our village, digadig!" He says. The other steps forward.

"Please!" He says.

"I'll help." I say. I look at Rosie. "You up for it?"

"Okay." She says with a shrug. The two men turn around and start walking. We follow them down the path and after awhile, we come to two wooden poles sticking out of the ground. We walk through them into a village made of teepees with fossils on top of them. Everyone in the village stops what they're doing and watches us. There're all dressed the same way as the two men we're following, except the women's masks are open in the back, allowing their hair to hang down and the children have no masks. They all watch us go by and as we pass them they follow us. Out of the corner of my eye, in a larger teepee, I see part of a face peeking out. They're a girl with pink hair that is yellow at the tips and pulled into pigtails on the top of her head, big green eyes and two red lines on her cheeks.

_She looks kind of like a Shanshan._ I think. Rosie turns her head and looks at her, and she ducks back into the teepee. A moment later, the two men in front of us stop in front of a large teepee, which half of it is made of a large head fossil. They join the crowd, and me and Rosie stand there, not knowing what to do or expect.

"Hallooo... digadig." Someone from inside the teepee says. A man in a mask comes out of the tent. The mask is gray with teal blue hair coming out of it, the top part of the mask is a skull that belonged to some sort of creature with small horns, and red lines on the chin and sides of the face. He is also wearing a red robe that comes to his ankles, with a blue zigzag line near the knees, and three thick, yellow lines coming down from his neck and shoulders. I notice the staff in his right hand has a sea green rock with blue dots towards the bottom of it is on the top of the staff. "I... am the chieftain of Digadig Village... which is... this place... here, digadig." He looks at both of us. "We are faced with a very, very... hard... diga-difficulty... digadig."

"What's the matter?" Rosie asks. The man turns and points to a very large pyramid behind the village.

"The Digadigamid, behind our village, is our... sacred place, digadig. Many... treasures are hidden inside, digadig. Diga-deep inside the Digadigamid we have our treasure... room, digadig. The ancestral key to that room was... stolen, digadig. And the Fighter who came to... help has not come out of the Digadigamid for diga-days, digadig." He turns back to us. "I ask you now, young Fighter boy and young Fighter girl... Will you recover the key and keep our sacred Digadigamid... safe, digadig?"

"You BET we will!" I say. "But, wouldn't one of your people be better?"

"The thieves are able to fight... Fossil Battles... digadig." He tells us. I notice that when he mentions the thieves and Fossil Battles, the children around us get frightened looks on their faces. "We Digadigs cannot use your... Dino Medals... so we have no way to fight these thieves, digadig. And... to be honest with you... these vivosaurs of yours scare my people, digadig."

"In that case, leave everything to us!" Rosie says with a smile. The crowd and the chieftain cheer.

"Digadig gratitude is as large as a T-Rex with a full belly, digadig!" The chieftain says happily. "We will make this task worth your while, digadig!" Rosie's face brightens.

"Worth our while? Like a reward or something? Sounds exciting, huh Red?" Rosie asks.

"I'm in it to help people." I tell her. "You can have all of the reward." The chieftain starts to do a weird dance by moving his hips back and forth.

"Digadig... Digadig... Digadig... Digadig... Digadig... Digadig..." He chants. "Diga... Daga... DOOOO!" He stops dancing and raises his arms and face to the sky. Suddenly, a pillar of yellow light surrounds Rosie and I hear something like thunder.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Rosie screams. Before I can react, the pillar is gone and she starts to fall backwards. I run forward and catch her before she hits the ground.

"WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR!" I yell at the chieftain. "You could have killed her!"

"Ohhhhh..." Rosie moans. I look at her and she opens her eyes. She looks at me, then at the chieftain, then back at me. My face gets hot as I stand her up.

"You okay?" I ask.

"I feel a little diga-dizzy." She says. She gets a confused look. "Diga-did I just say "diga"? I don't want to say it but I keep diga-doing it anyway! Aagh!"

"You are now blessed with a... bond between you and the Digadigs, digadig." The chieftain explained. "This will bring you eternal joy, digadig!" Rosie looks at him with that are-you-crazy? look on her face.

"Eternal joy? How diga-dare you!" She yells. "How am I suppose to have a d-d-d-d-DIGA-DISSCUSSION without saying "diga"?" She buries her face in her hands. "I'm going to have to stay in this diga-dang village forever!" She cries. I frown.

"But you can't stay here!" I blurt out.

"You're right, I can't... diga!" Rosie says. She begins to fall backward again and I catch her.

"You are diga-displeased, digadig?" The chieftain asks worried. "Forgive me, digadig. I only intended to show my thanks from the diga-depths of my heart, digadig." He looks at me. "Young Fighter boy, we will watch your friend, digadig. Please, do whatever is in your power to recover our ancestral key... digadig."

"Okay..." I look at Rosie then back at him. "But, when I do, could you please remove the spell you put on her?"

"I will." He says nodding. Three women from the crowd walk up to me and the middle one holds out her arms. I pick Rosie up and hand her to the woman. They turn and go into one of the teepees.

_She's going to be okay._ I think. _No need to worry._ But I still am. I don't want her to stay here forever.

"Many thanks young Fighter boy, digadig." The chieftain says. I turn back towards him. "You can enter the Digadigamid from diga-directly behind this village, digadig." I nod.

_My vivosaurs are going to need to be stronger if I want to take down the thieves. _"I'll be right back." I tell him. I sprint out of the village and back to the boat. When I arrive back at the Fighter Area, I head straight for the Fossil Center. I clean all the rocks I dug up and revive them. I hit the revive button for one of them and the vivosaur comes out. It looks amazing. It's underside and inside of its legs are snow white, it has black claws, golden eyes, is built like a T-Rex and its topside and outside of its legs are a fiery red-orange, and has black stripes all over it making it look like a tiger.

"S-Raptor revival successful!" KL-33N says.

_Whoa. _I think. He looks me in the eye.

_'Hello. I am happy you are the one to revive me. You are different than other humans who walked by me.' _He tells me._ 'So, what shall you name me?'_

_'You're a fire-type, so eventually you'll be able to breathe fire...' _A name pops into my head. _'FLAMETHROWER!' _

_'Yes... I shall throw burning hate at my enemies and use my fire to create the heat of battle.' _He says.

_'You sound like a poet.' _I tell him. _'And much more mature than Air Strike and Cloud Cover.'_

_'HEY!' _They both say at the same time. I snicker. Flamethrower goes into his medal, I pick it up and look at it. It has his picture on it, like all Dino Medals do, but instead of a green ring, like all my other medals, this one has a red one. I put him with the rest of my medals and head back to Knotwood forest. I go back into the village and walk to the Digadigamid. I look at the ancient structure and notice how well it has been maintained by the Digadigs. I enter the Digadigamid and see a man standing there, on guard. He has a purple toboggan with a white pom-pom on top and a thick white band above his eyes on his head, a long sleeved purple shirt with two sea green capitol B's that are back-to-back in the center with black behind them, two white patches above his elbows, purple pants that have the ends tucked into his sky blue boots which come midway between his knees and ankles, a white belt with a gold-colored buckle, and sky blue gloves that come up to his elbows. He glares at me.

"I've been give STRICT orders to stop anyone who enters." He says. "Am I going to have to stop you?" I take out my medals.

"You BET you're going to try." I tell him. He gets an irritated look.

"You asked for it buddy!" He tells me. "I'll make it quick and painless! BB bing, BB bang, BB BOOM!" He takes out his Dino Medals and calls out his vivosaurs. He has a Goyo and a Stygi. It's underside and arms are pure white, its claws and eyes are pinkish-purple, it has teal horns coming out of the sides of its head that are angled backwards, it has the same color stripes on its forehead, legs and one on its back, the same color around its eyes the rest of it is a dark pink, and it's built like one of those dome-head dinosaurs. "Stygi, Fiendish Ram on Spinax!" He attacks doing sixteen damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Stygi!" He attacks doing forty-one damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Stygi!" She attacks doing sixteen damage, causing Stygi to go into his medal.

"Goyo, Rock Head on Spinax!" He attacks doing one damage.

"Flamethrower, S-Fang on Goyo!" He attacks doing eighteen damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Goyo!" She attacks doing twenty-three damage, making him go into his medal. "Now get outta here!" I yell at the man. "And don't EVER let me catch you here again!"

"BB busted in BB battle!" He says worried. "BB bobbity, BB bibbity!" He runs out of the Digadigamid.

_What's with how they talk? _I wonder. I walk up the corridor and come to a large room filled with some random artifacts and keep walking. The corridor that leads out of the room is filled with fake bones, so I break a path through with my pick. I keep walking and at the end I see... a dog? He has the same uniform on as the guard, is standing on his hind legs, and has a red nose, pink ears and snout, and the rest of his fur is light pink.

_'That IS a dog... Right?' _Flamethrower asks.

_'I have NO idea.' _I tell him. I feel unease coming from them.

"Bow! Bow wow!" He barks.

_I don't think he's going to let me by. _I think. I take out my medals and see a gleam in his eye.

"Aaaooooooooowwww!" He howls. He takes out some Dino Medals.

_... _I think. _HE CAN FIGHT FOSSIL BATTLES? What's up with that! _He looks like he's going to hit me with all he's got. He has a Nodo and a Megath. The Nodo is built like an Ankylosaurus, has a sandy-gold colored back, dark camouflage green legs with a teal triangle out lined with turquoise. The Megath is practically a giant sloth with off-white fur, turquoise face, stomach and ears, pink claws and nose.

_'This is going to be interesting.' _Air Strike says. He barks something and his Nodo does a Nodo Tackle on Air Strike doing eight damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Nodo!" He attacks doing thirty-five damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Nodo!" She attacks doing eleven damage. The dog-man barks something and Nodo does a Nodo Combo on Air Strike doing a total of twenty-two damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Nodo!" He attacks doing thirteen damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Nodo!" She attacks doing eleven damage. The dog-man barks. Nodo does a Nodo tackle on Air Strike doing six damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Nodo, then Air Strike, use Spinax Fang on Megath!" She attacks doing seventeen damage, making him go into his medal. Air Strike attacks Megath dealing SIXTY damage.

_'Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!' _I tell him with pride. The dog-man growls and makes Megath do a Slow Blow on Air Strike doing twenty-six damage. But, he accidentally hit some of the spikes on Air Strike, doing two damage to himself and putting him into his medal. The dog-man turns and runs father up into the Digadigamid. I watch him run away and check my watch. Twelve thirty. I take out my lunch and eat it. It consists of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, some grapes, a bottle of water, and some cookies. When I finish I go the same direction the dog-man did, go through another room filled with artifacts, up some stairs, down a corridor and stop. The dog-man is talking to another man in the same uniform. He's scrawny, has yellow hair in a dome hair cut, and nose that is probably four or five inches long, but he doesn't have a toboggan.

_He must be overly curious of something. _I think.

"Heh. Check out the adventurous little Fighter sniffing around other people's business!" He says. He has one of those Brooklyn accents. The dog-man has a worried look.

"Bow wowwww!" He barks.

"No worries. I'll have him stomped into a pancake in a minute!" The long-nosed man tells him. He takes a step toward me. "All right kid. If you knew what you were in for you would have turned tail already. Guess I'll have to show you your mistake." I take out my Dino Medals. "When I'm done with you, you're going to be more ruined than this Digadigamid! Heh. I'm so clever." He says to himself. We call out our vivosaurs and I examine his. He has a Carchar and a Goyle. The Carchar is a sandy-gold color, has black around its eyes, teal-blue stripes around its arms and on its back, white claws, is built like a T-Rex, has a camouflage green stomach, a teal blue stripe on both legs, and the back of its head is the same color. The Goyle is a light purple with red spikes on its sides, back and tail, has black eyes, and is built the same way as Nodo.

"Carchar, Massive Jaws on Spinax!" He attacks doing sixty-one damage. That's HALF of his Life Points.

_That's not good. He won't be able to... _"Air Strike, get in the EZ! Flamethrower, take his place!" Carchar is an Earth Type, so he won't be able to do as much damage to Flamethrower. "Now, S-Fang on Carchar!" He attacks doing sixty-eight damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Carchar!" She attacks doing nine damage.

"Carchar, Massive Jaws on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing thirty-nine damage.

"Flamethrower, S-Fang on Carchar!" He attacks doing fifty damage, sending Carchar into his medal. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Goyle!" She attacks doing fourteen damage.

"Goyle, Body Axe on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing sixteen damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Goyle!" He attacks doing eighteen damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Goyle!" She attacks doing thirteen damage.

"Goyle, Body Axe on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing twenty-two damage.

"Flamethrower, S-Fang on Goyle!" He attacks doing twenty-four damage, putting him in his medal.

"WHA-?" The long-nosed man and dog-man jump in surprise with a mixture of shock and worry of their faces. "You beat me? But you're just a kid!"

"Arf arf, arrroooooof!" The dog-man says.

"I was thinking the same thing. It's time to break out the good stuff- my surefire knockout punch!" I put my feet shoulder length apart, put my right foot one step back, bend my knees, and raise my fists, as if to get ready for a fight. I always got in this position when my cousins were about to fight me. I call it my fighting stance. The long-nosed man faces me. "You won't believe the special move I've been holding back. Just wait. Heh." He gets closer to the back wall next to some stairs. "Here it comes!" He gets closer to the wall. "Better get ready!" Closer. "Almost time!" He's right in front of the wall. "You won't even see it coming!" He turns toward the wall, does his right arm in a 280 degree circle, tips his head down towards the ground, pulls his left arm back into the air, and pushes his right leg back into the air. "Yoink!" He says as he pushes a button on the wall. The ground under me gives way, and I fall through a hole that appeared under me. I fall down, yelling, into a room, hear a thud as I hit the floor, and everything goes black.

"Hey, are you alright?" A woman's voice asks. "Hey! Can you hear me?" The first thing I'm aware of is my pounding headache.

"Ohhhh... my... head..." I moan. I feel someone put something small and round in my mouth, then some water, which I swallow with the small round thing. My headache almost immediately goes away and I open my eyes. I see a thin woman in her early thirties crouching next to me. She has light brown skin, fiery red hair pulled back into a high ponytail with bangs that cover the right side of her face, black sun glasses that cover the bottom half of her eyes which are blue, green lip stick, two black bands on the middle of her upper arms, white gloves cut off at the middle of her fingers and comes up to the middle of her forearms, a sleeveless white shirt that stops at the bottom of her rib cage, a white belt with a gray buckle, blue camouflage pants that are tucked into her black and white boots.

"Good, you're awake. Guess you're not dead." She helps me stand up then puts her first two fingers on her temples and closes her eyes. "My psychic powers tell me that your name is Red and that you're a Level 2 Fighter." I let out a small gasp. She laughs. "Just kidding. You dropped your Fighters License in the fall." She holds it out to me.

"Thank you." I say as I take it and put it in my pocket. "Who are you?"

"I'm Nevada Montecarlo. I'm a Fighter who specializing in expeditions too dangerous for locales." She explains as she uses a whip on the ground. "The Fossil Center hired me to infiltrate the Digadigamid and investigate the incident. But, those BB Bandit jerks tricked me down that trap door."

"Who are the BB Bandits?" I ask.

"The BB Bandits are a secret organization that can't stop making trouble. They illegally trade fossils, destroy parts of dig sites... you name it. They're just a bad bunch. And now there're going to steal the Digadigamid treasure, but I'm going to stop them."

"Well, how are we suppose to get out of here?" I ask. She walks over to the wall that has a key hole in it.

"I've reading the carving on this wall and they mention... A key? No... Better! Keymonite! FANtastic!" She says with a smile.

"..." I stand there for a second. "What?" I ask blinking.

"Keymonite is an ancient creature, sort of like an ammonite, but it acts like a natural skeleton key." She explains.

"Cool!" I exclaim.

"Yep." She says. "If we can find one, we're free. But my sonar broke when I fell. Think you can dig one up?" I take out my pick.

"You BET I can!" I turn on my sonar and start looking. "By the way, what was that small round thing that you put in my mouth?"

"A special kind of aspirin that immediately makes headaches go away." She explains. "It was made by the same person who made the wire that goes in fighters backpacks."

"Really?"

"Yep. The best part about it though is that nothing bad happens from taking it."

_Whoever made this stuff is a total genius. _I think. I look back at my sonar and notice a red dot appears on it. I walk over to where it is, throw down my pick and put out a rock.

"Nice work!" Nevada tells me. "But we can't stick it in there like that, of course. Think you can clean it?" I take out my hammer and drill and clean it. One hundred as always. "Great!" She says. I hand it to her and she inserters into the key hole. We stand there for a few seconds.

Nothing happens.

"Maybe you read the writing on the wall wrong." I suggest.

"No." She says. "I know I di-" She turns to look at me but stops. "Well... wasn't expecting that." I turn around and see that a ladder appeared right behind me.

"Okay!" I point at the ladder and turn to look at Nevada. "I am very happy I wasn't standing right there."

"C'mon. Let's get out of here." She says. I climb up the ladder and up into the room that I battled the man with the long nose in. Nevada comes up out of the hole after me and looks at the stair case. "They must still be in here. Let's go!" She waves her hand and we run up the stairs. We run down another corridor, up some more stairs, and into a shorter corridor. Nevada stops.

"What's the matter?" I ask her.

"The Treasure Chamber's door is open!" She says worried. "Let's hope we're not too late!" We run into the Treasure Chamber and see the dog-man and long-nosed man standing there with their backs to us. "All right, nobody move!" Nevada says cracking her whip.

"Bowww!" The dog-man says jumping in surprise and turning towards us. The long-nosed man does the same thing.

"Hey, check it out." He says. "The adventure dame teamed up with the pip-squeak to fight crime. Adorable." I get in my fighting stance and scowl.

"You're gonna pay for trapping us in that hole." I tell him.

"Wait," He jumps in surprise with shock and confusion on his face. "how'd you two even get out of there? That thing was escape proof!"

"Hardly." Nevada says. "Turns out a Level 2 Fighter could break out of there. This Level 2 Fighter next to me." She takes a step forward. "Now, since it took a trapdoor to beat either of us before, how do plan to stop us together?" They both take a step back and the long-nosed man has a worried look.

"Grrrrr..." He growls.

"Do you two slackers think that you can drag your feet a little MORE?" A woman's voice asks from behind them. They jump and turn back around.

"Uh-oh." The long-nosed man says. "She's back! Quick, look busy!" A woman walks down and stops between them. She has on the same uniform, except the shirt stops midway between her thighs, making it look like a skirt, purple-pink gloves and boots, white bands on her pants, green eyes, light sea green hair that comes down to her shoulder blades, but the hair on the sides of her face is pulled back into a ponytail, and she has no tobbogan.

"Oh, don't you two look... adventurey? Quite the duo- Ranger Red and Fossil Boy! I'm trembling with fear." She says sarcastically.

_Ranger Red, Red Ranger. _I think. I resist the urge to flinch when she says Ranger Red since it's so close to my actual name.

"Wait a minute..." The woman says. "Are you two loafers telling me you lost to this kid?" The dog-man and long-nosed man get worried looks.

"Uh... technically... yeah, but..." The long-nosed man stammers.

"Boww..." The dog-man whines.

"Hmph. That's actually pretty impressive for a boy your age." She takes a step forward. "But I suppose if you're going to be a real opponent, we'll have to introduce ourselves. Man's best friend here is Rex. If you happen to know what he is or where he's from, please let me know."

"RRRRRrrrarf!" He says.

"The gent with the long nose is Snivels. The nose isn't just for show- he can smell better than Rex." The woman says.

"Oh yeah." He says laughing. "I can smell what flavor gum you've got in your pocket right now..." He takes a deep breath through his nose. "... It's strawberry." I look at Nevada.

"That's correct." She says.

"And me?" The woman asks. "I'm the one stuck leading this bunch, Vivian. But you can call me 'archenemy'."

"Vivian..." Nevada says with realization. "I've heard of you. You're pretty high up in the BB Bandit organization."

"How flattering." Vivian says. "I'd love to chat, but we have what we came for, so we'll be going. Rex? Snivels? Time to go." Nevada cracks her whip.

"Only if you think that you can beat both of us Vivian." She tells her. "Ready Red?"

"You bet I am." I say.

"So sorry," Vivian says. "but I'm afraid that my battling schedule is all filled up. No time to play with you two." She looks at Rex. "Rex!"

"Arf, arrooof!" He barks. He runs forward, pushes me and Nevada out of the way, runs between us followed by Snivels and Vivian.

"Stop! I won't let you escape!" Nevada yells. She runs after them but the door suddenly closes locking us inside. "No! they locked it from the outside!"

"Don't worry heroes." Vivian says. "I'm sure someone will dig you out... in a few million years when your both fossils yourselves! Toodle-loo!"

"We have to stop them!" I say. "They said they got what them came for, so they have to have the Digadigs Treasure!"

"I know," Nevada says. "everything in here is an important artifact to the Digadig culture, from thousands of years ago! We can't let them get away!" She turns toward the door. "There has to be some way out of here... What's this?" She looks at the door and brushes some dirt away. "There's something written here!" She examines it. "... This makes NO sense." I look at it.

"You can say that again." I tell her. All it's just a bunch of letters scrambled up together. I look at the entire thing but it doesn't make a lick of sense. _Wait... _I notice at the end of the three lines, the letters form a word written vertically. _D-I-G... Dig? _I think. _But where? _I examine the room. It's filled with all sorts of different ancient artifacts, including a giant ammonite fossil probably six feet in diameter. The entire room is made of the exact same light sandy-gold bricks. I don't see any cracks, chips, switches, buttons or activation plates anywhere. I slump against the wall, slide down to the floor, hug my legs, and bury my face against my knees.

"What's the matter?" Nevada asks.

"Well, a friend of mine had a spell cast on her by the Digadig Chieftain." I explain. "It's suppose to be a blessing, but really it's not. To her. So, if I stopped the thieves he would take the spell of her, but now I can't stop them and she's going to have it forever."

"She?" Nevada asks. I snap my head up towards her.

"Okay, what is with everyone here?" I ask irritated. "I'm friends with her, so what? Everybody think that I like her, but I don't. I only like her as a friend, but nobody can see that so they irritate me, and that only makes them MORE sure, so then I just get mad!" Nevada blinks in surprise at my sudden outburst.

"Sorry..." She says. "Well, what's her name?"

"Rosie."

"Well that's a nice name." She goes back to examining the writing. I look back around the room and notice something. There's two of everything in this room, one on the left, and one on the right. But, on the right side of the room, there's two piles of fossils about ten feet apart. I get up and walk over to them.

_I wonder... _I take my pick, get in the middle of the two piles and throw down my pick. It goes through the floor likes it's nothing, and I see a tunnel. "I found it!"

"What?" Nevada asks. She runs over to me and looks at the tunnel. "Good job Red! Come on partner, let's see where this goes." I jump in and slide down the tunnel.

"WHOO-HOO!" I yell. The tunnel ends and I pop out at the beginning of the very first corridor in the Digadigamid. I step out of the way and Nevada appears. "You think they're still here?"

"HA! Did you see the looks on their faces when we shut the door? Classic!" I hear Snivels say from inside the Digadigamid.

"Well I STILL can't believe that you two let yourselves get beaten by a kid." Vivian says.

"Hey, it was beginners luck." Snivels says. "But I can't believe they made it out of that trap."

"Well, at least they'll never bother us again." Vivian says.

"Think again!" I call. They appear at the end of the corridor and shock appears on their faces. Snivels points at us with one hand and then back at the stairs with the other.

"You're there but,-You're up there but,- You're right there-but-I-you-we-...WHAT?" He asks with complete bewilderment on his face. "How'd you get out of there?"

"Sorry. Trade secret." Nevada says. "Now give us the treasure you took." She cracks her whip and points at the burlap sack Snivels has in his hand.

"No way sister!" Vivian says angrily.

"Can't say I'm too surprised." Nevada says. "Oh well. I hope you're ready to take on Nevada Montecarlo, Dino Duelist!" She reaches into her pocket then gets a shocked look on her face "Where did my Dino Medals go?"

"Ree-hee-hee!" Rex laughs.

"Heh. Surprised Red?" Snivels asks.

"Actually," I say as I take out my medals. "I've still got mine."

"Your name's Red?" Snivels asks.

"Yep." I take a step forward. "Now give us the treasure and the medals!"

"You can take her Red!" Nevada say. "Show them what you're made of!"

"With pleasure!" I say with a smile.

"So you're going to fight me in her place, huh?" Vivian asks. I nod. "As you wish, but you should know, my vivosaurs are FAR more powerful than Rex's and Snivels'." She glares at me. "I hope you're ready for a thrashing child." We call out our vivosaurs. She has a Lambeo and a Nychus. The Lambeo is built like a Lambeosaurus, is crimson, has a royal blue underside, two yellow rings above its wrists, a yellow snout, red and yellow crest coming out of its head, yellow on the front of its feet, a yellow line going down its sides, and a yellow and baby blue fin on its back. The Nychus is built like a velociraptor, has gray claws, white underside, white jaw, pink on its topside, top of its arms, feet, and legs.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Nychus!" He attacks doing thirty-nine damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Nychus!" She attacks doing sixteen damage.

"Nychus, Nychus Venom on Spinax!" He attacks doing a total of twenty-seven damage.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Nychus!" She attacks doing fourteen damage sending him into his medal. "Now Flamethrower, S-Fang on Lambeo!" He attacks doing twenty-six damage.

"Lambeo, Lambeo Combo on Spinax!" He attacks doing fifty-seven damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Lambeo!" He attacks doing forty damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Lambeo!" She attacks doing fourteen damage putting him in his medal. Vivian takes a step back.

"H-how?" She stammers. "How did you do that? I've never lost before!"

"Time to hand over the stolen goods." Nevada says holding out her hand.

"UGH! Just give it to them!" Vivian says. "Give it to them!" Snivels shoves the burlap sack into my hands and Rex gives Nevada her medals.

"You won't be this lucky next time child!" Vivian tells me enraged. "Next time we met, I'll crush you!" She turns and runs back into the Digadigamid.

"Hey, Vivian, wait up!" Snivels calls worried. "Viviaaaaaan!"

"Yipe-yipe-yipe!" Rex barks. They run after her.

"We did it!" Nevada says. "We got the Digadigamid Treasure back! You were amazing Red. I couldn't have asked for a better partner in the field."

"My pleasure to help serve some justice!" I say with a smile. "Now let's give this treasure back to the chieftain. He'll be happy to hear the good news." We walk out of the village and back to the chieftains teepee. The crowd returns when they see us give him the key.

"Oh! This is... diga-definitely the stolen key to the Treasure Chamber, digadig!" He says with glee. The crowd erupts with cheers. "Young Fighter Boy, you have done a great... service for the Digadigs, and for that I thank you, digadig!"

"Well, we also got back the treasure that was almost stolen." I say holding up the burlap sack. It's weird. I expected it to be heavy, but it probably only weighs an half pound. I hand it to the chieftain and he takes out an idol from it. It's about four feet tall, is a sandy color, has a happy face on it, and green patterns all over it.

"I've studied a lot about the Digadig culture," Nevada says. "but I haven't seen an idol like this." The chieftain looks at her.

"You are... mistaken, red-haired Fighter woman, digadig." He tells her. "This is not originally a treasure of the Digadigamid, digadig. Not long ago, I dug a hole to diga-dump some food scraps and found this, digadig. I put it in the Treasure Chamber because I thought it was neat... and pretty, digadig."

"I don't get it." Nevada says with confusion. "There were much more valuable things to steal from the Treasure Chamber... No offense to your sense of style, but why would the BB Bandits steal this tacky idol?"

"Maybe it has a hidden value..." I wonder aloud. The chieftain gets an idea.

"Ah! This idol should be a suitable reward for returning out key to us, digadig." He says. He picks it up and hands it to me.

"Thank you." I say with a smile.

"The Digadig people are very grateful to you, digadig." He says. "Take this idol, so that we may... idolize you, digadig!"

"Grateful, schmateful, diga-dude!" A voice says.

"Rosie!" I say as she emerges from the crowd. "You're okay!"

"Yep, I'm good." She says. "Okay, Red got your key back. Now take this diga-darn spell off me!" She tells the chieftain.

"Are you sure, digadig?" He asks. "I find you much easier to understand this way, digadig."

"Just diga-do it!" She says stamping her foot and curling her fingers into fists.

"As you... prefer, digadig." He says. "I will remove the spell, digadig." He starts to do the weird dance again and starts chanting. "Digadig... Digadig... Digadig... Digadig... Digadig... Digadig..." He chants. "Diga... Daga... DOOOO!" He stops dancing and raises his arms and face to the sky. The pillar of yellow light surrounds Rosie and I hear something like thunder again.

"Aaaaaaaahh!" Rosie screams. The pillar of light disappears and she begins to fall over. I run forward and catch her before she hits the ground. I stand her up and hold her up by her upper arms.

"You okay?" I ask.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She says. I put my hands back at my sides and turn to the chieftain.

"The spell has been removed, digadig." He tells us.

"Great!" Rosie says happily. "Now I can speak like my old self again... digadig." She gets a confused look. "Did I just say 'digadig'?... Digadig." She whips around to the chieftain. "No, no, NO! Not only is the spell still on me it's even worse!... Digadig!"

"There are sometimes... complications in spell removal, digadig." The chieftain explains. "Just go about your business and it go away. For now, you will just have to... diga-deal with it." He snickers.

"Noooooo!" Rosie cries. "...Digadig!"

A few minutes later...

I step off the boat to the fighter area and some fireworks go off, followed by the announcement speakers coming to life.

BING-BONG-BING!

"Attention everyone, Level-Up Battles will be beginning shortly. All participating fighters should make their way to Fossil Stadium for registration." The announcer says.

BING-BONG-BING!

_'Okay guys, time to Level-Up to Fighter Level 3!' _I tell my team. I run into Fossil Stadium and to the registration desk. "I would like to start my Level-Up Battle please."

"May I see your Fighters License?" Tiffany asks. I hand it to her and she scans it. "Okay, when you're ready, go through the door on your right to start your cleaning test." I walk over to the door and walk through it. KL-34N then takes me into the testing room where I clean my fossil, getting a perfect one hundred.

"Congratulations on passing." KL-34N tells me in the lobby. "Go see Tiffany at the desk to arrange your Fossil Battle Test." He turns and goes back through the door while I walk back to the desk.

"Congratulations on passing your cleaning test!" Tiffany says. "For your Fossil Battle Test, you'll have to defeat a Level 3 Master. When you're ready, head through the door on your right to the Battle Area." I go back over to the door and walk through.

"Hey Red." Nevada says. She's standing at the end of the hallway waiting.

"Hi." I say with a smile.

"Thanks for helping me out at the Digadigamid." She tells me. "I might have been in trouble if you hadn't shown up. But, I should warn you, just because I owe you doesn't mean that I can take it easy on you! Anybody who passes has to be Level 3 caliber after all."

"I defeated the BB Bandits." I say. "I know I can beat you."

"Oh really?" She asks raising an eyebrow. "Well then, time to see what you're made of!"

"LADIES and GENTLEMEN the fossil battle is about to begin!" The announcer says. Nevada faces the door. "She's a famous fighter, a Digadig expert, rich and famous, and has a whip worse than her bark, NEVAAADAAA MOTEEEECARLOOOOOO!" She walks out into the Battle Area and the crowd goes wild. "He's the kid who helped her out at the Digadigamid, defeated some BB Bandits, and got the Treasure Chamber key back to its rightful owner, REEED WALKEEEEER!" I walk out and the crowd cheers. We get on our sides of the arena and call out our vivosaurs. She has a U-Raptor, Lexo, and Nychus. The U-Raptor is built like a velociraptor, is salmon with a tan underside, green eyes, white feathers with blue at the end on its head and tail, sky blue claws, dark teal rings on its arms and ankles, white on the top of its feet, and some more dark teal on its back, tail, and thighs. The Lexo is built like a stegosaurus, is gray-blue, has gray-green spikes coming from its shoulders, tail and back, and the same color lines all over it.

_'We can take them' _I tell my team.

_'Bring it on!' _Cloud Cover says.

"Lexo, Poison tail on Spinax!" He attacks doing twenty-six damage.

"Air Strike get in the EZ and Flamethrower, take his place!" They do it. "Now Flamethrower, S-Fang on Lexo!" He attacks doing fifty-two damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Lexo!" She attacks doing fifteen damage.

"Lexo, Poison spin on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing twenty-nine damage.

"Flamethrower, S-Fang on Lexo!" He attacks doing seventy-nine damage, putting him in his medal. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on U-Raptor!" She attacks doing twenty-two damage.

"U-Raptor, U-Venom on S-Raptor and Nychus, Nychus claw on him too!" They attack doing a total of seventy-one damage.

"Flamethrower get in the EZ! Air Strike, take his place!" They do it. "Air Strike Spinax, Fang on U-Raptor!" He attacks doing sixty damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on U-Raptor!" She attacks doing twenty-two damage, sending him into his medal.

"Nychus, Nychus Venom on Spinax!" He attacks doing twenty-nine damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Nychus!" He attacks doing forty-four damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Nychus!" She attacks doing sixteen damage.

"Nychus, Nychus venom on Spinax!" he attacks doing twenty-nine damage.

"Flamethrower, take him out with S-Fang!" He attacks doing eighteen damage, making him go into his medal.

"RED WINS!" The announcer says. My team lets out roars of victory and the crowd goes wild.

"Congratulations Red!" Nevada tells me in the lobby. "I've got to admit, you showed some pretty impressive fighting out there! You've got a knack for this Red. And I think you have Master Fighter potential! I'll be keeping my eye on you, so good luck!" She takes out my Fighter License. "That certifies you as a Level 3 Fighter!" She stamps it and hands it to me. The 2 has now been replaced with a 3.

_YES! _I think.

"Well I've got some research to do at the Digadigamid." Nevada says. "Come by sometime." She turns and walks out of the Stadium.

"See you around!" I call waving. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Rosie walking towards me.

"Great job Red!" She says with a smile. "We're both Level 3 Now! ... Wow..."

"What?" I ask.

"We'll be Master Fighters before long!" She says excited. "We can't stop here!"

"Yeah!" I say in agreement. "If anyone can do it, WE can!" We high-five.

"Oh, and I wanted to tell you sorry." She says. "It's because of me you got sucked into that whole key thing."

"It's okay." I says with a reassuring smile. "After all, what's the point of being a Fossil Fighter if you don't have an adventure or two?"

"Yeah, but I'm really sorry." She says. "But still! You got the key back! I'm really proud of you!"

"Th-thanks." I say as I feel my face grow a little warm.

"I'll see you around!" Rosie says with a smile.

"Okay." I tell her. "Just watch out for trapdoors!" She laughs.

"Will do!" She turns and takes a few steps toward the exit before turning back to me, waves, then leaves. I smile. I leave the stadium and go back to my hotel room. I take out the idol the chieftain gave me and put it on the top shelf next to the wall. I stare at it.

_'This thing is pretty interesting.' _I tell my team.

_'I'll say.' _Air Strike says.

_'Ditto.' _Cloud Cover tells him. I go into the kitchen and start making supper. No one ever taught me how to cook, but I always helped my mom with lunch and supper back home. I eat my food then get on the computer to check the search for me.

_Whew. _I think. They've made no progress whatsoever, and they think I went downstream rather than upstream. I see another article and I click on it. It's an interview a reporter had with my parents. They just want me to come home. I'm the most important thing in the entire world to them and when they found out I had run away it hurt them... bad.

My mom actually lost it.

She still sets seven places at the table for every meal, and keeps my room and bathroom clean. She says she wants everything in order when I come home, so no one goes in my room or touches my stuff. She even keeps the flower garden clear of weeds since she knows I liked to look at the garden. I never thought that would happen to her. She just didn't seem like one of those people. I just sit there and stare at the screen. After an hour, I get up, shower, put on a clean pair of boxers, get in bed and stare into the night through the sliding door. It's pitch black in my room, but I still pull the covers over my head and cry. I feel worry and concern from my vivosaurs enter my mind.

_'Are you okay?'_ Flamethrower asks.

_'No. I hurt them. I love them, I and yet I'm a huge jerk for running away.' _I tell him.

_'Red, you didn't mean to hurt them. And just because of that, it doesn't mean they'll stop loving you. You need to realize that whatever happens, whatever you do, you're parents still love and care for you above all else.' _He tells me.

_'... You're right.' _I sit there and drift asleep. My vivosaurs reach into my mind and create a happy dream...

_I'm running down the sidewalk to my house and I run up to the gate, open it, run up to the door burst in to see my parents standing there, their arms outstretched and smiles on their faces. I run into their arms and they give me a loving hug. _

_"We love you." They tell me. _

In my sleep, a tear of joy runs down my face and I murmur:

"I love you too mom and dad."

* * *

><p><strong>AN- I almost cried when I typed that part about the article. See what I do for you guys? Please leave a Reveiw! <strong>

**Red: I still feel bad though...**

**Air Strike: **_**Don't worry, we still love you! **_***hug***

**Cloud Cover: **_**Yeah! **_***hug***

**Flamethrower: **_**Group hug! **_***hug***

**Me: Sorry, but I have a guitar to practice. :(**


	6. Okay, who broke the minecars?

**Me: Zzzz... Zzzz...**

**Flamethrower: WAKE UP! **

**Me: *falls out of bed***

**Air Strike: You have a fan fiction to write.**

**Me: *GROAN***

* * *

><p>Chapter Six- Okay, who broke the mine cars?<p>

RRRRIIIIINNNNGGGGG! I slap my hand down on my alarm clock and roll over. _I don't wanna get up. _I think.

_'But you have to!' _Flamethrower tells me.

_'Five more minutes...' _I curl up into a ball and put my hands under my pillow. I'm half asleep when suddenly,

_'ROOOOAAAARRR!' _Air Strike yells. I fall out of bed. Or at least my upper body does. _'You awake now?'_

_'No. I'm half dead since you scared me half to death just now.' _I tell him. He laughs. I do my exercises, get dressed, eat breakfast, grab my backpack, and head down to the lobby.

"Good morning Red." The manager says.

"Good morning." I say with a smile.

"There's a seminar going on in Rivet Ravine today." He tells me. "Everyone that goes says that you learn some wonderful things, so I strongly recommend it."

"Okay, I'll check it out." I tell him "Thanks for telling me!"

"Your welcome." He says. I leave the hotel only to be stopped by Zoey... again.

"Is it true that you helped Nevada Montecarlo fight BB Bandits?" She asks.

"Yep." I tell her.

"She so amazing isn't she?" She says. "I'm going to be just like her one day! Rich, famous, RICH and FAMOUS!"

_I doubt that. _I think. I walk down to the dock and board the boat to go to Rivet Ravine. When the boat comes to the dig site's dock, I jump off the boat and speed down the path. About two minutes later, I come to the pillars that mark the beginning of the dig site. The tops and bottoms of these are short, wide yellow cylinders with diagonal black stripes on them, salmon pluses with three holes in them, and a red light on the very top. To the left is a small covered wooden platform, and surrounding the high plateau I'm on are several deep ravines and even more plateaus connected by bridges.

"Okay everyone, once you've collected eight, come back here and we'll start the next part." I turn and see a man talking to a group of fighters. He has a yellow, light blue, and dark blue hat on, black hair and sideburns, a green collar, light blue long-sleeved shirt, yellow vest, brown belt, dark blue pants, and green boots. The fighters quickly scramble away to find the eight fossil rocks when he sees me. "You here to take my seminar?"

"Yes sir." I say walking over.

"Great! I'm Sam Inaro." He says. "I teach young fighters skills they'll need in their careers. If you attend, I can guarantee that you'll get an improvement in your fossil digging performance."

"Cool!" I say excited. "I'll be right back with eight fossils!" I speed away. After I dig up eight fossil rocks, I walk back to him.

"So you got your eight fossil rocks?" He asks. I nod. "Well that was fast. Now, let's see what you've got." I take out the fossil rocks and he examines them. "You've proven that you can find and dig up fossil rocks well." He tells me as I put the fossil rocks back in my backpack. "Keep up the good work. Now... my teaching methods are a little... unusual. Don't say I didn't warn you." He jumps backward. "Get ready for it!" He slides to the left. "Here it comes!" He slides to the left again. "The fire house of knowledge is going straight into your brain!" He jumps forward a little and I'm surrounded by a pillar of yellow light, but I don't feel any pain. "Alakazooieeee!" He says. The pillar disappears and I suddenly know how to distinguish elemental fossil rocks. "Elemental fossil rocks are the same ones you've been digging up all along, but you can now tell which element they belong to. Red is fire, yellow is earth, green is air, blue is water, and white is neutral. So, now the fossil is the same color as the element of the fossil inside of it. Now, it'll be a bit easier to find fossils you're looking for."

"Cool." I say.

"Well that's all. Good luck out there!" He says.

"Thanks!" I head back to the boat and to the fighter area. I go into the fossil center clean some rocks, sell some jewels in the Fossil Guild, then head back to the dig site. I wander around and dig up fossils, when I see a tunnel heading into a plateau that rises high above the rest. I walked into it and walked down a twenty foot long tunnel that's eight feet wide and seven feet tall. There's lanterns hanging down from the ceiling that lit the place up. At the end of the tunnel, is a cavern about nine feet tall, forty feet long, and forty feet wide. One the left wall is a boarded-up mine shaft, one the far wall is three tunnels, and on the right is a mine shaft with three broken mine cars. Two next to it, and one on its tracks which has a large man standing next to it. He has an orange mining helmet with goggles on them, yellow hair sticking out from under it, sunglasses, a bushy mustache, blue tie, purple short sleeve shirt with long brown-green sleeves coming out of them, teal blue gloves, green trousers, and brown-green boots.

"Who goes there?" He yells in a gruff voice. "Here to finish the job, you no-good, mine-car-vandalizing hooligan?" I walk up to him, and he looks at me. He takes an angry step forward, making me take a step back. "But you're just a kid! Who busted up old McJunker's mine cars?"

"I promise you, I have no idea and nothing to do with this." I say worried. He's not muscular, but I still wouldn't want him to teach me a lesson. He sighs and turns to look down the mine shaft.

"The only way into tunnel #5 here is by mine car." He says. "It's my own private dig site... and the only people allowed into it are ones with my permission... and mine cars. Very rare fossils can be found there, so I have to be careful who I let in." He whirls around to me and gets mad. "And to make matters worse, my tools have been stolen! How am I suppose to fix my mine cars without tools?"

"No idea." I tell him. "But I'll help you find your tools and fix your mine cars."

"Thanks!" He says cheering up. "But... could you look for my tools? I have to stay here and guard my mine cars."

"Okay with me but how am I suppose to find the tools?" I ask.

"I can upgrade your sonar to detect them." He says as he hold out his hand. "But I'll need to see your sonar." I pull off my sonar and hand it to him. He takes out a computer chip, opens up the back of the sonar, installs the chip, closes it, and hands it back to me. "That should do it. Now it'll detect metal. Iron tools and such will appear as red dots on the screen. There are two tools you need to find, my mega-wrench, and multipurpose pliers. If you find them, I'll give you access to my private dig site. There are some fossils there that can ONLY be found there, so it should be worth your while."

"Thanks!" I say. "I promise you, I'll find those tools ASAP!" I turn and run down the mineshaft one the right which is labeled _Tunnel #2_.I keep my eyes on my sonar, dig up some fossils, and keep going deeper into the tunnel. After awhile, I notice a red dot on the screen. I run over to where it appeared, throw down my pick, and reach down into the hole.

_The wrench!_ I think happily. _One down, one to go. _I put it in my backpack and check the rest of the tunnel. Nothing else pops up, so I go back to the cavern, and go down the tunnel marked _Tunnel #3_. I walk down it, keeping my eyes on my sonar. A red dot appears and I run over to it. I throw down my pick and pull out a rock.

_Huh. Must have iron ore in it. _I think. _I could probably get some money for this. _I put it in my backpack and check the rest of the tunnel before heading back into the main cavern. I go into the tunnel marked _Tunnel #4 _and focus on my sonar screen. When I get deep into the tunnel, a red dot appears and I throw down my pick where it appeared.

_The pliers! _I think. I put it with the wrench and stop. _WOW. These things got rusted over pretty bad. _I run out of the tunnel to the main cavern and over to McJunker.

"You found them!" He exclaims. "That was fast."

"I know, but..." I hold out the tools "They're rusted pretty bad." He nods.

"Think you can clean them?" He asks. I take out my hammer and drill.

"You BET I can!" I put the tools on the ground and drill.

There's three layers of rust.

_Holy Dino! That's a lo- ... 'DID I JUST THINK "HOLY DINO"?' _I think.

_'Yep.' _Air Strike thinks.

_'WEIRD.' _I respond. I clean all the rust off the tools making them shine in the lantern light.

"VERY well done." McJunker says. "You do good work junior. Now let's fix the mine cars!" He turns to the mine cars, then stops and faces me again. "I nearly forgot. Think you could head back to town and pick up an Electrominite for me? I can tinker with this all day, but it's not going anywhere without a battery."

"No problem!" I say.

"Great!" He says. "Just go to the Junk Depot and talk to my apprentice. He'll give you the Electrominite I need."

"Yes sir." I say. "I'll be right back!" I turn to run, but he stops me.

"One thing though." He says. "You'll need a V-Raptor as proof that I sent you. If you don't have one, check Greenhorn Plains."

"Yes sir." I say. I run out of the tunnel, across the plateaus and rope bridges, out of the dig site down the path to the boat, and hop on to the boat. When I arrive at the Fighter Area, I hop off the boat and run into the Guild Area. _It's not in the park, so it has to be here. _I think. I walk down to an octagonal shaped flower bed between the Police Station and Richmond Building when I notice a dirt path going into a grassy area with a cluster of trees, some trees scattered around, some patches of tall grass, and view of the ocean. I walk down the dirt path and see a little girl standing behind a tree watching the cluster of tree's. She had light blonde hair pulled back into pigtails, a light blue dress with long sleeves, and blue shoes. I walk up to her. "Excuse me, but could you te-"

"Shhh!" She says cutting me off. "Keep it down! I'm spying on that building and I don't want you to give me away! I think there's somebody inside of it!"

"What building?" I ask.

"The one behind the cluster of trees!" She says pointing.

_That must be it! _I think. I walk down the dirt path, turn left and follow it to a dome-shaped building made of thick, metal plates wielded together. Above the door way in a sign that says _JUNK_. _Yep. This is it. _I walk in and see a bunch of scrap heaps, tools and crates. I notice a boy my age working on some sort of contraption.

"HOLT?" I ask surprised. He looks at me and smiles.

"Hey Red!" He says. "Long time no see!"

"I'll say!" I tell him as I walk up to him. "But what are you doing here?"

"I'm my uncles apprentice." He explains.

"McJunker's your uncle?" I ask with surprise.

"Yep." He says. "When I came here to be a Fossil Fighter, I moved in with him into his house. One day he asked me if I wanted to be his apprentice, I said yes. There I was thinking I would be learning about Fossil Battles, but all I've done is learn about tools and stuff. Anyhoo... Whatcha doing here?"

"Someone broke McJunker's mine cars and stole his tools, so I found his tools for him and then he sent me here to get an Electrominite." I tell him. He stands there.

"Hmph..." He says. "McJunker sent you for an Electrominite, eh? Seems a little fishy..." He says as his eyes narrow. "There's only one thing you can show me to prove what you say is true."

"A V-Raptor?" I ask. He blinks.

"Yep." He says. "V-Raptors hate liars, so you should only trust people who can keep them."

"Here you go." I say as I hold up my V-Raptor Dino Medal.

"Fantastic!" Holt says with a smile. "Here's the Electrominite!" He holds out a large battery that has a brown top half and a black bottom half.

"Thanks Ho-"

"BUT..." He says taking it back. "before I hand it over, there's a favor I want you to do for me..." I raise an eyebrow. "Let's battle!" He exclaims with a smile. "I don't get enough battle practice working for my uncle. If you beat me, I'll give you the Electrominite!"

"You mean, AFTER I beat you." I say as I take out my Dino Medals.

"Bring it on!" Holt says. We call out our vivosaurs, but instead of Cloud Cover I use my V-Raptor. Holt has Tricera and Elasmoth. The Tricera is built like a triceratops, is blue, has cream colored underside, spine, leg fronts, and underside, and three snow white horns with orange rings around them. The Elasmoth is built like a rhino, is black, a long sun glow orange horn, two white streaks across it's legs, a short white mohawk going down its back, and a tail with a sun glow orange tip. "Elasmoth, Elasmoth Combo on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing sixteen damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Elasmoth!" He attacks doing fifty-four damage.

"Elasmoth, Elasmoth Combo on S-Raptor!" He attack doing twenty-five damage.

"Flamethrower, S-Fang on Elasmoth!" He attacks doing twenty-four damage, making him go into his medal. "Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Tricera!" He attacks doing fifty damage.

"Tricera, Tricera Combo on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing forty-five damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Tricera!" He attacks doing fifty-three damage. "S-Raptor, finish him off with S-Fang!" He attacks doing eighteen damage, putting him in his medal.

"Aw man!" Holt says. "I really thought I had a chance against you!"

"But still, it was a pretty good battle." I say.

"Yeah..." He holds out the Electrominite. "Here you go. Say hi to McJunker for me."

"Can do!" I say.

"Next time we meet I will battle you and win!" He says.

"See you then!" I tell him. I leave the Junk Depot and go back to Rivet Ravine. I go into the cavern to see McJunker has rebuilt the mine cars. They look like T-Rex heads with wheels and engines.

"Welcome back junior!" He says. "I assume Holt did what he was suppose to?"

"I had to fight a Fossil Battle with him." I say. "And Holt says hi."

"You brought the Electrominite... so you must have won right? Good work." I hand him the battery and he takes it. "All right, time to get this Electrominite installed in the mine car." He takes a panel off the mine car's engine, puts it in, puts the panel back on and faces me. "Done. As promised, you have my permission to enter the dig site. Good hunting. Just remember, the scoundrels who wrecked my mine car might still be down there. Watch yourself."

"Yes sir." I say nodding. I walk around to the other side of the mine car and climb in. There's one button that's green. I push it and the car starts moving down the track slowly at first, but after a few seconds, I'm flying down the tracks. _The mine cars are GO! _I think. The track twists and turns, making it quite fun to ride down. The tunnel is filled with crystals of all different sizes that reflect the light everywhere. _'Oh man, I wish Rosie could see this!'_

_'You WISH Rosie was here.' _Flamethrower says.

_'I do not!' _I tell him. _'I just wish she could see this.' _The mine car begins to slow down and it stops at the end of the track. I climb out and turn to the left toward the dig site when I hear an unfriendly, but familiar voice.

"Now where do you suppose that idol is?" Snivels asks. "We're runnin' out of places to look!" The cavern is about forty feet long, forty feet wide and nine feet tall. Vivian, Snivels and Rex are all looking around. Rex suddenly runs by Snivels dazing him for a second. They walk a few feet and Snivels is about to throw down his pick ax when Rex slams into him throwing Snivels off balance, making him fall over, causing Vivian to sigh with irritation.

"Arrooofff!" Rex barks. Vivian notices something and Snivels stands up, dizzy.

"Hey," He says. "dig here boy. Come on." He points at the ground.

"When are you two idiots going to stop clowning around?" Vivian asks angry.

_'They're not very observant are they?' _I ask.

_'Nope.' _Cloud Cover says. Vivian sees me and shock covers her face. I walk up to them.

"Snivels!" Vivian says. "Explain to me what is going on here. Weren't you suppose to take the mine car out of commission?" Snivels stiffens.

"Yeah, that's right." He says. "And I did it just like we planned. I even went a step further and stole McJunker's tools so he couldn't fix it! Heh."

"And what did you do with the tools after you stole them?" Vivian asks.

"I gave them to Rex to hide." He says.

"Arrooofff!" Rex barks.

"Yeah," Snivels says. "and buried them where no one'll find 'em!"

_Face palm. _I think as I do it. Vivian sighs out of irritation.

"Yes." She says. "On this island full of Fighters trained to dig up buried objects, no one will ever find them now. Idiot. Whatever... We won't worry about that now." They get closer to me and form a line to where I can see all of them with Vivian in the middle, Rex on the left, and Snivels on the right. "You! You wouldn't dare interfere in our business, would you?"

"You BET I will!" I say pointing my finger at her.

"Well, well." Vivian says. "You're either brave or too stupid to understand the situation... Let's go with stupid...

_I am not! _I think. _I made A's and B's on my report card at school!_

"You two," Vivian says. "get him!"

"Arrooofff!" Rex barks.

"Come on out guys!" I say calling out my team. Rex calls out his vivosaurs, a Nodo and a Zino. The Zino stands on it back legs, has very long, bright green claws on its arms, a long neck, teal green under side, red back and head with brown stripes on its back, neck, tail, and arms. Rex barks something, making Nodo attack Air Strike doing eight damage. "Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Nodo!" He attacks doing thirty-one damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Nodo!" She attacks doing fourteen damage. Rex barks something, making Nodo attack Air Strike doing twenty-seven damage and confusing him. Nodo move in to the EZ and Air Strike mimics it, making Flamethrower take his place. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Zino!" He attacks doing thirty-seven damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Zino!" She attacks doing fourteen damage. Rex barks something, causing Zino to attack Flamethrower, but he misses. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Zino!" He attacks doing thirty-nine damage, putting Zino in his medal. "Now Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Nodo!" She attacks doing thirteen damage. Rex barks something, making Nodo attack Flamethrower doing thirty-four damage. "Air Strike, use Spinax Fang on Nodo!" He attacks doing thirteen damage. "Now Flamethrower, S-Fang on Nodo!" He attacks doing thirty-three damage, causing him to go in his medal. Rex takes a step back.

"Looks like I'm next!" Snivels says. He calls out his vivosaurs, a Carchar and a Cerato. The Cerato is a teal blue with gold colored claws and under side, and has orange, white, and sherbet green patterns all over it.

"Air Strike, get in the EZ! Flamethrower take his place!" They do it. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Carchar!" He attacks doing forty-eight damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Carchar!" She attacks doing thirteen damage.

"Carchar, Carchar Combo on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing fifty-three damage.

"Flamethrower, use S-Combo on Carchar!" He attacks doing one hundred twenty-four damage putting him in his medal. _'THAT was a what I a very good attack.'_

_'Thanks.' _Flamethrower says.

"Cerato, Cerato Combo on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing thirty-four damage.

"Flamethrower, S-Fang on Cerato!" He attacks doing forty-two damage. "Cloud Cover, use Shan Fang on Cerato!" She attacks doing twenty-one damage.

"Cerato, Cerato Combo on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing thirty three damage, making Flamethrower go into his medal.

_'No!' _I catch his medal and look at it. _'You okay?'_

_'Yes. I just need some rest is all.' _He tells me. I put the medal in the side pocket on the side of my backpack. "Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Cerato!" He attacks doing seventy-two damage, causing him to go into his medal. Vivian takes a step back.

"Urgh!" She says angry. "Remember who you're dealing with boy!" Snivels takes a step back.

"We'll meet again punk." He says. "And when we do, I'll squash you like a bug!" Rex takes a step back.

"Arrooofff!" He barks.

"We're outta heeeeeeeere!" They all say then run past me out of the dig site. I turn and look back at where they were standing and see something poking out of the ground. I walk over to it, get down on my knees, and dig the dirt away with my hands.

It's another tacky idol.

It's about four feet tall, is large around the middle, is a sandy-gold color, and has red patterns on it. Despite how heavy it looks, it probably weighs a half pound. _These things are WEIRD. _I put it in my pack and walk back to the tunnel. I notice a sign above another tunnel that says _EXIT. _I jump in the tunnel slide down it, and somehow end up back in the cavern with all the tunnel entrances.

"Hey!" I see McJunker walking towards me. "Three of those punks in purple tights just came running through here scared of something. Were those the hooligans who broke my mine car?" I laugh.

"Close." I say. "I broke THEM and sent them back to their holes!" McJunker laughs.

"You surprise me junior." He says. "You're twice the Fighter in half the size of most of the adults on this island. Thanks for teaching those vandals a lesson."

"My pleasure!" I say.

"Well, with them gone, I can finally get back to my Junk Depot." McJunker says. "You should head back to town too. Level-Up Battles will begin soon, and you're clearly ready. You've been a lot of help junior. I'll be seeing you." He turns and walks out of the cavern. I walk out after him and head back to the boat. The boat pulls up to the dock in the Fighter Area, I hop out and see some fireworks go off.

BING-BONG-BING!

"Attention everyone, Level-Up Battles will be beginning shortly. All participating fighters should make their way to Fossil Stadium for registration." The announcer says.

BING-BONG-BING!

_You guys need to be stronger. _I think. _Those battles weren't easy._ I go into the Fossil Guild and sell some Fossil Rocks I already have fossils for, the iron ore and some jewels. I buy a Fossil Chip and have it installed into my sonar, then head out to the dig sites and find the fossils I need. I then head to the Fossil center, clean and integrate them into my vivosaurs, and head to Fossil Stadium.

"I would like to participate in a Level-up battle please." I tell Tiffany.

"May I see your Fighters License?" Tiffany asks. I take it out of my pocket and hand it to her. She scans it.

"First is the cleaning test." She says. "When you're ready, head through the door on your right." I go through the door and follow KL-34N into the cleaning test room and begin the cleaning test. I do with no trouble and get a perfect one hundred.

"Congratulations on passing." KL-34N tells me in the lobby. "Go see Tiffany at the desk to arrange your Fossil Battle Test." He turns and goes back through the door while I walk back to the desk.

"Congratulations on passing your cleaning test!" Tiffany says. "For your Fossil Battle Test, you'll have to fight two battles, a preliminary battle and a final battle. For the preliminary you'll face off against another fighter, someone else trying to level up. If you win, you'll continue on to the final battle against the Level 4 Master. When you're ready, head through the door to your right to the Battle Area. I head through the door and see my opponent standing there waiting.

"Hey Holt." I say. "You excited?"

"You and me battling it out at Fossil Stadium?" He says. "Yes I'm excited!"

"Yeah." I say. "This is going to be a good battle." Holt smiles.

"You may have beaten me last time," He says. "but I've been practicing, so don't expect me to drop so easily this go-round. I've working on my strategy, and I think I've got what it takes this time! Let's battle!"

"LADIES and GENTLEMEN the fossil battle is about to begin!" The announcer says. "Facing each other to see who will go on to fight the Level 4 Master, give it up for Holt Boltomore and Red Walker!" We turn and walk out the door to the battle area. The crowd goes nuts but I hear something I knew would happen sooner or later: the high-pitched squeals of fan girls. There's not a lot, but there's some on both sides of the stadium. The ones on the left are holding up signs for Holt and the one's one the right are holding up signs for me.

_I hope Holt's a fast runner. _I think. I call out my vivosaurs and look at Holts. He has a Pachy, Coatlus, and Tricera. The Pachy is built like one of those dome-headed dinosaurs, is black with a white underside, and has a sandy-gold colored back, top of the head, tail and legs. The Coatlus is built like a Pterodactyl, has yellow-orange feet and beak is white with black and green on its face, has sea green feathers with blue upper halves sticking out of its head and back, the same colored designs on its wings, black bars on the front edge of its wings, a black line going down its back, and yellow and black around its neck and back.

_Let's do this! _I think.

"Pachy, Iron Headbutt on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing nineteen damage.

"Flamethrower, S-Fang on Pachy!" He attacks doing twenty-nine damage.

"Pachy, Iron Ram on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing twenty-four damage.

"Flamethrower, S-Fury on Pachy!" He attacks doing sixty-six damage, putting him into his medal. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Coatlus!" She attacks doing eighteen damage.

"Coatlus, Wing Cutter on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing fifty-one damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Coatlus!" He attacks doing forty-eight damage. "Cloud Cover, finish him off with Shan Fang!" She attack doing seventeen damage, causing him to go into his medal.

"Tricera, Tricera Combo on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing forty-seven damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Tricera!" He attacks doing fifty-six damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Tricera!" She attacks doing twenty-one damage.

"Tricera, Running Smash on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing nineteen damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Tricera!" He attacks doing fifty-eight damage, putting him in his medal. The crowd cheers and my team lets out roars of victory.

"Well shoot!" Holt says after we go back into the lobby. "I lost again... Oh well. I'm sure we'll battle again someday right?"

"You BET we will!" I say with enthusiasm. Holt smiles.

"Then I'll keep practicing," He says. "Cause next time I'm going to beat you!"

"Bring it on!" I say.

"I will." He turns and heads into the stands. I walk over to the desk.

"Congratulations on winning!" Tiffany says. "Next is your final test against the Level-Up Master. When you're ready, go on through the door on your right to the Battle Area." I walk over to the door and walk through. Standing there at the end of the hallway is McJunker.

"You did it junior!" He says. "But I can't say I'm too surprised. After all, anyone with your finding and fighting skills was going to make it here."

"And higher." I add on. He laughs.

"Well now you have to beat me," He says. "or you'll never be a Level 4 Master! And don't think I'll go easy on you either. My vivosaur team is a force to be reckoned with, so watch out!"

"LADIES and GENTLEMEN the fossil battle is about to begin!" The announcer says. McJunker turns to the door. "He owns the tunnels in Rivet Ravine and the local Junk Depot, say hello to RICHAAAAARD MCJUUUUUNKER!" He walks out and the crowd cheers. "The kid who helped him fix his mine cars, run the BB Bandit off his private dig site, and an amazing Fossil Fighter, REEED WALKEEEEER!" I walk out and the crowd goes wild. We call out our vivosaurs and I look at McJunker. He has a Stygi, a Cerato, and a Kentro. The Kentro has green on the top of its back then turns to orange on its sides then blue on its feet, is built like a Stegosaurus, has blue on its underside, army green spikes on its back, shoulder and tail, and black designs on it.

"Centro, Centro Combo on Shanshan!" He attacks doing eighteen damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Centro!" He attacks doing thirty-seven damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Centro!" She attacks doing nineteen damage.

"Centro, Centro Combo on Shanshan!" He attacks doing twenty-eight damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Centro!" He attack doing thirty-six damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Centro!" He attacks doing sixteen damage.

"Centro, Centro Combo on Shanshan!" He attacks doing eighteen damage.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Centro!" She attacks doing nineteen damage, putting him in his medal. "Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Kentro!" He attacks doing forty-seven damage.

"Kentro, Whirling dash on Spinax and Stygi, Fiendish Ram on Shanshan!" They attack doing sixteen damage to Air Strike and eleven damage to Cloud Cover.

"Flamethrower, S-Combo on Kentro!" He attacks doing thirty damage.

"Kentro, Whirling Dash on Shanshan, and Stygi, Fiendish Ram on Spinax!" They attack doing sixteen damage to Cloud Cover and eighteen damage to Air Strike.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Kentro!" She attacks doing sixteen damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Kentro!" He attacks doing twenty damage, causing him to go into his medal.

"Stygi, Fiendish Ram on Shanshan!" He attacks doing twenty six damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Stygi!" He attacks doing forty-seven damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Stygi!" He attacks doing twenty damage, putting him in his medal.

"RED WINS!" The announcer says. My team lets out roars of victory and the crowd goes wild.

"Congratulations junior." McJunker tells me in the lobby. "I'm impressed. Beating me is no easy feat frankly. Well done! My nephew Holt has been improving steadily, but you're in a league all by yourself." He laughs. "Keep digging and reviving, and soon you'll be in a major league of your own!" He takes out my Fighters License. "All right, you're officially certified as a Level 4 Fighter Red!" He stamps it and hands it to me. The three has been replaced with a 4 and I jump for joy.

_YES! _I think. _I'm halfway there! _

"If you ever feel like visiting, you can find me in the Junk Depot." He walks out of the stadium.

"Congratulations Red!" I turn and see Rosie standing next to me.

"Hey Rosie." I say. "Nothing's happened right?" She laughs.

"You would be the first to know." She says. "I'm getting ready for my Level-Up Battle. Whew... I'm nervous."

"Don't worry." I tell her with a reassuring smile. "You can do it! And I'll be in the stands cheering you on!"

"Thanks." She smiles. "But seriously Red... Great job. Seems like you're always on step ahead of me!" She laughs. "Better watch out though, I'm hot on your heels!"

"Then I'm going to Antarctica." I say. She laughs.

"Okay, that was kinda corny," She says. "but still. Anything happen to you?"

"Yep." I take out the idol I found on McJunker's private dig site.

"Another weird idol?" She asks. "What are these things anyways?"

"No idea." I say as I put the idol in my backpack.

"Why don't you come by later and tell me how you got it?" She asks.

"I will." I tell her. "Good luck in your battle."

"Okay, thanks!" She walks over to the door, turns to me, waves, then goes through to the battle area. I go out into the stands and watch the battle. I cheer the entire time and meet up with her in the lobby after she wins.

"Good job Rosie!" I say.

"Thanks!" She holds up her license and smiles. "I'm halfway there!" We leave the stadium and go to the Richmond Building, then to the right elevator. She pushes the button marked "4" and we go up, then step off the elevator into a room with a nice wood floor, pale pink walls and green base boards. We turn right to where you can see the rest of the room, which has a bed in the far right corner with a sun glow orange comforter, white pillow, pale pink and pink bed stands, and a book shelf built into the wall above it. In the lower right corner against the wall is a desk with a pink top, sun glow orange sides, a red chair and a picture on the top of the desk. Next to the desk is a yellow dresser with white cloth spread across the top, and next it is a white door which must lead to the bathroom. In the center of the room is a short, round blue table with a small potted plant on top and on the floor under it is a rug shaped like a flower with dinosaurs on it. In the upper left corner is a large potted plant and in between it and the bed is a sliding glass door with pink curtains pulled back. Pushed against the middle of the left wall is another dresser, this one a little longer, with a sun glow orange top and pink bottom. On top of it is two stuffed dinosaurs, a Jara and a Chelon. Hanging on the wall above the dresser is a mirror and on the ground next to it is a big cushion shaped like a stegosaurus that's green with yellow spikes. I go over to the desk and look at the picture. It's picture of Rosie when she was little. She has her hat on her head, her hair pulled in to pigtails, and she has a sleeveless pink dress on with a turquoise bow tied around her waist and white dress shoes on.

_Okay, _I think. _She looks absolutely adorable in this picture. _

"You like my room?" Rosie asks.

"Yep." I say looking back around.

"You should know," She says. "that I don't let just anyone in my room."

"Then thank you for letting me see your room." I say with a smile. She smiles and sits down in the desk chair.

"So how did you get the idol?" She asks.

"Whelp," I plop down on the cushion and begin to tell her what happened. "Pretty crazy huh?" I ask when I finish.

"I'll say." Rosie tells me. "Why do you think the BB Bandits want the idols? I mean, it's that their so tacky!"

"No idea." I say. "But thanks for having me over."

"You're welcome." She says. "Come by and visit whenever you like."

"I will." I tell her. "Bye."

"Bye." She says. I walk over to the elevator, go down to the lobby, and head back to the hotel. I go up to my hotel room cook some supper, eat it, shower, put on a clean pair of boxers, brush my teeth, and get in bed. I sit there in bed and stare into the dark night.

_'Why didn't you check the news?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'Well, after reading the interview with my parents, I don't want to because it might have something else that'll make me feel bad, and I doubt they'll put any info on how the search is going.' _I tell her.

_'Why do you think that?'_ Air Strike asks.

_'Because, I could get a warning that they're closing in on me and get away.' _I explain.

_'Makes sense.' _Flamethrower says. I pull the blanket up from my waist to my neck, lie there, and drift into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-FINALLY! I got this chapter done, and can get going on my next one! (or work on my My Sims fan fiction) And I know Red saying 'Holy Dinos' is pretty cheesy, so please, don't hate me for it.<strong>

**Red: Leave a review and you will receive some plus awesomeness points!**

**Air Strike: **_**How many?**_

**Cloud Cover: **_**OVER 9000.**_

**Flamethrower: **_**I see what you did there.**_


	7. Tacky Treasure

**Red: So what happens in this chapter?**

**Me: *smiles mischievously***

**Red: ... Magma Red? **

**Me: Disclaimer: I do not own Fossil Fighters!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Seven- Tacky Treasures<p>

The first thing I hear is me sawing logs. I stretch and smack my mouth open and shut. _I hate the taste of morning breath. _My alarm clock rings and reach for it. I swing my hand down but just hit empty space. I reach farther out of the bed looking for it and my night stand but they're not there. I open my eyes and look at the room I'm in. _Where am I? _Then I remember. I slap my hand down on the alarm clock and do my excises. I get dressed and have the usual bowl of cereal. _I'm going to have to make pancakes one of these days. _I haven't been eating cereal long, but the pancakes I make are the best anyone has ever had. I grab my backpack, head out the door to the lobby, and walk out of the hotel.

"Hey!" It's Zoey. "Good job bucko. You made Level 4. I'm slightly impressed.

_Gee, thanks. _I think sarcastically.

"By the way," She says. "did you know that the Fossil Cannon's ready? It lets you send Fossil Rocks to other people. It's really neat." I walk to the dock.

"What's the new dig site?" I ask Beth.

"Bottomsup Bay." She says. "When you go there, you need to wear this so you won't drown." She hands me a blue mask that covers my entire head, has three small orange fins on the sides and top of it, has a hook coming out of the forehead with a yellow sphere at the end making it look like an angler, and dark blue glass-like stuff on the front so I can see. I put it on.

"So this'll keep me from drowning?" I ask.

"That's right." Beth says. "It'll also keep the water pressure from doing anything to you , and filter any nitrate that builds up in you."

"Whoa." I say. "Who made this?"

"The same person who made the wire for the fighters backpacks." She tells me.

_Wow. _I think _Should have seen that one coming. _

"One warning though," Beth says. "watch out for Denture Sharks that prowl those waters. They wear false teeth... big, sharp ones. OK, you can be on your way now. Have a nice trip!"

"..." I blink. "What?" I ask with fear. _Sharks? _The boat pulls up to the dock and I board it.

"Think you can out run those Denture Sharks?" Captain Travors asks me on the way there.

"I don't need to." I tell him. He looks at me with a confused look. "I just need to be able to out run another Fighter." He laughs. We ride out into the islands bay and stop at two buoys.

"Here it is." Captain Travors says. I jump over board into the cool, crystal clear water. I sink down to the bottom and see the two pillars that mark the entrance to the dig site. They're light blue with sky blue spiraling up them, have a royal blue top with to blue fins and dentures with sharp, pointy teeth, courtesy of the Denture Sharks. I walk between them and look around. The dig site is divide into two parts by a small passage, and is filled with vividly colored coral and fish that swim away when they see me.

"HEEEEELP!" Someone yells. I jump in surprise. I know that voice.

_ROISE! _

She's in the passage to the second part of the dig site, surrounded by the Denture Sharks. The Denture Sharks have purple tops and back fins, pale purple undersides, yellow gills, and huge, dagger-like teeth.

"I was just out here digging, when I looked up and I was surrounded by sharks!" Rosie yells to me. "These things swim up to you super fast and will knock you out with one blow! And if you really slow, they'll just eat you on the spot!" She frantically waves. "Red, I can't get out of here! HELP ME!" I take put my pick ax.

_Time to do some oral surgery on these sharks. _I think. I charge out onto the dig site. "Yo sharks!" I yell. They look away from Rosie to me. "Leave her alone! Besides, look at me! I have a lot more to eat on me than she does!" Half of them abandon her and come after me. I raise my pick and hit one of them on the side, knocking it out. The second one grabs the middle of my pick ax's handle. I spin in a circle taking out three more in the process, as well as getting the second one off my pick. Another one charges at me, but I step to the side making it pass right by me and grab its tail. I then throw it at the remaining sharks knocking them down. I run past them to the rest that are still around Rosie, who has the front of her mask buried in her hands. Her mask is pink, has a dark blue eye piece like mine, and two hooks that have turquoise spheres at the end, coming out of the upper left and right of the front of her mask. The Denture Sharks dart away in fear when they see me coming. I run up to Rosie and hug her. "It's okay. They're gone." She buries the front of her mask in the crook of my neck.

"Thanks Red." She tells me. "I thought I was a goner. Those teeth may be fake, but they still hurt."

"Don't worry." I tell her. "No sharks are going to hurt you while I'm around." She looks at me. I can't see her face, due to the fact that the dark blue eye pieces on the masks are one-way.

"Th-thanks..." She hugs me back, making my face grow hot. "I feel a lot better now." I smile shyly. We stand there for a second. "Hey, I've got a tip for you," She says as we separate. "I heard that there's an old sunken pirate ship somewhere on the floor of Bottomsup Bay."

"Cool!" I exclaim. "We've got to find that! Think of all the rare treasures and fossils that must be on it!"

"I know!" Rosie says excitedly. "I've read up on the history of the area, and I think it must be the legendary Captain Woolbeard's ship!" She jumps with excitement. "So let's find that pirate ship together!" She stops. "But then there has to be a reason no one's found it..."

"But we will!" I say. "C'mon! Let's find us a pirate ship!" I turn to run and start looking when Rosie grabs my hand. I stop and I feel my face get fiery hot. I look back at her.

"Thanks again for your help with the Denture Sharks." She says. "It was really brave of you Red."

"Uh..." I look at our hands then back at her. "N-no problem. I-I'm happy to help." _ARGH! Quit stammering like an idiot! _I think mentally kicking myself.

"Okay..." She quickly let's go of my hand. "Right! Uh... Let's... get going!"

"Right! Um..." She swims past me and I follow. _Did I do something wrong? She's not dragging me around by my wrist, and... she let go of my hand pretty fast. What did I do that made her let go? _I think back to when she had dragged me around by my wrist and oddly, I wish she was doing it now.

_'Dude, you have a crush on her.' _Air Strike tells me.

_'I do not!' _I tell him.

_'Then explain the blushing and stammering.' _Cloud Cover says.

_'Uh... right! The explanation is... um... uh...' _I say.

_'The explanation is that when she held your hand, the nerve endings in it sent that message to your brain, causing it to overheat and turn to mush not allowing you to talk right, and making your face red and hot.' _Flamethrower tells all of us.

_'...'_ None of us say anything for a few seconds.

_'That... actually... makes sense.' _Cloud Cover says.

_'Thank you, thank you.' _Flamethrower says.

One hour later...

I yawn. We've searched high and low, every nook and cranny, under every rock, yet there's no sign of the pirate ship anywhere. "Oh it's hopeless." Rosie says sadly. She slumps against a bolder and slides to the ground.

"It's not hopeless!" I swim over to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We probably just missed something." She sighs.

"Who knows?" She says. "There may not even be a pirate ship."

"Hey don't talk like that!" I tell her. "There IS a pirate ship and we ARE going to find it!" She just sits there. "Don't give up. If I can help you get your Dino Medals, defeat a crooked Medal-Dealer, help the famous Fighter Nevada Montecarlo, get back a stolen idol, return a treasure key to its rightful owner, find a man's stolen tools, and defeat the BB Bandits twice, then I know that we can find that ship!" She looks up at me.

"You're right." She says. "We ARE going to find that pirate ship!" I stand up hold out my hand and help her up. "Thanks for not giving up." She hugs me and my face gets fiery hot.

"Y-your welcome." I stammer. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a cave. "Hey, look!" I point and she turns to look.

"What?" Rosie asks. I look past her and the cave's not there.

"Hmmmm..." I swim over to where I saw it and examine the spot. I tilt my head slightly and notice a dark spot appear. I straighten my head and it disappears. I do a hand stand facing the drop-off, and I see the cave. "There it is!" Rosie looks at me and does a hand stand.

"Your right!" She says. "It must be some sort of illusion!" We straighten, making the cave disappear, but swim straight through the rock and coral into the cave. When it gets dark, I pull off my backpack and stop.

_Wait, I know my backpack is water-proof because of the wire, but if I open it the water will get in it. _I think.

"What's the matter?" Rosie asks.

"Well, I have a water-proof flashlight, but I can't get it out of my backpack." I tell her.

"Don't worry, the wire keeps moisture out of the containers you put them in." She says. I open my backpack and reach in. The water on my skin stays out of the backpack and no water goes into the backpack either. I take out my flashlight, close my backpack, pull it back on and wind the flashlight. It's one of those that has the handle that pops out of the side and you wind it to give it power. I put the handle back in the side of it and turn it on. We continue down the tunnel and come out the end a few minutes later.

"There it is!" I exclaim pointing.

"The sunken pirate ship of Captain Woolbeard!" Rosie says. "C'mon!" She grabs my hand and drags me toward the ship.

_Sh-she's holding my hand... not my wrist. _My face gets hot. We go into a hole on the bottom of the ship and come into a hallway made completely of wood with some barrels in it. The masks immediately dry you off the second you get out of the water, and we're dry, so we pull off our masks. Rosie takes a deep breath through her nose.

"There's fresh air in here." She says. "How strange." I shine my flash light around the dark hall way.

"And kinda creepy." I say. "But creepy or not, we're going to find the treasures and fossils first!" We get up and begin to venture down the hallway. I break open one of the barrels to see what's inside and find gold coins. We evenly split the coins and continue on. After awhile, we each have a lot of gold coins, fossils, some jewel rocks and I have another mask. We search every room and go up a stair case when we find one. Down one of the hallways, it has an overly eerie feel to it. I hold my arm out defensively, and I feel Rosie hold it. _PLEASE let it be dark enough in here to where she can't see my face! _It's fiery red. We come to a large hole in the floor that goes from wall to wall, making the only way to get over jumping.

"I'm going to try jumping over." Rosie says.

"But-!" I begin to object.

"Don't worry, I can do it." She says. She takes a couple steps back and runs forward. Right before she jumps, the floor gives way. I jump forward, get my arm around her and jump back. She's holding on to me for dear life with her head buried in the crook of my neck, slightly trembling with fear. My arm without the flashlight is still wrapped around her while I shine the flashlight on the hole in the floor.

_We'll have to find another way... _I think.

"Uh... Red?" Rosie asks. I look at her and see a light blush on her face. "You... you can let go of me now."

"Right! Sorry," I say as I quickly unwrap my arm, take a step back and feel my face get hot. "just... wanted to make sure you're alright is all!" I tell her scratching the back of my head sheepishly. _Why am I blushing so much?_

_'Because you have a crush on her.' _Air Strike says.

_'NO I DON'T!' _I snap.

"It's okay..." Rosie says. "So... shall we find another way around?" I quickly nod. We walk back down the hallway. After a bit, I hear something.

_What is that? _I wonder. I realize what it is.

A third pair of footsteps.

I freeze and put a hand on Rosie's shoulder, stopping her, and whisper: "DON'T. MOVE." She stands perfectly still, and we heard the creaking boards and footsteps...

Growing closer.

"RUN!" I yell. Without meaning to, I grab Rosie's hand and bolt down the hallway. We come to a dead end and look around frantically. I throw open a door to an empty storage room and pull Rosie inside. I shut the door and out of fear, we get into a corner, curl up into balls with my arms protectively wrapped around Rosie. We sit there, terrified, when Rosie buries her face against my chest.

"This is all my fault." She murmurs.

"No it's not." I whisper. I stroke the side of her face to calm her down. "Don't blame yourself for something you can't predict will happen, or something you can't control."

The footsteps stop outside the door.

Me and Rosie hug each other tighter and I close my eyes and brace myself for whatever is about to happen. And yet, it's not me I'm worried about, it's Rosie. The door opens.

"RED?" I hear a familiar voice exclaim in surprise. I open an eye and see bright, white light coming from a lantern being held by a person with shock on their face.

"HOLT?" I ask with surprise. "What're you doing here?" He looks at me, then at Rosie, then back at me. He raises an eyebrow.

"What are YOU doing here?" He asks. My face flushes with anger at him for asking that and I look back at Rosie.

"Don't worry, it's a friend of mine." She looks up and looks at him.

"If you scare us like that again, I'll feed you to my vivosaurs." She says.

"Sorry," Holt says. "I saw you guys doing those hand-stands and wondered what you were doing. Then, when I saw you two go through the rock, I followed you guys here." I help Rosie up, and I notice the light reflecting off of something in the wall. Rosie sees it to.

"What's that?" She asks. She walks past me and reaches into the hole in the wall. She pulls out a small treasure chest and opens it, to pull out a book. "Team Skill." She says reading the cover.

A few minutes later...

"That was a crazy book, huh?" Holt asks me as we walk down a hallway. We're walking a few steps behind Rosie and quietly whispering to each other.

"Yeah." I say. I shine my flashlight around to see if there's anything we missed. "You know, that lantern gives off a lot of light. Where did you get it?"

"McJunker gave it to me." He says. "He makes them with some blueprints that a person gave him."

"Let me guess, the same person who made the diving masks." I say. He nods.

"So, what were you and Rosie doing in here while you two were alone?" He asks.

"Looking for fossils and treasure." I tell him.

"You SUUUUUUUUURE that was the only thing you were doing?" He asks cocking an eyebrow and smiling playfully. My face gets red with anger.

"Yes I'm sure!" I say.

"Heh." He says. "Yeah right." I punch his arm. "OW!" He says between grit teeth.

"What are you two doing back there?" Rosie asks over her shoulder.

"Oh, nothing." I say. I look back at Holt. "That was your fault I punched you." I whisper.

"Well you didn't have to react like that." He says rubbing his arm. "But then again, that's what happens when you inquire something about a person and their crush."

"I do NOT have a crush on her!" I growl.

"Then you had your arms around her why?" He asks.

"Because I thought that you were going to hurt us, and I was trying to keep her safe!" I tell him.

"Is that the ONLY reason?" I raise my arm to punch his arm again, when Rosie stops.

"What's the matter?" I ask. She points at a sky blue door with a crazy looking cloud on it tied by a ribbon. "This must be the door to Captain Woolbeard's quarters!" We all rush in excitedly to see what treasures are inside. The room is pretty big, with a desk towards the back that has globe on the top and a map on the wall behind it. In front of the desk are two velvet red chairs, ruined by age, and pushed against the left wall is a bed, also ruined by age. Other than that, the room is empty. We walk up to the desk to check it when we hear a moan.

"Woooooooolllllllllyyyyy!" A hollow, ghostly voice moans. I feel something hug me, slightly trembling, and look to Rosie hugging me, making me blush. We hear the moan again, and there's a poof of some sort of cloud behind the desk. We look at it and I shine my flashlight on it. The cloud disappears and standing there, or rather floating there, is a ghost. He has pale, pale, pale blue skin, a blue eye, a black eye patch over his right eye, a very pale sea green beard that probably comes to his knees and is very fluffy looking and needs to be brushed. He has a black pirate hat with gold outlining that covers his bald head, a long black pirate coat that has gold around the wrists and edges. The rest of him is just well, nothing. That's all of him except for a very light see-through ghost tail. "ARR! Ye face the legendary pirate, Captain Woolbeard! I've crossed the seven seas and... and... I'm legendary!" Rosie stops hugging me.

"You're not as scary as I thought you would be." She says. Taking a step away from me.

"But still," Holt says. "It's the ghost of Captain Woolbeard. Neat!"

"Hold, ye three life-lubbers!" Captain Woolbeard says with authority. "I've got orders for ye!"

"Orders?" I exclaim.

"Who do you think you are to order us around?" Holt demands. "Some guy in a hat?" I laugh.

"What's funny?" Rosie asks.

"Holt, YOU'RE some guy in a hat!" I say.

"This isn't a hat!" Holt says. "It's a helmet!"

"But still." I look at Captain Woolbeard. "We're not part of your crew or anything!"

"Find ye my beard ribbon!" He says.

"..." We all stand there for a second. "What?" We ask.

"A beard ribbon?" I ask.

"You're kidding, right?" Rosie asks.

"That ribbon is the only thing I hold dear to my heart..." He tells us. "and the most fashionable accessory on the planet."

_A ghost that cares about fashion... Of all things I never thought I would see, this was undoubtedly one of them. _I think.

"Without that ribbon, my sprit will never find rest..." Captain Woolbeard tells us. " and I'll risk the wrath of pirate-fashion critics everywhere."

_... I never thought I would hear anyone anywhere say that. _I think.

"Sad story." Rosie says. "But do you think we've got the free time to go looking for your pretty ribbon?"

"If ye find it for me, I'll give you the greatest treasure under the seas in return."

"TREASURE?" We all exclaim brightening.

"We're on the job!" I say. "We'll find that ribbon faster than you can say "apparition"."

"I'm with you Red!" Rosie tells me.

"Aye, aye Captain!" Holt says standing up straight and saluting.

"We'll find your ribbon!" I assure him. "Just wait right here!"

"I've searched every corner of every sea, and it's nowhere to be found." Captain Woolbeard tells us.

"Then we'll start the search on land." Holt says.

"Please hurry." Captain Woolbeard says. "Ye got to help me, before my beard becomes... unruly." He disappears. The door slams shut behind us and we whirl around.

"Rex! Hurry up and trap them in there!" I hear Snivels voice say.

"Woof! Woof!" Rex barks.

"Trap us?" Rosie exclaims worried.

"What's going on here?" Holt demands.

"Snivels!" I yell. I run to the door and try to open it. "Let us out and fight me like a man you coward!" I yell banging on the door.

"Forget it!" Snivels says. "You won't be a bother to us anymore!" I hear their footsteps go down the hallway. I bang on the door then take a few steps back. I charge at the door attempting to break it down, but to no avail.

"Whatever that thing is made of," I say as I walk back to the desk rubbing my shoulder. "it was meant to last until the end of time."

"What do we do?" Rosie asks. She goes around the desk.

"We can't be trapped in here!" Holt says.

"Captain Woolbeard!" Rosie says. "Do something! ...Please?"

Nothing happens.

We all start to panic. _Come on! There has to be another way out! _I think. We frantically look around but after a few minutes we give up.

"What are we gonna do now?" Rosie says. She's behind the desk with me and Holt in front of it.

_**BOOM!**_

We jump in surprise and turn to see the door has been demolished to a cloud of dust. We stand there not knowing what to do, when a girl around the age of fourteen steps out of the cloud. She has short blonde hair that fans out at the end, sea green eyes, a sleeveless white dress with a long skirt that barley brushes the floor, a gold belt, and a purple pendant around her neck. She takes a few steps forward, one foot in front of the other, looks around the room, and stops at us.

"This place... The captain quarter's?" She asks.

"The door's open!" Holt exclaims.

"Thanks!" Rosie tells the girl as she comes around the desk. "We thought we were going to be sunken treasures ourselves!" The girl looks at her.

"You are mistaken." She says. "I am here to neither help nor harm you. I just need to survey this room." We watch her as she walks around the desk. She looks at the globe. She looks at some of the papers on the desk. She looks at the map on the wall. "Hmmmm..." She walks out to the middle of the upper left side of the room and looks around. She walks over to the door then turns around and looks at us. "Farewell." She turns and leaves.

"That was... weird." I say.

"Who IS that?" Rosie asks. "I've never seen her before."

"Wait, forget her!" Holt says. "I want to know who those other two were and why they locked us in here!"

"They're two BB Bandit members, Rex and Snivels." I tell them. "And my guess is that they want the treasure."

"Well they can forget it!" Holt says. "We're getting that treasure whether they like it or not!"

"Yeah!" I say in agreement.

"My grandpa may be able to help us." Rosie says. "To the Richmond Building!" We run out of the room and down the hallways. We come to the hole where we came in, put our helmets on, go out the hole, through the cave, out the dig site, board the boat, ride to the fighter station, and then run to the Richmond Building. We go into the lobby, over to the elevator that goes to Mr. Richmond's office, step in, and ride up to his office. We step out of the elevator, go around the fish tank and me and Holt walk up to the desk while Rosie goes around it. "Grandpa, have you ever heard of a beard ribbon belonging to Woolbeard the pirate? I really want to find it!"

"A pirate beard ribbon?" He asks. "Come to think of it, that sounds familiar... I remember! My people found it in that old chest that washed up on shore a while back."

"Yes!" Holt says.

"So you have it?" Rosie asks excited.

"Not anymore, no." He says. "An... acquaintance of mine really wanted it, so I gave it to him."

"Aw man." I say disappointed.

"Who?" Rosie asks.

"His name is Nick Nack." Mr. Richmond tells her. "He lives in the hotel."

"That's a funny name." Holt says.

"He's a funny fellow." Mr. Richmond says. "He can seem a little... off-putting... but he's actually a good person."

"Thank you Grandpa!" Rosie says.

"We'll be at the hotel if you need us." I say. We all leave the Richmond Building and run to the hotel. We go into the lobby and walk to the front desk.

"Welcome back Red." The manager tells me. "And welcome to you two also." He says looking at Holt and Rosie.

"Hi!" Rosie says. "I'm Rosie Richmond. We're here to see a guest of yours, Mr. Nick Nack."

"Ah! Miss Richmond!" He says. "Mr. Nack has been expecting you. Take the leftmost elevator to the third floor, and his room is the first door when you get off."

"Thank you very much!" Rosie says. "C'mon, let's go!" We walk over to the elevator and step on. I push the button marked "3" and we go up. The elevator stops, we step out of it and knock on the first door.

"Come in!" A man's voice says. He has some sort of accent. We open the door and walk into a room filled with all sorts of crazy stuff.

_What the what? _I think. _Where's-_

"BONJOUR!" We all jump when the craziest looking man I've ever seen jumps out from behind a totem pole. He has spiked, blonde hair on the very top of his head, a red mask tied around his head that covers the area around his eyes, white gloves that come to his elbows, one of those white neck things that English and French royalty wear, a robe that comes to his knees that has gray on the upper body and shoulders, while the rest of it is red with gold at the edge of it, white knee socks, blue shoes that curl at the toes, and sticking out from behind his head, four feathers as long as my arm that are blue at the bottom, white in the middle, and dark pink at the tip. "Good afternooooon. Mademoiselle Rosie, Monsieur Red and Monsieur Holt." He kisses all of us on both cheeks.

_'Did that SEROIUOSLY just happen?' _I ask.

_'It's some sort of French custom.' _Flamethrower tells me.

_'Gross.' _Air Strike says.

_'You can say THAT again.'_ I say.

"This is me. I am Nick Nack." He says with a heavy French accent. "I heard from Monsieur Richmond about your visit. AND your desires. It is Woolbeard's beard ribbon you want, ehhh? That would trickle your prancy, ehhhhhhh?"

_... What? _I think.

"Uh... yes?" Rosie says.

"I will be more than happy to grant your request, considering your relation to Monsieur Richmond..." He says.

"YES!" Holt says happily.

"That's great!" I say excited.

"Thanks!" Rosie says.

"Whoa now." He says. "Spool your nets. There is a price to be paid!"

"What?" Holt asks.

_AW, COME ON! _I think.

"Woolbeard's beard ribbon is a one-of-a-kind treasure after all!"

"So what do we have to do?" Rosie asks.

"Hmmmm... Nick Nack is thinking..." He says. "Thinking... THINKING..." He turns around and looks out the sliding glass door. He gets an idea and turns back to us. Of all the things there are, there are three that I wish for... Bring those three to me. Search, find and bring them here, and I'll give you the beard ribbon."

"THREE THINGS?" We all simultaneously exclaim.

"Hey, I rusted my pump trying to find that beard ribbon!" Nick Nack says.

"What are you talking about?" I demand.

"Yeah! Mr. Richmond GAVE it to you!" Holt says. Nick Nack looks at all of us worried.

"Since we've all agreed to my plan," He says. "the first thing I need is a molted bug shell."

_... A WHAT? _I think.

"You want a bug shell?" Rosie asks. "The only bugs I can think of on Vivosaur Island are fossil bugs."

"Too correct!" He says. "So well educated you are, Mademoiselle Rosie. When it comes to fossil bugs, the Digadig chieftain seems to know a lot. You should ask him. When you find it, would you kindly... bring... it... to... me. Then I'll give you your next project." He stands up straight, tilts his head toward the ceiling, puts his feet shoulder width apart, waves his hands through the air, and shakes his hips back and forth. "Good luck and thank you for your kind offer of service!" He says happily. We all turn, walk out the door step on to the elevator, and ride down to the lobby. When we step off the elevator, I hear Holt's stomach growl.

"How about we have some lunch, then go see the chieftain?" I ask them.

"Sounds good to me!" Holt says. We go up to my hotel room, and into the kitchen. I make some sandwiches and we all sit at the table and eat them.

"This is a nice place you got Red." Rosie tells me.

"Thanks." I say. We finish the sandwiches, go to the dock and board the boat to Knotwood Forest. We arrive at the dig site's dock, hop off the boat, speed down the path, run into the dig site, head deeper in, and come to the path that takes you to Digadig Village. We walk down the path and when we see the two wooden poles, lo and behold, Rex jumps out onto the path.

"Bow wow!" He barks.

"What a minute, you're one of those guys who trapped us in the Captains quarters!" Rosie says. Rex takes a step forward.

"Grrrrrowf! Rrrrrr!" He growls.

"I can take him." I say taking out my medals.

"Good luck." Holt says.

"Come on out guys!" I throw my medals in the air and out comes my team. I look at Rex's team. He has a Nodo, Megath, and a Zino. Nodo attacks doing four damage to Air Strike. "Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Nodo!" He attacks doing thirty-one damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Nodo!" She attacks doing fifteen damage. Nodo attacks Air Strike doing twenty-six damage and confusing him. He goes into the EZ and Cloud Cover takes his place. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fury on Nodo!" She attacks doing forty-seven damage. Nodo attacks Cloud Cover doing twenty-eight damage, then goes into the EZ and Zino takes his place. "Flamethrower, S-Combo on Zino!" He attacks doing twenty-nine damage. Zino attacks Cloud Cover but misses, causing me to get a smug look. "Cloud Cover get in the EZ, and Air Strike take her place!" They do it "Now Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Zino!" He attacks doing forty-seven damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Zino!" He attacks doing thirty damage, putting him in his medal. Megath attack Air Strike doing seventy-seven damage and confusing him. Air Strike then attacks Megath using Spinax Fang, doing sixty damage. "Flamethrower! S-Fang on Megath!" He attacks doing twenty-seven damage, causing him to go into his medal. Nodo attacks Air Strike doing twenty-six damage and confusing him. He again gets in the EZ and Cloud Cover takes his place. "Flamethrower, S-Combo on Nodo!" He attacks doing twenty two damage. Nodo attacks Cloud Cover doing thirty-four damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Nodo!" She attacks doing thirty-two damage, putting Nodo in his medal.

"Now scram!" Rosie yells at Rex. He runs past all of us, fear in his eyes.

"Let's go!" Holt says. We walk into the village and every one watches us as we walk by some of them wave, to which we wave back. We walk to the chieftains teepee and see him standing outside of it.

"Hi Mr. Chieftain!" Rosie says. "How are you diga-doing?" Me and Holt look at her. "No! NOOOOOOOOO! What is it about this place that makes me want to say that... d-d-d... That d-d-d-d-d-diga dang word?" She yells grabbing the sides of her head in frustration. The chieftain snickers.

"I have no... idea, digadig." He says. "What brings you here, digadig?"

"We're trying to find a molted bug shell..." Rosie says. "Diga-do you know where we can find one?"

"I diga-do, digadig." He tells us. "Diga-deep underground lives the fossil bug, digadig. They... push fossils with their back legs and... roll them, digadig. There are many fossil bugs around, but their molted shells are... diga-difficult to come by, digadig. Because we use these shells as... toboggans in the winter months, we learned to make the bugs molt. It requires a molting ritual to make the fossil bug molt-or shed- its shell, digadig."

"Molting ritual?" Holt asks. The chieftain raises his head and arms to the sky.

"Yes, a ritual to make the fossil bugs molt their shells, digadig." The chieftain says. "On the... sacred ground in Digadig Village, we... vigorously shake our hips, digadig."

"How does shaking your hips make the bugs molt?" I ask. The chieftain starts shaking his hips back and forth.

"It is not... easy." He tells us. "The hip-shaker dance requires great... passion and vigor, digadig. When the fossil bugs feel the... vibration, they rise to the surface and shed their shells, digadig. Would you like to try it... now, digadig?"

"Don't we need to travel to the sacred ground?" Holt asks.

"No, digadig." The chieftain says. "Because you are standing on it now, digadig. This is the sacred ground, digadig." We all look at each other. "First I will... demonstrate, digadig. Shake your hips like this, digadig. But with more passion and vigor, digadig."

"Won't the fossil bugs surface and molt for your diga-dance Chieftain?" Rosie asks. "Why do WE need to learn it?"

"My hip shaking is... insufficient, digadig." He tells us. "Only the passionate, vigorous shaking of a young warrior will work, digadig. Now, please follow my... example, digadig." He shakes his hip back and forth a few times. "Now that you have seen how to shake your hips... properly, let us begin the ceremony, digadig." We turn around and look at the ground.

_I'm going to look like an idiot..._ I think. We all start shaking our hips back and forth, and I'm not quite sure how you put passion and vigor into it, so I just shake my hips. after about fifteen seconds, a hole appears in the ground and out jumps what must be a fossil bug. It has beady orange eyes, is completely brown, has six legs and is probably one foot long and six inches wide. It sits there for a second, then starts shaking slightly. It then literally jump out of its skin, leaving behind a pale light brown molted shell, then burrows back underground.

"You have performed the ritual as if you were Digadigs yourselves, digadig!" The chieftain says happily.

"We did it!" Holt says. "A molted bug shell!" I pick it put and put it in my backpack very carefully.

"Thanks for the diga-dance lesson chieftain!" Rosie says.

"C'mon." I say. "Let's get this back to Nick Nack." We leave digadig village, go back to the dig site dock, board the boat, ride back to the fighter area, go into the hotel and to Nick Nack's room.

"Mr. Nack," Rosie says. "we brought you your molted bug shell." I take it out of my backpack and hand it to Nick Nack, who is overjoyed. He puts it on an empty shelf and looks at it.

"OoooOOOOOOOOH!" He says. "How WON-derful! This molted bug shell will make a magnificent toboggan in the winter months! You have done very well!" He looks at us. "Thank you! Mercy bee-comb!"

_... _I think.

"So what's next?" Holt asks.

"The next item is a sandal fossil." He says. We stand there for a second before we burst out laughing.

"Ha! Funny..." Holt says.

"Yeah, there's no such thing as a sandal fossil!" I say in agreement.

"Ta-dah!" Nick Nack says.

And takes out a fossilized sandal.

"What?" Rosie exclaims. A brown sandal stands up out of a rock, and we stand there looking at it with complete confusion. "But... that doesn't make any sense."

"Yeah, things have to be in the ground for a loooooooooong time for that to happen." Holt says in agreement.

"How in the world does a sandal get fossilized?" I ask. "Was it worn by a dinosaur or something?"

"Don't worry about details like that." Nick Nack says. "The point is that I only have the left sandal! One sandal is no good for a two-footed creature like myself! So find the other one... please." He starts doing his crazy dance. "Good luck! Find my fossilized footwear, and you'll be a step closer to the buccaneer's beard binder!" We turn and leave his hotel room, go down into the lobby and slowly walk out of the hotel towards the dock.

"Where in all of vivosaur island are we going to find a sandal fossil?" Holt exclaims.

"No idea." Rosie says. I look at her and she has a sad look on her face. "There are lots of established dig sites on the island, but they're just for dinosaur fossils." We keep walking thinking of places to look when something pops into my head.

"Wait!" I exclaim making them stop and look at me. "Remember that area in Greenhorn Plains that had all the junk in it?" I ask Rosie. Her face brightens, which oddly makes me feel good.

"Yeah!" She tells me. "It's probably somewhere in there! C'mon!" We run to the dock and board the boat to go to Greenhorn Plains. When we arrive at the dig site dock, we jump off the boat and race down the path, into the dig site and to the spot that had the junk in it.

And there's Snivels digging in it.

"He's gonna pay for locking us in the Captains quarters." I say.

"He's the guy who helped that dog-man trap us?" Holt asks. I nod and he looks back at Snivels. "What's up with his nose?"

"No idea." I tell him we all walk down the path and stop a few feet away from him. He turns around and sees us.

"You three!" He says. "How did you get out of that pirate ship? That thing was escape proof!" He has a mixture of confusion and irritation on his face.

"I made it out of a trap and a treasure room that you said was escape proof." I tell him. "I'm surprised you're surprised."

"But still!" He says. "How?"

"Sorry trade secret." Rosie says.

"Now back off!" Holt says. "We're getting that treasure!"

"If a bug annoys you," Snivels starts. "you've got basically two options. Trap it... Or squash it! Heh." He says as he takes out his medals. I whip out mine and call out my vivosaurs. Snivels has a Carchar, Lambeo, and a Futadi. The Futadi is built like Plesiosaur, has a gray underside, and sandy-tan, orange and white patterns on its back, head and fins.

"Futadi, Winding Snap on Spinax!" Snivels yells. He attacks doing thirty-two damage.

"Air Strike get in the EZ and Flamethrower, take his place!" They do it. "Now Flamethrower, S-Combo on Carchar!" He attacks doing seventy-four damage and knocking him into the EZ.

"Futadi, Winding Snap on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing seventy-seven damage.

"Flamethrower, S-Combo on Lambeo!" He attacks doing sixty-three damage.

"Futadi, Winding snap on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing fifty-four damage.

"Flamethrower get in the EZ and Air Strike, take his place!" They do it. "Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Lambeo!" He attacks doing forty-three damage. "Cloud Cover finish him off with Shan Fang!" She attacks doing seventeen damage, putting Lambeo in his medal.

"Carchar, Carchar Fury on Spinax!" He attacks doing a total of two hundred twenty damage, sending him into his medal.

"Air Strike!" I catch his medal. _'Are you okay?'_

_'Yeah I'm okay... that dirt he blasted at me hurt though' _He tells me. I feel anger fill Cloud Cover and Flamethrower. Before I can stop her, Cloud Cover attacks Carchar with Shan Fury dealing a total of thirty-seven damage.

_No! Flamethrower could've done more damage... _I think.

"Futadi, Winding Snap on Shanshan!" He attacks doing twenty-six damage.

"Flamethrower, S-Fury on Carchar!" He attacks doing fifty damage, causing Carchar to go into his medal. "Cloud Cover Shan Combo on Futadi!" She attacks doing one hundred four damage, putting him in his medal.

"You'll see me again, little bugs!" Snivels tells us. "And I'll bring a bigger flyswatter next time!" He runs past us and we continue up the path. We come to the spot where we were digging up the junk, walk to the middle of it, and stop.

"This is where we were digging up all that junk three days ago." Rosie says.

"Yep." I say. "Just a bunch of knickknacks and stuff..." We all look at each other.

"I can't believe we didn't make that connection before..." Rosie says.

"Knickknacks, Nick Nack... Ugh." Holt says. We all burst out laughing.

"To think we're out looking for knickknacks for a guy named Nick Nack!" Rosie laughs.

"It's like some sort of awful joke!" I say. We all continue to laugh.

"Excuse me... Why are you laughing?" We all stop and turn to see the girl who got us out of Captain Woolbeard's quarters standing there watching us. "What could be so funny?"

"Oh, it's... you. Hello." Rosie says.

"We meet you in Woolbeard's quarters... sort of." Holt says.

"Thanks again." Rosie says. "You probably saved our lives back there."

"Hey, this is probably a REALLY long shot, but we're looking for a sandal fossil." I tell her. "You haven't seen one, have you?" She gets a questionable look.

"Sandal fossil? I don't know... Wait, do you mean this?" She takes out a sandal fossil.

"Whoa! Yes that's it! The right sandal that matches Nick's left one!" Rosie exclaims.

"You wouldn't mind if we could have it, would you?" Holt asks.

"I have no use for it." She says. "You may have it."

"Really?" I ask. She nods. "Thanks!" She hands Rosie the sandal.

"I'm Rosie by the way." She says. "And these are my friends, Red and Holt."

"My name is Duna." The girl says.

"Duna? Okay, thanks for the sandal fossil." I tell her she looks at me.

"Think nothing of it." She says. "I am grateful to you for showing me the hip-shaker dance. Good-bye." She turns and leaves.

"The hip-shaker dance?" I ask.

"Does this mean she was spying on us in Digadig Village?" Rosie wonders aloud. "Is it just me, or is something... off about her?"

"Well we can think about that later." Holt says. "We need to get this sandal fossil to Nick Nack so we can continue." We head back to the boat, ride to the Fighter Area, then go to the hotel and to Nick Nack's room.

"Mr. Nack, we've got your sandal fossil." Rosie says. She takes it out of her backpack and hand it to him.

"OoooOOOOOOH! How very, very wonderful!" He says, taking it. He puts it on the shelf next to the molted bug shell with the other sandal. "Now that I have BOTH sandals, it's like I can have my snake and feet it too!"

_... What?_

"Thank you! Mercy bee-comb! Grassy us!" Nick Nack says with gratitude.

"So what's the last thing want us to get for you?" Rosie asks.

"Fast but not feast," Nick Nack starts. "I'd like denture from a denture shark."

"D-denture Shark?" Rosie exclaims stiffing. She takes a step away from me and Holt. "No way. I'm not going."

"It doesn't matter to me who goes or who stays," Nick Nack tells us. "as long as I get dentures from a Denture Shark."

"Guys, it would me a lot to me if you guys did this." Rosie says.

"Don't worry, we can do it!" I say.

"Okay, besides, we already know that you're a lot better with Denture Sharks than I am!" She winks, and I feel like my insides melted.

_Well at least I didn't blush. _I think.

"Ah! You have experience with the Denture Sharks of Bottomsup Bay already?" Nick Nack asks. I nod. "Good good good! According to my sources, Denture Sharks take off their dentures in their shark dens. So... if you find a shark den, you should be able to find shark dentures. Easy, no? Just remember, Denture sharks usually cover up their den entrances with big rocks. Got that? Good luck, and try not to get eaten by sharks." He does his weird dance. "Be sure to bring those lovely dentures to me as soon as you find them!"

"Yes sir." I say. "C'mon Ho-... Holt?" I look around and see him in a corner.

"No way dude." He tells me.

"Why?"

"I hate those things."

"They won't eat you, I'll scare them off."

"You sure?"

"Yep."

"..." Holt thinks for a second "Okay. I can always out run them, though." We leave the hotel, board the boat to Bottomsup Bay, ride out to the two buoys, and put on our masks. As soon as I get mine on, my face gets hot.

_'Why am I blushing NOW?'_ I wonder.

_'Because Rosie winked at you.' _Cloud Cover tells me.

_'Well then why didn't I blush when she did it?' _I ask.

_'Flamethrower kept it from happening.' _Air Strike tells me.

_'HOW?' _

_'I reached into your mind and set up a blockage in that area of nerve reactions. So, when you put your helmet on, I removed it.' _Flamethrower tells me.

_'...' _None of us says anything for a second.

_'How do you KNOW all this?' _Air Strike asks.

_'... I'm not sure...'_ Flamethrower tells us. Me and Holt jump over board and walk onto the dig site to see denture sharks everywhere.

"Oh great." Holt moans.

"I got this." I tell him. I take out my pick ax. "YO SHARKS!" They all look at me. "Remember me?" They all sit there for a second before darting away in fear.

"What did you do?" Holt ask.

"I beat the snot out of some of them." I say.

"Why?"

"They were about to hurt Rosie."

"OOOOOOH!"

"Oh grow up!"

"Dude you have a crush on her."

"Do not."

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"You like Rosie! You like Rosie!"

"Cut it out!"

"Red and Rosie sitting in-"

"STOP IT!"

"... I... I... I was just... just joking..."

"I know..." I sigh. "but my vivosaurs do it to me to, so it just aggravates me when people think I have a crush on her when I don't."

"Okay. I... didn't know." Holt says. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." We continue swimming and breaking rocks to see what's beneath them.

"Hey I found one!" Holt yells to me. I quickly swim over and see the den entrance.

"Good work Holt!" I say. "Let's go!" We swim down into the cave and start looking around. I head towards the back of it when I get a bad feeling in my stomach. _There must be a Denture Shark up ahead... _I take out my pick and take a few cautious step forward. I peek around a corner and see a Denture Shark. It swims over to a rock with a flat top, uses it's fin to pull out it's dentures, and places them on the rock. I jump out and charge at it, making it dart away in fear. I walk over to the rock and pick up the dentures. "Hey I got some!" Holt appears and swims over to me.

"Alright Red!" He tells me. "Now we-" We take a good look at the dentures then at each other.

"Oh GROSS!" We both exclaim with disgust. The dentures are covered in tooth rot.

"I don't think he'll except them like that." Holt tells me.

"I know I wouldn't." I say as I place them back on the rock. I take out my drill and clean away the three thick layers of tooth rot, making them pearly white. "To think I did all this just to become a dentist." Holt laughs. We head toward the exit when I stop.

"What's the matter?" Holt asks.

"There's three of them, and I've already fought the other two, so that means Vivian will be waiting for us." I explain. We peek out of the entrance and look around. She's nowhere in sight. "Let's move." We quickly swim out of the den and swim back to the boat. We climb aboard, ride back to the fighter station, and very cautiously, looking in every direction, walk into the hotel. I've been hugging the dentures this entire time. Walking backwards so she can't sneak up on us, we go to the left elevator.

"Looks like we're in the clear." Holt says with a smile. We turn to the elevator, Holt pushes the button and the elevator door opens.

Lo and behold, there stands Vivian in it.

_Whelp, should have seen that on coming._ I think.

"Ah, how kind of your to retrieve the shark dentures I wanted." She tells us. "I'll take them now." She says holding out her hand. The manager walks up to us.

"Excuse me, miss," He says. "but you're blocking the elevator. Other guests need to use it, so will you wait in the lobby?"

"DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU'RE TALKING TO?" Vivian asks him outraged.

_Dude, calm down. _I think.

"I'm not leaving until these little hooligans give me my property!" Vivian says. The manager quickly walks away. "Time for a decision kid." Vivian tells me. "You can hand over the dentures, or I can TAKE them from you." She glares at me.

"..." I stand there for a second. "Holt, hold these." I say handing the dentures to him. "COME ON OUT GUYS!" I yell as I call out my team.

"Brave of you." Vivian says. "Dumb, but brave." She calls out her vivosaurs, a Lexo, an Elasmo, and a Pachrino. The Elasmo is purple, has jagged teeth coming out of its mouth, turquoise patterns on its head, neck, fins, and under side, and has light orange and navy blue spots going down its sides that resemble the phases of the moon. The Pachrino is army green, with camouflage on its back and legs, a pale, pale yellow green star on both side of it and on the front of its legs, a gray underside and dark green lines under its eyes. "Pachrino, Pachrino Combo on Spinax!" He attacks doing twenty-three damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Elasmo!" He attacks doing sixty damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Elasmo!" She attacks doing thirty-one damage.

"Pachrino, Pachrino Combo on Spinax!" He attacks doing twenty-two damage. "Elasmo, get in the EZ!" He gets in the EZ and Pachrino takes his place.

"Air Strike get in the EZ, and Flamethrower, take his place!" They do it. "Now Flamethrower, S-Combo on Pachrino!" He attacks doing eighty damage.

"Pachrino, Pachrino Combo on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing thirty-one damage.

"Flamethrower, S-Fang on Pachrino!" He attacks doing eighty-four damage, sending him into his medal.

"Lexo, Poison Tail on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing nineteen damage. "Elasmo, Elasmo Combo on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing eighty damage.

"Flamethrower, S-Combo on Lexo!" He attacks doing one hundred forty-nine damage, causing him to go into his medal. "Flamethrower, get in the EZ and Air Strike take his place!" They do it. "Now Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Elasmo!" He attacks doing sixty damage.

"Elasmo, Elasmo fury on Spinax!" He attacks doing ninety damage. In the process, he does nine damage to himself, putting him in his medal.

"You did it!" Holt says.

"Yep." I tell him with a smile.

"You won't get this luck again kid!" Vivian says. She runs past us and out of the hotel. We step on to the elevator, ride it up to Nick Nack's room, step off and enter. Rosie sees us enter.

"You made it back Red! I was really worried." She tells me.

"Uh, what about me?" Holt asks.

"Sorry." Rosie says. "Did you guys get the shark dentures?"

"You BET we did!" I say holding them up.

"You did it!" She exclaims. "I knew you would Red! You're amazing!" She says. She blushes. "... I mean, um, good work."

_A-a-am-m-mazing? _I wonder. We all walk over to Nick Nack and I hand him the shark dentures.

"OooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!" He holds them up and spins around on one foot. "My final treasure! How wonderful!" He stops spinning and examines them. "And not a single rotten tooth! these will be perfect for cracking open even the hardest walnuts!" He places them on the shelf on the other side of the molted bug shell. "Thank you! Mercy bee-comb! Grassy us! Donkey shakes!" He tells us with gratitude. "I'm amazed, Monsieur Red." He tells me. "Truly, a herd in your band is worth a few to push!"

_..._ I think.

"Thanks...?" I say.

"As promised you may take the beard ribbon." He goes over to a box, opens it, takes out a pinkish purple beard ribbon, walk back over to us, and gives it to me.

"Yes!" Holt says.

"I forgot to mention," Nick Nack says. "There was a trio of... odd-looking folks that also wanted the beard ribbon. I made the same deal with them that I did with you Monsieur Red, but you were obviously more capable."

"So that's why they were getting in our way!" Rosie says. "They wanted the same three crazy things!" Nick Nack looks at the shelf with the three things on it.

"Well who wouldn't want a molted bug shell, sandal fossil, and shark dentures?" We all look at him. "But now I have all of them, and my dream will come true..."

_What? Riding an exotic toboggan while wearing sandal fossils and eating hard walnuts? _I think.

"Riding an exotic toboggan while wearing sandal fossils and eating very hard walnuts..." Nick Nack says, then sighing happily.

_... OKAY! He is officially the strangest person I have ever met! _I think. He looks at us and does his weird dance.

"Well I have preparations to make." Nick Nack tells us. "I'll see you three later!" We walk out the door and ride down to the lobby.

"OK, let's get this ribbon to Captain Woolbeard." Rosie says. We run out of the hotel, to the dock, ride the boat to the dig site, put on our helmets, swim down, go to the cave, go through the cave, into the ship, take off our helmets, speed down the hallways and up stairways, and down to the Captain's quarters. We run in and freeze.

"Ah, that looks perfect on you Captain Woolbeard." Vivian says as she takes a step back after tying his beard ribbon on him. It looks just like the one we got. "Very Dapper!"

"I'm free!" Captain Woolbeard exclaims. "After all these long years, I can finally rest with my weary bones..." He stops... and gets mad. "G-g-gr-grrr... THIS ISN'T IT! THIS BE NOT MY BEARD RIBBON, YE SCURVY SCALAWAG!" He roars. "MY ribbon be much manlier, with just a hint o' the fun lovin'!" There's a blinding flash of light and a shock wave that knocks us to the ground. I hear Rosie let out a sharp squeak of fear. I put my arms around her protectively and she buries her face in the crook of my neck. I look at Woolbeard to see that the black on his coat and hat have been replaced with a deep, angry red, his head and hands now have a reddish hue to them, his blue eye is red, and his beard looks like it has a life of its own and is also red. He releases a hollow, angry moan. "I've been deceived! Ye shall pay, ye turncoats! My ghost dinosaurs of the depths will teach ye not to play false with me!"

"Quick!" Vivian yells from where she fell. "Get out!" She jumps up a bolts out the door.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Snivels says scrambling up and running away. Rex just gets up on all fours and makes a break for it. Three lightning-like pillars strike down where they were and a strong gust of wind blows against us. I hold Rosie's head in the crook of my neck and she hugs me tighter.

_I don't like the sound of ghost dinosaurs! _I think. I look at Captain Woolbeard.

"Red!" I look at Rosie. "He's too angry too remember us! We can't get his beard ribbon on him while he's like that!" A loud thunderous crash and a lightning-like pillar occur not too far from Holt, who is curled up into a ball with his chin tucked against his chest and his arms protecting his head. "Please Red, you need to fight his dinosaurs in a Fossil Battle!" I nod with a confirmative grunt. I let go of Rosie and get myself to my feet, trying to stay up in this whirlwind. I oddly don't want to leave Rosie there on the floor by herself, terrified.

_I need to keep her safe. But I need to fight this battle. But I need to keep her safe. But I need to fight this battle..._ I think. I slowly fight my way through the wind and up to Captain Woolbeard. "Come on out guys!" I say calling out my team.

"So, ye shall battle me?" Captain Woolbeard asks. "Well, yours are no match for my dinosaurs! Tear him apart!" I gulp.

_TEAR ME APART? _

"You can do it Red!" I hear Rosie's voice yell. I never noticed, but I actually like the sound of her voice.

"Let's do this!" I say. I look at his vivosaurs, an Elasmo, a Krona, and a Plesio. The Krona is built like a plesiosaur without the long neck, has ocean blue going down it's back and o the front edge of its fins, has a very pale teal underside, a thick, jagged gray line separating the underside and off-white body, and has Roman Numerals on its sides, tail, and fins. The Plesio is built like a plesiosaur, has a pure white underside, blue topside with white dots, teal fins with gold designs on them, and a teal with gold edges band around its neck.

"Pass!" Captain Woolbeard says making it my turn.

_He's going to build up FP for a powerful attack! _I realize. "Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Krona!" He attacks doing seventy damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Krona!" She attacks doing twenty-four damage.

"Pass!" Captain Woolbeard says building up more FP.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Krona!" He attacks doing sixty-eight damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Krona!" She attacks doing thirty-eight damage, sending him in to his medal.

"Elasmo, Elasmo Fury on Shanshan!" He attacks doing sixty-eight damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Elasmo!" He attacks doing sixty-four damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Combo on Elasmo!" She attacks doing thirty-one damage.

"Elasmo, Elasmo Combo on Shanshan!" He attacks doing forty-five damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Elasmo!" He attacks doing sixty-seven damage, causing him to go into his medal. "Cloud Cover, Shan Combo on Plesio!" She attacks doing thirty-four damage.

"Plesio, Plesio Poison on Shanshan!" She attacks doing nineteen damage, sending Cloud Cover into her medal. I catch her.

_'You fought well. Enjoy your rest.' _I tell her.

_'Thank you.' _She says.

"Air Strike, Cyclone on Plesio!" He attacks doing one hundred thirty-three damage, putting her in her medal. Captain Woolbeard shrinks, and in the process the winds revert back to still air. He reappears in his normal state and floats there. Holt and Rosie get up and walk up beside me, Rosie on the left and Holt on the right.

"Wha- What just happened?" Captain Woolbeard asks us.

"You sort of... lost your cool when the BB Bandits tried to trick you with a fake beard ribbon." Holt tells him.

"Aye, it's comin' back to me now..." He says. "Those land-lubbing dogs! Why, I-"

"Wait!" Rosie says cutting him off. "Before you fly off the handle again, let me tie on your REAL beard ribbon." I take it out of my backpack hand it to her, and she ties it. When she finishes she takes a step back. He beard looks much more neat now.

"Aye!" He exclaims happily. "It fits just right! This is... This is my beard ribbon!" He hugs all of us at once. "Many thanks to ye sailors! I'm grateful I lived long enough to meet pups as nice as ye."

"Uh... technically, you didn't." I tell him. "You're a ghost."

"Well I suppose so." He says. He releases us. "Now I can return to me physical form. But, as promised I'll give ye the treasure." Our faces brighten. "Firstly, a treasure o' knowledge. Somewhere on this ship is a book on team skills that contain knowledge very useful to any fighter. Secondly, a regular kind o' treasure!"

"YES!" We all say simultaneously as we jump for joy. The cloud appears around him, then vanishes to reveal the treasure.

A tacky idol.

"YAY!" Rosie says running up to it. "Real trea-" She realizes what it is. "Again? Another one of these... these... tacky idols?" This one is the same sandy-gold color as the other two, is probably four and a half feet tall, and has blue patterns.

"Do you realize how hard we worked for that beard ribbon?" Holt says.

"You can keep it Red." Rosie tells me. "I don't want it."

"Yeah." Holt says nodding. I walk over to the idol and put it in my backpack. Like the others, it weighs about a half pound. "What a huge waste of time!"

"Hey, we got all that other stuff." I point out.

"TRUE..." Rosie says. "And it's time for Level-Up battles. We need to get ready!"

"Let's go!"

A few minutes later...

We step off the boat to the fighter area and some fireworks go off, followed by the announcement speakers coming to life.

BING-BONG-BING!

"Attention everyone, Level-Up Battles will be beginning shortly. All participating fighters should make their way to Fossil Stadium for registration." The announcer says.

BING-BONG-BING!

We all go into the Fossil Center and clean our rocks. Afterwards, we go to the Fossil Stadium and register for our level up battles. I score a perfect one hundred for my cleaning test, then beat the two primaries and watch Rosie's and Holt's battles.

"Congratulations! You made it to the final battle!" Tiffany tells me after I win my second primary. "When you're ready, go through the door on your right to the Battle Area." I walk over to the door and walk through.

"Monsieur Red." Nick Nack tells me. "Welcome... to the finale! Yoop! I bet you think you've got yourself an easy victory ahead Mr. Master of Beard Ribbons."

_Never thought I would hear someone call me that. _I think.

"I hate to rain on your marmalade, but Nack will huff and puff and blow your mouse down!" He tells me. "We will soon find out Monsieur Red if you can jive with Level 5... And it is Nack who shall test you! Yoop! Yoop! Combaaaaaat!"

"LADIES and GENTLEMEN the fossil battle is about to begin!" The announcer says. Nick Nack turns to the door. "He dresses kinda crazy, talks kinda crazy, and owns some pretty crazy stuff, NIIIIIIICK NAAAAAAAACK!" He enters the battle area and the crowd goes wild. "Fighting him to become a Level 5 Fighter, one of the kids who found Woolbeard's sunken ship, and he's so amazing, that even the Denture Sharks of Bottomsup Bay swim away in fear, REEEED WAAAAALKER!" I walk out into the Battle area and the roar of the crowd in deafening.

_Huh. I'm getting pretty popular. _I think. Yet through all of it, I still hear the wild, high-pitched, excited screams of fan girls. I look at them to see them holding up signs with my name on them.

One has a phone number on it.

_Forget it._ I think. I call out my team and look Nick Nack's. He has an Elasmoth, a M-Raptor, and a Styraco. The M-Raptor is just like an U-Raptor, except its dark green, has light green patterns on its back and legs, its face goes from a yellow nose to a red back of the head, its under side and feet are the same way, and it has white and orange feathers coming out of its head, arms, legs, and tail. The Styraco is blue with a teal under side, built like a triceratops, has a white, yellow, red and cyan horn, and red and yellow designs all over it.

"Elasmoth, Ruin Beam!" Nick Nack says.

_On who thou- _All three members on my team are attacked. Air Strike having fifty-three damage, Cloud Cover having thirty-two and Flamethrower twenty-nine. _Holy Dino! that's a pretty powerful attack... and did I REALLY just think "Holy Dino" again? _I look at Elasmoth. _Can't let him use that attack again._ "Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Elasmoth!" He attacks doing thirty-seven damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Elasmoth!" He attacks doing fifteen damage.

"Elasmoth, Elasmoth combo on Spinax!" He attacks doing forty-seven damage. "M-Raptor, M-Claw on Spinax!" She attacks doing one damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Elasmoth!" He attacks doing thirty-seven damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Elasmoth!" She attacks doing eighteen damage.

"Elasmoth, Elasmoth Combo on Spinax!" He attacks doing eighty-seven damage, but in the process does eight damage to himself, sending him into his medal. "Styraco, Styraco Fury on Spinax!" He attacks doing fifty-two damage, sending him into his medal. I catch him.

_'You did a good job Air Strike.'_ I tell him.

_'Thank you.'_ He says.

"M-Raptor, M-Venom on Shanshan!" Nick Nack says. She attacks doing eight damage.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fury on Styraco!" She attacks doing eighty-eight damage. "Flamethrower, S-Combo Styraco!" He attacks doing twenty-eight damage.

"Styraco, Styraco Combo on Shanshan!" He attacks doing sixty-eight damage. "Now get in the EZ!" He does it and M-Raptor takes his place. "M-Claw on Shanshan!" She attacks doing four damage.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fury on M-Raptor!" She attacks doing sixty-three damage.

"M-Raptor, M-Venom on Shanshan!" She attacks doing twelve damage.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on M-Raptor!" She attacks doing thirty-four damage, causing her to go into her medal. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Styraco!" He attacks doing seventeen damage, putting him into his medal.

"RED WINS!" The announcer says. The crowd goes insane.

"Monsieur Red! Congratulations!" Nick Nack tells me in the lobby. "You beat me pear and square! Then again, you did collect three incredibly rare items for me, AND defeated an enraged Woolbeard! Monsieur, you seem to make a habit out of doing the impossible! When it comes to fossil battles, Monsieur Red, nobody is wetter than you!"

_Thanks?_

"I hereby certify you, Monsieur Red as a Level 5 Fighter." He takes out my license, stamps it, and hands it to me. The 4 has been replaced with a 5.

"One step closer to Master!" I say happily.

"I won't hesitate to ask you the next time I need something special. Toodle-loo!" He says. He does his dance, then leaves. I turn to see Rosie walking up to me.

"Red!" She says. "So, how'd it go?"

"Easier than a piece of cake!" I say victoriously.

"You already leveled up?" She asks. "That's great! I lost on my second preliminary, but I'm going to try again."

"You can do it! I know you can!" I say smiling. She smiles back.

"Thanks Red..." We stand there for a second. "Oh yeah, and I heard a rumor that Captain Woolbeard never released from his sprit form. Apparently, he's hooked on Fossil Battles and shows up on the ship every once and awhile to battle. Those idols though? I'm starting to wonder about those. Maybe we should have Dr. Diggins or my grandfather look into them. Just a thought." I barely heard a word she said, and I just stand there watching her, smiling. "Red?" I snap out of it.

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

"Y-yeah."

"Okay. Anyways, see you later!" She heads out to the Battle Area, and I watch the battle, then the Level-Up battle. Afterwards, I head back to my hotel room, put the new idol one the top shelf with the others, eat supper, watch some TV, shower, put on a clean pair of boxers, and get in bed. I lay there in the dark, my arms folded behind my head and my left leg propped up.

_'So, what'cha thinkin' 'bout?' _Cloud Cover asks. I don't answer and continue to lie there. My mind drifts to Rosie.

_'How can you think about her, and say you don't have a crush on her?' _Flamethrower asks.

_'Like this: I don't have a crush on her.' _I tell him. I pull up the blanket to my chin, roll on my side and fall asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Whew! I finally got this chapter done and can start on the next one, WHICH I'M SUPER EXCITED ABOUT!<strong>

**Flamethrower and Air Strike: *playing cards***

**Both: *get in slap-fight***

**Cloud Cover: *dancing to Numa Numa guy***

**Red: *sitting in beanbag* Zzzz...**

**Me: ... So, how's ya'lls Friday Night?**


	8. A Nightmare's Reality

**AN- Okay, most of this chapter I made up. I just thought it would be interesting if what happens in this chapter actually happened in the game.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Eight- A Nightmare's Reality<p>

_Me and Rosie are running through a vast plain of tall grass. The sky is clear and a beautiful blue color, the wind carries a cool, sweet-smelling breeze that tugs at our hair and clothes. I take Rosie's hand, and we continue to run. After a few minutes, we stop and I hug her, spinning around in circles, happy to be there with her. I stop spinning and put her down. We stand there, her arms wrapped around my neck and my arms around her. Our faces are about two inches apart and we stand there watching each other with lazy eyes. We slowly begin to close the gap between our faces, my eyes close, and I slightly tilt my head to the left..._

_Suddenly the ground starts to shake._

_I open my eyes and look around. The breeze is now an angry whirlwind that has a foul smell, the grass has disappeared to reveal an empty, charred, barren landscape. The peaceful sky is now an deep, angry red with clouds as dark as night, shooting out blood-red lightning. I pull Rosie close to protect her and she buries her face against my shoulder, shaking from fear. I hear a twisted, evil laugh coming from... under us? The ground splits apart, revealing bubbling lava. A crack runs right between me and Rosie, and the land pulls apart, separating us. _

_"RED!" She yells. Suddenly, the laughing ceases._

_"Don't worry... you're in safe HANDS!" An angry voice yells. A crack to the right of us opens more, and out of the lava rises Captain Bullwort. Suddenly, there's a fiery red shock wave that knocks me over and momentarily blinds me. When I can see, I look at Captain Bullwort to see he now has no hat, and he's wearing a BB Bandit uniform._

_"WHAT THE WHAT?" I yell. He snatches Rosie from the chunk of land that she's on._

_"RED, HEEELP MEEEEEEEEEEE!" She shrieks with fear. I get my feet under me, stand up and get into my fighting stance._

_"Not this time!" Captain Bullwort yells. With his free hand, he destroys the rock supporting the chunk of land I'm on, and I begin to fall towards the lava. I look back to see Captain Bullwort laughing manically and Rosie watch me fall with horror on her face._

"ROSIE!" I yell suddenly sitting up in bed with me left arm out stretched as if I were trying to grab something. I sit there panting, the air cold against my sweat covered, nightmare fevered skin. A bolt of lightning lights up my room and I look out the sliding glass door as a loud crash of thunder booms. It pouring so hard it's ridiculous. I sit there a second before throwing off the covers, swinging my feet down on to the floor, resting my elbows on my knees, and holding my head. _Just a dream..._ _Just a dream... Just a dream... Just a dream... Just a dream... Just a dream... Just a dream... Just a dream..._ I tell myself. I look at the clock to see it's 12:23. I sit there a few seconds then look back out the sliding door.

My vivosaurs didn't give me that dream.

I get up, put on a pair of black cargo pants, one of my shirts, pull on some white socks, put on my boots and tuck the ends of my pants legs into them, pull on a dark gray jacket, zip it up all the way, put my crown, pull on my gloves, pull the jacket hood over my head and grab my backpack. I take out two coils of rope. One is just a normal one and the other has a grappling hook at the end. I pull on my backpack and put the coil of rope that has the grappling hook around my neck and left arm, making stretch from my right shoulder to my left hip.

I open the sliding glass door, step out onto the balcony, close the door behind me, tie one end of the normal rope to the railing, and use the rope to slide down to the ground. I run from behind the hotel, past the Fossil Center, past the stadium, into the guild area, past the Fossil Guild, past the Police Station, and stop behind the Richmond Building. I find the balcony to Rosie's room and pull off the grapping hook. I take the coil of rope in one hand get a foot of space between my other hand and the hook, swing the hook in circle, and let go sending the grappling hook into the air. It lands on Rosie's balcony and catches on the railing. I climb up the rope, pull myself on to the balcony, and knock on the sliding door. Nothing happens. I knock again.

"Rosie!" I say. A light turns on and the curtains pull back and I see Rosie with sleeveless pink night gown that comes to her knees. Her hair is unbound, making it fall to the middle of her back. She looks at me with confusion and I pull back my hood.

"Red?" She asks with bewilderment. I nod. She unlocks the door, opens it and grabs my elbow. "Get in here!" She pulls me in, let's go of my arm, shuts the door, pulls the curtain back over the door and looks at me. "Are you CRAZY?" She asks quietly. "It's the middle of the night and if a security guard caught you, they would probably think you were going to hurt me! But, since we're friends and you've been helping me, they would think that we were going to kiss! And if they thought that, they would tell my grandfather! And if they told my grandfather, he would never let me see you again!"

_K-kiss...? _I wonder. "Look, I'm sorry, but I HAD to come see you," A light blush crosses her face. "and it's not for the reason you think it might but, I had a nightmare and I HAD to come make sure you were okay."

"Oh... right!" The blush disappears and she scratches the back of her head sheepishly. "Wait!" She says then looks me straight in the eye. "You DREAMED about me?"

_Uh-oh... _"Well, it wasn't a dream it was a- well it was one of those dreams that- well- you know is really, really won- uh, I mean, nice then turns INTO a nightmare- and well... uh... I- um- well-!... Holt was in it to!" I say quickly.

"..." Rosie stands there for a second. "Okay... what happened in the dream?"

"We were all digging and having a good time when the ground split apart and Captain Bullwort came out of it." I tell her. "Then, he had on a BB Bandit uniform and grabbed you in his fist, then knocked me and Holt into the lava at the bottom of the split!" She stands there. "It's true!"

"I believe you but... Captain Bullwort?" She asks. "Are you sure?" I nod. She hugs herself and looks at the wall. "I don't think he's a BB Bandit. He's the Police Chief. He arrests them."

"I know... but it just, doesn't... seem right." I say. I just stand there and watch her. See has a worried look on her face that oddly makes me want to hug her. "Don't worry it's just a dream. I just... needed to know you and Holt were okay is all, otherwise I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep." I tell her as I put my hand on her shoulder. See looks at me. I have a small reassuring smile on my face, and she smiles a small smile.

"You're right... just a dream." We stand there and look at each other. "Uh... right! It's late. You... you should probably get back to the hotel..."

"Y-yeah..." I say. I stand there for a second. "Right! I'll... just... get going then!" I go over to the door and start to open it.

"Red?" I look back at Rosie. "Thanks. For... checking. It... it's really sweet of you." My face gets hot and I quickly pull up my hood to cover it.

"Uh... N-no problem! I... um... I... I-I just... uh..." I can't think straight. "I'll see you tomorrow...?" She nods. "Great! I... um... I-I'll see you then!" I open the door step out and shut it behind me. Rosie locks it and grabs the curtain. She looks at me and I begin to climb down. When I get to the ground, I get the grappling hook off the railing and recoil it. I stand there for a few seconds watching Rosie's balcony. I still have an uneasy feeling, so I go over to a tree, take out my pick ax, and sit down under the tree.

Two hours later...

My eye lids droup. _Thank goodness these pants, jacket, and boots are water-proof. _I'm freezing cold, but I don't leave. _Okay, if something was going to happen, it would have already happened. She's safe. I don't need to worry. _I get up and stretch my stiff legs. I put my pick away, walk back to the hotel, constantly looking back towards the Richmond Building. I climb up the rope, untie it from the railing, go inside my hotel room, shut the door and lock it. I put away the ropes and undress, then climb into bed wearing my boxers. Eventually, I fall asleep.

RRRRIIIIINNNNGGGGG! I slap my hand down on my alarm clock, take a deep breath through my nose, and smile. I open my eyes to see clear, blue sky through the sliding door. The sunlight streams through the door giving the entire room a peaceful, welcoming glow and outside it reflects off of the thousands of raindrops, making the world look like it's studded with diamonds. I get out of bed, do my exercises, get dressed, and go into the kitchen. I get out some ingredients and whip up some pancakes. As they cook on the stove, I flip them when they're golden-brown. Just right. I make myself a stack of five, spread butter on them, then pour some golden maple syrup on top. I think back to how I learned the recipe...

"Daddy! Mommy's coming!" I say. I was four years old and my Dad was making my Mom some pancakes for her birthday.

"Okay." He said. My Dad had a full head of brown hair, brown eyes, always wore a white collared shirt, black pants, black dress shoes, and rounded rectangular glasses. "I'll get her to go back to bed for a bit, don't touch the stove. Remember what happened when your cousins did."

"Yes sir, commander!" I say saluting. That's how my Dad always got me to help him. We would always act like we were military men on a mission. He salutes me back and goes into the hallway. I look at the stove, drag a chair over to it, and climb up into the chair. I always loved to watch my parents flip pancakes.

I wanted to try.

I took the spatula, got it under one of the pancakes, and flipped it a LITTLE too hard. It flew up in the air, and hit the ceiling with a _SMACK!_

I thought it was hilarious.

I did it until there were no more. And by that time, my parents had heard it from upstairs, so they came running into the kitchen. They looked up at the ceiling, then back at me standing there in my navy blue pajamas with a spatula in hand.

"They went smack." I said. My parent burst out laughing, and my Mom hugged me.

"Were you trying to help your father make pancakes?" She asked me. Like my dad, she had brown hair and eyes, but she didn't wear glasses, always wore running shoes, a short sleeved lavender shirt, and blue pants.

"No ma'am." I say. "I was the guard." She laughed. I helped my dad get the pancakes of the ceiling, which thankfully had no damage done to it, and helped him make a new batch. While we were mixing the batter, I put in an extra ingredient, and we cooked them. They came out a perfect golden-brown, were as fluffy as clouds and as light as air. My parents didn't know that I had done it until I told them. The ingredient that I used was perfectly safe and healthy, so my Mom wrote down the recipe and my Dad, because the other pancakes hit the ceiling with a smack, called them Flapjack McSmacks.

I sit down at the table in my hotel room and eat them. Afterwards, I wash the dishes, grab my backpack and look out the door. _Today is going to be perfect. I'll get to spend time with Rosie, Level-Up, find some more fossils... There's NO WAY this day could go wrong!_ I leave my hotel room and ride down to the lobby.

"Good morning Red." I turn to see the manager walking over to me.

"Good morning." I say with a smile.

"The Advanced Fighter's Seminar is currently being held over in Rivet Ravine." He tells me. "All fighters who attend find fossils the likes of which they've never seen before. I recommend it."

"Thanks for telling me." I tell him. "I'll be sure to attend." I walk out of the hotel smiling. _Maybe me and Rosie can go to that! _A Police Officer walks up to me.

"Red, right?" He asks.

"Yes sir." I say still smiling.

"I'll have to ask you to follow me to the Police Station." He says. My smile vanishes. He turns toward the Guild Area, and I silently follow him, my mind racing.

_What's the matter? Did they track me down? Are my parents here? _As we enter the station, my worry feels like it's going to make me explode. I follow him down to the Captain's Office, to see Captain Bullwort sitting in the chair behind the desk. His elbows are on the desk top with his fingers arched, chin pressed against them, face hard with concentration. I sit down in a chair in front of his desk after the officer who brought me here leaves. The Captain looks at me.

"Sorry to drag you down here Red my boy," He tells me. "but there's something I need to ask you."

_Please don't ask me where I'm from._ _Please don't ask me where I'm from._ _Please don't ask me where I'm from._ I think. I made up a place for my passport, but I can't remember what it is.

"You see..."

What he says next though, hits me like a speeding, runaway train.

"Rosie has been kidnapped."


	9. Rosie's Rescue

**AN- Whenever you see -~-~-~-~- it's changing place and who's thinking, but not point of view. And as a response to Dragunity Gemini, Red does have a lot of other vivosaurs, he just mainly uses Air Strike, Cloud Cover and Flamethrower. Some of his other vivosaurs will help him in the story though, and they will have their own names.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Nine- Rosie's Rescue<p>

"WHAT?" I yell as I stand up so fast, I knock the chair I'm sitting over. I feel like part of me has shattered and been blown away as dust, making all that's left an aching void. _Rosie... _Tears spring into my eyes. I slowly straighten my chair and slump into it.

"We got this letter from the kidnappers." Captain Bullwort tells me. "Let me read it." He takes out an envelope, takes out the letter and clears his throat. "Bring the idols to the Park Area dock." He looks up at me. "I know you've been spending a lot of time with Rosie do you know anything about these... idols... they mention?" I don't say anything. Instead, I just look at the floor and try to breath past the lump in my throat. "We don't know anything about them at all. We're at a bit of a loss lad." A Police Officer enters, walks over to Captain Bullwort, murmurs something to him, and leaves. "Anyway, thanks for your time Red. Sorry to bother you about this. You can go home now." I sit there for a second before getting up and walking out. When I'm at the door Captain Bullwort says something that makes me stop.

"I wonder what will happen to Rosie if no one takes those idols to the Park Area dock...?" He wonders aloud. I stand there for a few seconds, barley able to breathe past the lump in my throat.

_Rosie..._ I continue walking and ride the elevator up to the main room. I walk over to the door, dragging my feet.

"By Mr. Richmond's orders, Vivosaur Island is now under strict security since the kidnapping incident. But please be careful out there anyway." An officer tells me before I walk out the door. As soon as he finishes, I keep dragging my feet out the door. As I walk back towards the hotel, I notice that no one is outside.

_This is my fault..._ I think. _ARGH! If I had just let those stupid BB Bandits take the idols, none of this would have happened! _I suddenly break out into a run, tears streaming out of my eyes. I run straight to the hotel, and instead of using the elevator, I dash up the stair way, to the floor I'm staying on, run to my room, burst in, slam the door, throw my backpack aside and fall on the bed. I curl up into a ball, hug my legs, bury my face against my knees and cry. _Please... let Rosie be okay..._

* * *

><p>Rosie sat there, blind folded, gagged and tied to a plush chair. She was wearing her usual outfit, since they let her change in her bathroom. She kept a straight face,<p>

But was really terrified.

_What are they going to do to me? _She wonders. It sent a shiver down her spine. _Don't worry... stay calm... everything will be alright..._ She thought back to the day before when she saw she was surrounded by Denture Sharks. _Remember that you thought you were a goner but then Red... Red..._ She thought about him and noticed that she felt a little better when she did. _C'mon! think of him more!_

_His laugh... how it sounds like a symphony and I always wish I could listen to it forever._

_His smile... how the world lights up and the colors are more vivid._

_Him always trying to keep you safe... _When she thought about it, she noticed that when he saved her from the Denture Sharks, saved her from falling, tried to keep her safe when they thought they were about to get hurt, and him protecting her in the ship when Captain Woolbeard went berserk... he had his arms around her. The realization made her blush. _I... I... I felt perfectly safe whenever he did... I knew everything was going to be alright... His strong arms around me and my head in the crook of his neck..._

_His eyes... his big, beautiful, deep blue eyes... They fit him perfectly... they're always soft, kind, friendly, warm, and... and... have something else... but... only when he looks at me. No one else... just... me. _She thought about it. _What is it? C'mon on! THINK! What is it? _She thought some more. _ARGH! I can't indentify it! ... I wish he was here... then I would know everything would be alright... Why didn't I listen to him last night? Maybe this wouldn't have happened... _Her mind wonders back to Red. _It was so sweet of him to help me out all those times... the medal-dealer... that "blessing"... the sharks... and... he never... never asked for anything in return... _She thought back to last night when he was going back the hotel. _He blushed when I told him it was sweet he came to make sure I was alright after that nightmare he had... He blushed and fumbled with his words... _

It raised a warm feeling inside of her. _I wish I knew why... why... why I always feel strange around him... and why he blushed so much on the ship... WAIT. Strange feeling? I-I don't believe it... I... I... have a crush on him! _She sighs a swooning sigh. _What am I doing? There's no way he could like me. There are tons of pretty girls out there... and besides he's too... too... brave... nice... caring... helpful... cute... and... amazing... to have a crush on anyone like me. But he... _She sighs. _ARGH! Why does this have to be so complicated? I wish I knew how he felt... What he thinks of me... Does he even know I've been kidnapped? Would he care? Well duh, yes he would care. If he didn't he wouldn't have helped me out all those times. _

Her mind wanders back to last night. _I don't think he noticed, but... when I mentioned if a security guard had seen him and they would think that we were going to kiss... a light blush appeared on his face... WOULD he kiss me if I tried? Would he... like it? Would I like it? Would he stop me and say "No thanks!"? ... What would it feel like? Would I do it right? How DO you kiss someone you have a crush on anyways?..._

_Would it be... on... the lips? _

"So how'd it go?" She hears a BB Bandit say.

"Perfect." another voice says. "The Boss said: 'You should have SEEN the look on his face! He looked like he was going to fall down and cry!'." They laugh.

_Who are they talking about? Grandpa? Red? ARGH! I wish I knew! _Rosie thought.

"Well he deserves it!" Another guard says. "That kid shouldn't have interfered with our business!"

_They mean Red! ... Red? Cry? I don't believe it. He's too strong! He has a sprit stronger than iridium! There's no way he could cry! ... Is there? I mean, he didn't cry at all when we were scared half to death on the ship... I cried a few tear drops... but he never did..._

_Why?_

"Well all I know is that if he doesn't bring what we want, Little Miss Rose here is in trouble." One of the BB Bandits says. A shiver runs down Rosie's spine.

_Think of Red... Red..._

_Where are you?_

* * *

><p>I stare out the sliding door tears pouring from my eyes. My vivosaurs have a concerned aura. <em>'Red?' <em>Air Strike asks. I don't respond. _'Red.' _I swallow and continue looking out the window, thinking of Rosie.

_Her eyes always sparkled like they had stars in them. _I think. _And she always has a beautiful voice... Why am I like this? I can't have crush on her. I had a crush on Mary, but it... it wasn't like this. It was more of being happy when I saw her happy... but I'm happy when I see other people happy... but when I see Rosie happy, I feel... overjoyed. Why? I've never felt anything like this. I like it... but I don't like it... but I like it. Do I not like it? I like it more than I don't... do I? ... ARGH! Why does this have to be SO CONFUSING? I just wish I knew WHY I feel this way! And... last night... or this morning rather, when she said that if a security guard had seen me and they would think we were... going to kiss... why did I wonder about it? ... If I had to would I? Do I want to? I've never kissed a girl before... What would it feel like? How WOULD I kiss a girl? ... Why am I thinking about THIS? I've always thought it was gross. _

I think back to one time when I was six and I saw two teenagers sitting on a bench in the park, kissing. _Ugh. That was disgusting. I don't see WHY people do it. What's so great about it? What's the point to it? I don't see why people fall in love... How DO people fall in love? I know people have friends they care about... but love? What is it anyway? A state of mind? No. ARGH! I wish I knew! ... Do I? I... I don't know. If Zeke, Mary or Holt had been kidnapped, would I have reacted how I did? ... Why am I thinking like this? ... Why do I feel like this? ... Do I have a crush? No, I can't. Can I? DO I? I... I don't THINK so... but there's no way she could like me. She's too... too... extraordinary for a person like me. Besides, she way too beautiful to like me. There's a lot of good lookin' guys out there who have way better chances than me... ARGH! I wish knew if I had a crush! ... Do I? Yes. No. Maybe? ARGH! Why does this feeling have to be so... so... wonderful, amazing, confusing and complicated AT THE SAME TIME? _

_Rosie..._

_I'm coming for you._

I get up, grab my backpack, stuff the idols into them, and leave the hotel, my face hard with determination. I walk into the park and walk over to the area where you can look out at the ocean. I see a break in the cluster of trees and shrubs and walk over to it.

"Red!" I turn to see Holt running toward me. "I'm coming with you. You'll need some back-up."

"No." I tell him.

"What?"

"You're my friend Holt. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Red, if we're both there, then there will be a better chance of Rosie getting rescued faster."

"Fine. But why do you want to go?"

"Because, this is my fault as well as yours and Rosie's my friend."

"Okay." I turn back to the cluster of trees and bushes. "Let's go." We walk through the break, into a clearing about twenty feet wide and thirty feet long. To our left is a railing, a lamp post at the middle of it, and a wooden dock on the right of the lamp post. And there, docked at it, is a boat that's grayish-blue with two yellow fins on the back that have B's on them. Out jumps a BB Bandit.

"Looks like you brought the idols." He says. "Smart." Anger fills me faster than a speeding bullet. "I'll just-" Before he can finish, I run forward, grab his shirt and throw him over me on to the ground. I spin around, to see he's trying to get to his feet, tackle him and start punching him. He manages to get me off of him, jumps up, but I side kick him, knocking him against the lamp post. I grab him by his neck and pin him up against it.

"Where is she, and how do we get there?" I ask my voice dead serious.

"I-I can't... can't tell you!" He says, his voice filled with terror. I punch him, then grab his head, and turn back to me.

"Tell me. NOW." I tell him giving him an angry, cold glare that shows I'm not joking. He says nothing for a second.

"Just get on the boat, push the auto pilot button, and It'll take you straight to the BB Base! She's up on the very top floor and there's security everywhere!" He blurts out. I throw him to the ground.

"Go turn yourself in." I tell him. He jumps up and runs away. "C'mon." Me and Holt climb aboard the boat, go into the control room, which the only room on the boat, and sit down it the seats at the control panel. I see a large red-violet button marked 'Auto Pilot'. I push it, and the boat begins to ease forward. As it gains speed, it flies across the crystal ocean.

A few minutes later...

The boat pulls up next to a dock and stops. It took us to a small island north west of vivosaur island and you could see the BB Base coming out of it. Me and Holt walk down the dock and come up to an entrance. We stand there for a second.

"Try to keep up." I tell Holt.

"What-" Before he can finish, I let my anger explode inside of me and bolt into the building. I come to the first floor and a woman BB Bandit tries to jump me. They have the same uniform as all the others, but the pants have been replaced with a skirt. I grab her wrist, and just throw her over me, into two other BB Bandit members, knocking them all down. I run up to the next floor and round house kick the BB Bandit who tries to jump me. Rex is standing there at the entrance to the next floor. Without stopping,

I knock him aside like he's nothing.

I come to the next floor, to see a wall of BB Bandits that are determined to not let me through. I charge at them, slam into them with my shoulder, breaking straight through the wall. There stands Snivels, scared half to death, at the entrance to the next floor.

"T-t-take it e-easy squirt." He stammers. I sprint at him, pull back my fist...

And punch him in the stomach, sending him flying UP the stairs.

I charge up the stairs, and come to the next floor. Vivian is standing there, looking at Snivels, who is curled up into a ball and clutching his stomach, with shock on her face. When she see me, she freezes. The other BB Bandits however, jump to the floor and cover their heads with their arms, shaking with fear. Before Vivian can react, I charge at her, grab her by the collar of her shirt, throw her over my shoulder, and dash up the stairs. I come into a large room about forty by forty feet with golden-yellow floor tiles, grayish-purple walls, a large screen on the back wall, an archway to the right of it, a door to the left of it, and four pits at each corner of the room halfway filled with sand and have large, brightly painted fake fossils in them. In the middle of the room is a circular purple rug with two sea green B's that are back to back and the edge of it is also sea green. In the middle of the rug, is a salmon plush chair, and next to it is a small grayish-white table with a bottle of sparkling grape juice and glass on top of it. In front of the chair, with his back to me, is Captain Bullwort. He turns around to face me.

"Well, well, Red." He says. "What took you so long? With your accomplishments, I figured you'd make it here sooner or later. I just thought it would be sooner."

_I don't get it. How did he get here so fast? And why didn't he arrest the BB Bandits? _Holt runs in panting.

"OKAY!" He bends over puts his hands on his knees and continues to pant. "I'm here! Oh man... Dude... I'm a fast runner... but... Oh man... you... WHEW! You just disappeared!" Captain Bullwort looks back at me.

"Poor, kidnapped Rosie here has been wondering if you would EVER show." He tells me. He steps to the right so I can see Rosie sitting in the chair. She's tied up and gagged, but she looks okay other than that.

"Rosie!" I say as my face brightens.

"MmhhFF! MMMMhhhhmmFFF!" She tries to say something, but the gag prevents her from doing so.

"Don't worry! I-" I run forward to help her, but Captain Bullwort steps back in front of her, and pushes me back. "What are you doing? Are you a Police Officer or not? Let me help her!" He laughs.

"Let me guess you're kicking yourself for not seeing it coming, aren't you?" He asks.

_What is he... NO._ Realization fills me. _My dream..._

There's a bright flash of light, and there he stands. With no hat and in a BB Bandit uniform.

"No one saw it coming of course. I've worn the friendly smiling mask of the police captain for a long, long time." He tells us. "But this is the real me... Bartholomew Bullwort, BB Boss!"

"WHAT?" Me and Holt exclaim simultaneously.

"If you had just handed over the idols like a good boy, then poor Rosie wouldn't be in this situation." He tells me. "I HATE to do this," He says sarcastically as he pulls out his Dino Medals. "but I can't have you spoiling my secret, can I?"

"YOU DIRTY RAT!" I roar as I attack him. We roll around, punching and kicking each other, well, I did all the kicking and punching. He manages to get me off him and looks to see Holt trying to untie Rosie. He grabs him by his bandana and pulls him away.

"If you two want her, you'll have to defeat me." Bullwort says. I take out my medals.

"GUYS GET OUT HERE NOW!" They come out and I feel boiling rage inside of them.

_'How can he just abuse people's trust like that?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'I don't know, but we're going to PUNISH HIM!' Flamethrower says._

_'Oh I'll punish him...'_ I tell them. Bullwort team consists of long necked vivosaurs, A Salto, Shuno, an Amargo. The Salto is blue with an orange underside and iron colored rock-like objects on the back of its head and neck, on its back, shoulders, and tail. The Shuno is an off-white with green underside, orange patterns on its neck, sides, shoulders, tail, and four orange spikes coming out of its tail. The Amargo is red with a black underside and red and black spikes sticking out of the back of its neck.

"Are you ready to-" Bullwort begins to say.

"PUNISH HIM!" I yell. My vivosaurs attack. It's not even really a battle, it's a massacre. Flames and cyclone shoot out of the fight, causing us to unable to see what's happening.

But I can see.

I close my eyes and watch through my vivosaur's eyes. They bite, kick, stomp, claw, hit and slash at Bullwort vivosaurs mercilessly. Their anger combined with mine gives them an undying amount of energy, so they don't even give Bullwort's team a chance to attack.

The flames and cyclones stop shooting everywhere, to reveal the vivosaurs. Bullwort's are lying there, unconscious with the tar beat out of them, while mine stand tall and release wild roars of victory, not a scratch on them.

"What?" Bullwort asks shocked, confused and scared at the same time. His vivosaurs go into their medals as two police officers run in and up to Bullwort.

"We just arrested the last few BB Bandits." One of them says.

"Captain Bullwort... You are also under arrest!" The other one says. They slap the cuffs on him and drag him away as I grab my Dino Medals. I run up to Rosie, untie her, get the gag of off her, and put my hands on her shoulders.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"I-I am..." She says. I sigh with relief and hug her. She puts her head in the crook of my neck and I put my hand on the back of her head. "Thank you so much Red." She murmurs. "That... that was incredibly brave of you. Really... thank you.

_Sh-she thinks I'm brave...? _I wonder.

"Well, I guess I shouldn't have come then." Holt says. We look at him. "After all, Red here practically took out the entire BB Bandit force all by himself."

"Huh. I guess that's why you weren't kidnapped also." Rosie says.

"What?"

"Red's dream."

"Dream?"

"Yeah. Don't you remember?"

"He never told me he had a dream."

"Didn't he visit you last night to make sure you were okay?"

"No."

_Uh-oh... _I gulp and look back at Rosie.

"Wasn't he in your dream?" She asks.

"Uh..." My face gets hot. "N-n-no..." She blinks in surprise as a light blush crosses her face. "I... uh... u-um..." I hear footsteps and quickly take a step back, so no one will think I like her. Rosie makes no objection and smiles.

"Thanks for saving me." She says happily. A police officer walks in and walks up to Rosie.

"Ms. Rosetta, Mr. Richmond is very worried about you." He tells her. "We'll escort you back to town."

"Of course." Rosie says. "Thank you officer. I have to get back now Red. But come see later at the Richmond Building."

"Okay." I say. _YES! ... Why did that make me happy? _I wonder. She and the officer walk to the exit. Rosie turns and looks at me, stands there a few seconds, then waves and follows the officer.

* * *

><p>Somewhere dark...<p>

"We're just going to let them go? Why not just steal the devises from them now? They couldn't stop us." A man says.

"I think we need not worry. They still have not found the last one." A young woman says. "We can simply wait until they are all together, then take them."

"But what about the BB Bandits?" The man asks. "We can't count on them anymore. Who exactly will we have looking for the last device?"

"I believe I have a solution to that problem already..."

* * *

><p>I walk over to the arch way next to the big screen. <em>I wonder what this does... <em>I walk into it. It gets dark after a few steps, and I manage to fall when I put my foot down onto nothing. I land, to find I'm sitting in a nice, padded chair. I open my eyes and look around. _The Captains office... that must've been a teleporter! ... COOL! _I get out of the chair, leave the Police Station, go back to my hotel room, have lunch, and head out to Rivet Ravine for the Advanced Fighter's seminar.

"Hello again!" Sam Inaro tells me. "Dig up anything good lately?"

"Yes sir!" I tell him. "But I was wondering if I could take the Advanced seminar."

"Great!" He says. "First, let's see how much you've progressed with your digging. Can you bring me 16 colored fossil rocks?"

"You BET I can!" I say. "And I'll bring them back here to prove it to you!" I run off, dig up the fossils, then run back to him.

"Wow." He says. "That was fast. Now, let's see 'em." I take out all the fossil rocks and lay them out. "Great! So you've obviously mastered the skill I taught you before."

"I got skillz." I say. He laughs.

"Now it's time to take the next step in fossil-digging ability." He jumps back. "Get ready for it." He slides to the left. "Here it comes!" He slides to the left. "The fire hose of knowledge, going straight into your brain!" He jumps forward a little and I'm surrounded by a pillar of yellow light, but I don't feel any pain. "Alakazooieeee!" He says. The pillar disappears and I suddenly know how to find dark fossils. "Dark fossils are different from any fossil you've found up until now. For one thing, X-rays can't penetrate dark fossils. You'll only know what's inside by cleaning. Also, dark fossil rocks have an extremely hard surface. Cleaning takes a lot more work. You've got to use your hammer to break the hard outer shell, then continue on with the drill. What's more, the fossils inside dark fossil rocks aren't typical fossils. They have either rare fossils or surprisingly big jewels inside. And occasionally they contain more... unusual items. And hey we're done! Good luck out there!" I leave the dig site, go to the fossil center clean the fossils, revive some vivosaurs, head to the Richmond Building, and go up to Mr. Richmond's office. I walk around the fish tank, and see Rosie standing behind the desk next to her grandfather who is sitting in the desk chair. They look at me as I walk up to the desk. Rosie waves and Mr. Richmond smiles.

"Red, I can't ever thank you enough!" He says. "You saved my granddaughter! You have my sincerest thanks." Rosie looks at him.

"So Grandpa... Why do you think the BB Bandits were after the idols?" She asks.

"The investigators believe they were hired for the job." Mr. Richmond says.

"Sir?" I ask. He looks at me. "Why?"

"Apparently a man and a woman offered them 10 billion G for four idols." He tells me.

"TEN BILLION?" I exclaim. "That- that's crazy!" I take out the idols and put them on the desk.

"Wait, someone is willing to pay money for these things?" Rosie asks. "A LOT of money? Why?"

"I wonder if there might be more to these idols than we thought..." Mr. Richmond says. "some kind of hidden secret? I'll have Dr. Diggins take a closer look at them." He takes them off the top of the desk, puts them on the floor on the empty side of him, and turns to Rosie. "Rosie, I don't mind you entering Fossil Battles, but don't do anything else to get yourself in trouble."

"Yes sir." She says. He looks back at me.

"Red keep your eye on Rosie for me would you?" He asks.

"Which one?" I ask. They laugh.

"Red," Rosie says. "you should probably get going. The Level-Up battles will start soon, and you need to get ready. Good luck!"

"Thanks." I tell her. "And good luck to you too." I leave the Richmond Building, walk to the Fighter Area, and see some fireworks go off.

BING-BONG-BING!

"Attention everyone, Level-Up Battles will be beginning shortly. All participating fighters should make their way to Fossil Stadium for registration." The announcer says.

BING-BONG-BING!

I go into the Fossil Stadium, register, get a one hundred on my cleaning test and fight my two primaries, which this time had a set number of turns of twelve.

"Congratulations! You made it to the final battle!" Tiffany tells me. "You have to win with a fixed number of turns. This time the number is ten. When you're ready, go through the door on your right to the Battle Area." I go over to the door and walk through. I look at the end of the hallway and see... Dr. Diggins?

"Excellent Red! You made it to the final battle!" He says. "Your success against the BB Bandits clearly wasn't a fluke! Now I get to test you Red. I'M the one who will determine if you make Level 6 or not. Get ready Red, and let's see if you can beat me within the turn limit."

"I was born ready." I say.

"LADIES and GENTLEMEN the fossil battle is about to begin!" The announcer says. Dr. Diggins faces the door. "He's the director of the Fossil Center, Vivosaur Islands best scientist, and the second most respected man on the island, DOOOOOCTOOOOOOOR DIGGIIIIIIIINS!" He walks out on to the Battle Area and the crowd cheers. "He took out the BB Bandits single handedly, defeated the BB Boss, and saved Rosie Richmond, REEEED WAAAAAAAAALKER!" I walk out and the crowd goes completely insane. As usual, I see the fan girls squealing and holding up signs. I call out my team and look at Dr. Diggins' team. He has a Shuno, a Dilopho, and a Stego. Then Dilopho is built like a velociraptor, has cyan on its top side, upper half of the face and arms. It has a violet under side, fins coming out of the sides of its face and above its eyes, and the top of its feet are turquoise, and it has the same color stripes on its back. The Stego is built like a Stegosaurus, is green with a yellow under side, dark gray going down its spine, white on the tip of its nose and jaw, green and red leaf, shaped spikes coming out of its back, and four with spikes coming out of its tail.

"Shuno, Shuno Combo on Shanshan!" He attacks doing fifty-nine damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Shuno!" He attacks doing forty damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Shuno!" He attacks doing nineteen damage.

"Shuno, Shuno Combo on Shanshan!" He attacks doing fifty-seven damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Shuno!" He attacks doing fifty-eight damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Shuno!" He attacks doing nineteen damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Shuno!" She attacks doing twenty-five damage.

"Shuno, Shuno Combo on Shanshan!" He attacks doing fifty-eight damage, sending her into her medal. "Now get in the EZ and Stego, take his place!" They do it.

"Air Strike, Cyclone on Stego!" He attacks doing seventy-six damage. "Flamethrower, S-Combo on Stego!" He attacks doing forty damage.

"Stego, Wind Spines on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing twenty-two damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Stego!" He attacks doing fifty damage, sending him into his medal. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Dilopho!" He attacks doing seventeen damage.

"Dilopho, Dilopho Fury on S-Raptor!" She attacks doing fifty-four damage. "Shuno, Epicenter on Spinax!" He attacks doing fifty-nine damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Dilopho!" He attacks doing one hundred twenty-four damage, causing her to go into her medal.

"Shuno, Shuno Combo on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing sixty-four damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Shuno!" He attacks doing forty-four damage, putting him in his medal.

"RED WINS!" The announcer says as the crowd cheers.

"Congratulations Red!" Dr. Diggins tells me in the lobby. "Beating me is no mean feat, if I must say so. I'm really impressed at how much progress you've made. You've obviously been busting your hump digging and cleaning. It really shows! Again, great work Red! I'm really impressed." He takes out my license. "I hereby certify you Red, as a Level 6 Fighter." He stamps it and hands it to me. The 5 has been replaced with a 6.

"Yea!" I say jumping for joy.

"Just keep on digging, hear me?" Dr. Diggins says. "Dig, dig, and dig some more! Go get 'em Red!"

"I will!" I say. "I'll show that Master Fighter whose boss!" Dr. Diggins laughs.

"And you'll do it to. Just one more step before you get there. Good luck!" He leaves. I turn to see Rosie walking over to me. I oddly get overjoyed when I see her.

"Red, you leveled up already!" She says. "Somehow I'm not surprised. You're just a natural at this, and you just keep getting better and better." I just stand there and stare at her the entire time, smiling. "I'm getting ready for my final battle, but the first two were hard enough already! Level 6 has never seemed so far away!"

"Don't worry, you can do it I know you can!" I tell her. "And I'll be in the stands the entire time, cheering you on with all I've got!" A light blush crosses her face and I feel a warm feeling rise up inside of me.

"Thanks..." She says. "But..." She looks off into the distance. "I still can't get over Captain Bullwort bing the BB Boss... and those idols... I really want to know the story behind them..." She looks back at me, then off into the distance, then back at me. She walks past me, then back by me again, then stops in front of me. She quickly looks at me. "Um... one more thing Red. Would you meet me at the park tonight? I want to talk to you about something. So... I'll see you later then?"

"Uh... Of course! I... um... I'll see you... tonight."

"Okay... bye!" She quickly turns and rushes into the battle area. I watch her battle and after she wins I head straight back to my hotel room.

_Oh man! What do I do? How do I act? Okay... just keep it cool Red... You're cool. You're as cool as ice. You got this... ARGH! I'm going to do SOMETHING that makes me look like an idiot! I just know it! _I pace back and forth in the bedroom. _You CAN do this! It's just two friends meeting up for a friendly chat. That's all! ... PLEASE don't make look like an idiot! _I do this until the sun starts to set. I shower, put on a clean pair of boxers, pull on a pair of black cargo pants, a regular shirt, pull on some socks, put on my crown, pull on my gloves, and pull on my dark gray jacket then zip it up three fourths of the way. I eat supper and brush my teeth.

_'Why are you brushing your teeth?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'Because, he wants to have clean, fresh breath in case SOMETHING happens.' _Flamethrower says.

_'I do not and nothing will happen!' _I tell them.

_'Then what'cha getting all nice and clean for?' _Air Strike asks.

_'So that way when I get back, I can go straight to bed.'_ I tell him.

_'Yeah... spending time with the person you like wears you out.' _Cloud Cover says.

_'I. DON'T. LIKE. HER.' _I say.

_'He's right.' _Flamethrower says as I pull on my backpack.

_'Thank you.'_ I tell him.

_'HE LOVES HER!' _He says. They all burst out laughing, and as I walk out the door I hit the side pocket against the door frame.

_'OW!'_ They all exclaim.

_'Oops...'_ I say with a smirk. I leave the hotel and walk into the park. _So... Rosie how are you? That's good. I like your hair... No... that's not it. So... Rosie, what's up? Beautiful night huh?... What am I? Crazy? Hey Rosie, you know the stars in the sky remind me of your eyes... WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? ARGH! Why can't I think of how to talk to her? Okay... just keep it cool. _I look around the park, then push my way through the cluster of trees. The lamp post gives off a good glow, not to bright, not to dark, and gives you no glare at what you see. I see her standing there, four feet away from the lamp post on the side without the dock, standing up straight with her hands on the railing, wearing a pure white hoodie. I gulp, take a deep breath, exhale, and walk over to her. I stop about five feet away when she turns and sees me. She walks forward from where she is, putting three feet of space between us.

"Thanks for coming Red." Rosie tells me. "Um, well... the reason I asked you here tonight Red is because I wanted to thank you properly." We stand there for a second, watching each other. She looks out into the distance. I just keep standing there, watching her. The warm feeling from earlier comes back.

Right now, everything is almost perfect.

The Moon is full and reflecting off the crystal ocean, the stars create a sea of diamonds above us, the breeze carries a tropical smell and gentle tugs at my hair, and I hear the sound of the ocean waves and the rustle of palm trees. Rosie looks out at the ocean, then turns her back to me, stands there for a second then quickly spins around to face me.

"Thank you for coming to save from the BB Bandits today." She says. "I was trying to sound tough, like I wasn't scared... But I was. I was more scared than I've ever been. When you showed up, I was so relieved to see you see you Red... I can't even say...

"Uh... I..." _ARGH! QUIT ACTTING SUPID AND SAY SOMETHING! _I yell at myself. "W-well nobody's kidnapping you on watch!" _FAIL. _Rosie smiles, and the whole place seems to light up.

"But really, thank you." She says. "Thank you so much." We stand there and look at each other straight in the eyes.

_She looks so pretty beneath the stars... ... WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? _I think. We both turn and look out to sea.

"It's funny when I think about it Red..." Rosie says. "You've helped me so many times now... You helped me get back my Dino Medals when they were stolen. You worked hard to help me when I had that annoying spell cast on me. And just when I thought I was gonna get eaten by those Denture Sharks, you saved me Red." She walks up to the railing. "With all the trouble I've caused you... You must really hate my guts by now, huh?" I look at the back of her head.

_Of everything I can't understand and can't answer, I somehow know the true answer to that question. _I think."No, I don't hate you Rosie." She jumps with surprise and gets back where she was, right in front of me, three feet away.

"Really? Honestly, you don't hate me? I'm so relieved!" She tells me, relieved. I smile shyly. "I was sure you hated my guts. I don't know what I would've done if you hated me Red." She looks out to sea, smiling. "Wait..." She looks back at me. "If you don't hate me after all I've put you through..." She circles me, and only my eyes move. She stops in front of me, smiling. She suddenly takes a step forward and points her finger accusingly, making me jump and take a step back. "Red, you like me a little bit don't you?"

"I-uh-well-I-um...!" I feel a light blush cross my face.

"But that's so great!" Rosie says. "I...I like you too Red!"

_She... she... l-l-likes me? _I wonder. She takes a step back.

"Ha ha! I'm just joking!" She says. "C'mon, have a sense of humor!" She walks back over to the railing and I feel my face get hot.

_NO NO NO! GO AWAY! _I quickly put my cool gloves against my face and make the blush disappear. I walk over to the railing, in between her and the lamp post.

"One thing's for sure Red, life's never dull with you!" Rosie tells me.

"Well, you're the one who started me on this adventure." I tell her. "If you hadn't of lost your medals, well, who knows what would have happened." She smiles.

"Well, I better get going now." She says taking a step back. "Grandpa will get upset with me if I'm out to late. See you tomorrow." She turns and walks out the break, and I turn and look back out to sea. "Oh, one more thing." I turn to see her walking back through the gap. She walks straight towards me, and filled with sudden shyness, I take a step backwards to run right into the lamp post. I look at it then turn my head back to see she's right in front of me, with only three inches between our faces. "This is to thank you for today."

_Uh..._

She leans forward,

And kisses me on the right side of my face.

My face turns fiery red,

And I feel like a show of fireworks went off inside me.

"Good night Red." Rosie tells me. She walks back through the gap, and I just stand there, my mouth slightly ajar, and staring straight forward at a tree.

_She..._

_She..._

_Just..._

_K-k-kissed..._

_M-me..._

_KISSED ME._

My mind turns to mush, my insides melt, my legs turn to jelly, my eyes half close, and I get a wide, happy, foolish grin on my face.

_SNAP OUT OF IT! _I think smacking myself. I quickly begin to walk back to the hotel, but as I near it, my mind drifts back to her, my walk slows and I get that happy, idiot look. I walk into the hotel, go up to my room, go into the bedroom, hang my backpack on the desk chair, strip down to my boxers, and climb into bed. I stare into the night, and think of Rosie. A memory worms its way to the front of my mind...

"... And we'll live in a three story house by the river." Janet said. Janet had brown hair and blue eyes, always wore a white dress with light blue on the edge of the skirt, sleeves, collar, and around the waist, and white dress shoes. She was the richest girl in town, and a spoiled snob... with a crush on me. She was always mean to Zeke and Mary, and thought that we were going to get married when we grew up. And I hate her for both those reasons. She was in the hallway after school, leaning against the lockers, droning on to Mary what we were going to do after we got married.

"You do know that Red doesn't like you?" Mary asked. "At ALL?"

"We'll you're just jealous!" Janet told her.

"Of what?"

"That me and that cute, dreamy, soccer star are going to be together!"

"The chance of that happening is the same chance that Red would lose a soccer game."

"Well I didn't ask for your opinion! I don't care what you think! You're just jealous that he likes me rather than you! I don't see how anyone could anyways, you're ugly, stupid and you can't do anything right!" I looked around the corner and saw them standing there. Mary suddenly turned and ran past where I was and I took a few steps after her before stopping. "Hi Red! I-"

"What's your problem?" I ask her enraged. "You think that I like you? Get your head out of the clouds! You're a selfish, stubborn, bratty snob that makes fun of my friends! Why in the world would I even consider liking you?" I turn and walk down the hallway the same direction Mary went.

"You- You-!" Janet stammers. "You can't talk to me that way!"

"Well I just DID!" I call over my shoulder. I walk out of the school and see Zeke standing there confused.

"What happened in there?" He asked. He readjusted his black and white toboggan. It was mid-December and there was snow everywhere. He had on a black parka, army green snow pants, and thick, brown snow boots. "Mary just ran past me and-" Before he can finish, I run past him and back to my house. I open the gate to the backyard go in, and walk to the back left corner. I push a loose board out of the way, look through, and see Mary sitting there in the snow, surrounded by shrubs, crying. She had a white toboggan with a lavender pop-pop on top, a white scarf around her neck, sea green parka, sky blue snow pants, and white gloves and boots.

"You okay?" I ask stepping through the fence.

"No." She says. I sit down in the snow next to her. "Janet just..."

"Don't listen to her." I say. "She just can't imagine not having something her way. You shouldn't let her get you down."

"I know, but... she's right. I'm stupid, ugly and I'm not good at anything."

"That's not true! I think you're great!" She looks at me. "Uh... well... You shouldn't care what she thinks. She's spoiled! She STILL wouldn't like something even if it was perfect."

"You're right." Mary says. She hugs me and I blush. "Thanks Red. I can always count on you for help."

"Um..." She kisses me on my cheek, then gets up and goes into her house. I get up, go around to the front door, and step in. The house has one of those little areas right inside the door where you can take off coats and stuff, than hang them up. The floor is dark brown tiles, then there's a step-up to the regular wooden floor, and the wall are white. I take off my brown and navy blue toboggan, navy blue parka, brown snow pants, and snow boots. I then walk to the end of the hallway in my navy blue turtle neck sweater, brown trousers, and thick white socks, climb up the stairs, walk down that hallway, go into my room and slump against the door with a happy idiot look on my face. _She kissed me._

As the memory fades, I think about how I felt when she did. It felt like nothing compared to how it felt when Rosie kissed me. As I drift to sleep, Rosie is the only thing that I think of.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Alright! I hit over 50,000 words for this fan fiction in this chapter! YES! Please, leave a review!<strong>

**Red: Rosie kissed me.**

**Me: Yep! She sure did!**

**Red: Rosie kissed.**

**Me: Yes, we have already established that! **

**Red: Rosie kissed me.**

**Me: Bet'cha five buck you'll say that again.**

**Red: She kissed me.**

**Me: ARGH! *takes out five dollars* **


	10. Freezing Cold

Chapter Ten- Freezing Cold

RRRRIIIIINNNNGGGGG! I wake up and last night jumps the front of my mind. I get that happy, idiot look and the weird feeling fills me. I lie there, staring out the sliding door, thinking of Rosie. _Snap out of it! _I think. I slap my hand down on my alarm clock, push the covers off, swing my feet down onto the floor and stare at the wooden floor board between my feet. _Okay, what's with that... confusing feeling? I get it when I think of her, see her, hear her... basically everything about her give me that feeling... WHY? I can't have a crush. I could have to leave any second... _I sigh. _But... _I look back out the door. _...then where would I go? Travel the world perhaps? I don't know... maybe find a small town that gets no attention and live there? Live... hide out would be more like it. _I do my exercises, get dressed, have some cereal, grab my backpack and walk out of my room. As I ride down the elevator, last night jumps to the front of my mind, and I get the happy, idiot look and weird feeling. I step off the elevator when it comes to the lobby, and walk out of the hotel.

"Hey, you!" I hear someone say as I think about last night. I turn and see a man with strawberry-blonde hair, a straw hat, purple Hawaiian shirt with a blue sun on it, blue shorts, and black flip flops looking at me. Standing next to him, also looking at me, is an eight-year-old with neat, brown hair, a black, short sleeved shirt, white shorts and brown shoes. "I heard you made Level 6. Congrats I guess."

"Guess?" I ask him.

"Sorry if I don't seem happy for you, but it's just a bummer you'll never make Master Fighter is all." He explains.

"Excuse me?" I ask offended. "I WILL be a Master Fighter! It's not up to you to decide that! There's only ONE reason why I would never be able to make it to Master Status and I know it's not going to happen, so therefore, I AM going to be a Master Fighter!"

"Well your career is about to run into a brick wall." The eight-year-old, who must be his son, tells me. "A brick wall called Saurhead."

"Who?" I ask. They gasp.

"You've never heard of Saurhead?" The Fan boy asks.

"That's correct." I tell him.

"What's WRONG with you?" The man asks me. "Saurhead is the last Master Fighter, besides some other guy... oh what's his name? Uh... Jack... Mideast...? No... well anyways, Saurhead is a masked Fighter who never ever loses. EVER."

"Well then," I say with a smug look. "He better get ready to taste defeat."

"Roarrrrrrrr!" I hear someone roar. The man and fan boy jump.

"Th-that voice!" The fan boy says. I turn around and see a huge, muscled man standing there. He has a green dinosaur mask that has angry red eyes, and sharp teeth bared. He has on a short sleeved, yellow shirt, thick brown belt, black bell-bottom pants with flames at the ends of the pants legs, white shoes, and tan skin.

"Roar! It is myself, Saurhead!" He says.

_Wow... that statement REALLY makes him sound frightening. _I think sarcastically. I have flat look on my face as he walks up to me with overly loud footsteps.

"You made it past the chumps, punk." He tells me. "But you're in the big leagues now and your mama ain't here!"

"Big words." I say in a flat voice. "But, judging by how you just spoke, your bark is worse than your bite and you just scare Fighters so much by acting fierce, making them not want to fight you." I smile slyly. Anger flashes in his eyes.

"When I get you in Fossil Stadium, my vivosaurs will teach you new ways and places to feel pain!" He says angry.

"You say that they'll be fighting ME. Not my vivosaurs." I tell him.

"I'll steamroll you like a bulldozer!" He tells me.

"Saurhead, if you're TRYING to scare me, forget it. I'm going to beat you and become a Master Fighter weather you like it or not." I tell him. He's just a punk, nothing scary about him. I stand there with a smug look on my face looking him straight in the eye to prove I'm not afraid of him. Suddenly, he grabs the front of my shirt and hoists me two feet up off the ground.

"Forget Fossil Stadium!" He says. "I'll take you on now!"

"Yeah! He can't talk to you that way!" The man says.

"Beat the snot out of him!" The fan boy says excited.

"Yes, go ahead." I say slyly. They all look at me confused. "And when word gets out that you beat up a ten-year-old because he stood up to you, how do you think that'll help your popularity?" He stands there for a few seconds, then puts me down.

"Just. This. Once." He growls. He pushes me aside, let's go of my shirt, and walk into the hotel.

"WOW!" The fan boy exclaims. "He's going to really give it to you in Fossil Stadium! Saurhead is so awesome!" He runs into the hotel. The man looks at me.

"You should just retire right now." He tells me. "We wouldn't think any less of you, and you'd get to keep your bones." He walks into the hotel.

"Hey!" I hear another voice say.

_JUST who I wanted to see. _I think sarcastically.

"I just saw you stand up to Saurhead!" Zoey says. "The last guy who did that went on to be a legendary, Master Fighter and adventurer! When you're a Master Fighter, don't forget me okay? I'll be cheering you on!"

_Meh. _I think. I head towards the dock when someone calls my name.

"Red!" I turn around and see Dr. Diggins walk towards me. "There's a favor I'd like to ask of you."

"Ask away." I tell him.

"I've been examining the markings on those three idols, and it looks like there should be one more. So while you're out looking for fossils, would you keep an eye out for one more idol?" He asks.

"No problem." I say with a smile. He smiles.

"Since you've found three of them already, I figure if there's anyone I can count on, it's you!" He tells me. He takes a microchip out of his lab coat pocket. "Let me see your sonar system. I'll install this chip so it can detect the idol." I hand him my sonar, watch him install the chip, and take it back when he hands it to me. "There you go. Now your sonar will detect idols too. Now that you're Level 6, you should be digging out at Mt. Lavaflow."

"Uh... I won't... be in danger of the lava... right?" I ask.

"Don't worry." Dr. Diggins tells me. "The two pillars at the entrance have a special device that put a impenetrable shield around the lava, so there's no danger of falling in or getting cooked by the heat. But, it doesn't stop all the heat, so in some places it'll be a little warmer than others."

"Let me guess, the same person who made the diving mask." I say.

"Yes." He tells me. "There are a lot of good fossils out at Mt. Lavaflow, and you'll need them for your last Level-Up battle. You can do it! You can make Master Fighter!... And find the remaining idol!" He turns and walks back to the Fossil Center while I walk to Beth.

"Red, I have something important to tell you." She says her voice serious. Worry fills me, but I show no sign of it. "I just received word from the Police Station the BB Bandits have escaped from jail." My eyes widen. "So, what dig site would you like to visit?"

"Mt. Lavaflow, please." I tell her.

"Okay, but..." Beth says. "I should warn you, there are a lot of earthquakes on Mt. Lavaflow. Please be careful and have a nice trip." Two minutes later, the boat comes up to the dock, I climb aboard, ride to the dig site dock, and hike up the side of the volcano.

A few minutes later...

"There it is!" I run up to the two pillars that mark the entrance of the site. They have steel-colored, bolt shaped bases, a very pale red rhombus about five feet tall with red in the middle, on top of that is a bolt shaped top that's red and orange with something that looks like the nozzle of a flamethrower with fire shooting out of it on top of that. I walk across the bare, dirt ground surrounded by the brown mountain rock speckled with volcanic rock. I dig up some fossils, then come to an open area, revealing pools of bubbling, scorching hot lava. I see more bare dirt paths that rise above the lava and turn to walk out to them, but the path is blocked by a bolder that I can't get around.

_Argh..._

"Is there something wrong?" A voice asks. I turn to see Duna standing there. I look back at the bolder. "That's a very large bolder." I take my pick ax, swing at it, only to send a vibration through myself. "I can get rid of it." I look at her. "Stand back."

_WHY? _I wonder. I get out of the way and she walks up to the bolder. Standing two feet away, she takes out a pistol and points it at the bolder. _How is a bullet- ... WHY DOES SHE HAVE A GUN? _She pulls the trigger, and instead of a bullet, a laser that looks like lightning hits the bolder. There's a bright flash of light, and when I can see, there's nothing left of it.

"You may proceed. Good-bye." She walks farther on to the dig site.

_How-what-but-it-I-... WHAT THE WHAT?_ I think. _How does THAT work? ... I'll... I'll think about it later. I need to find that last idol. _I walk along the dirt paths, digging up fossils as I go. I come to a short tunnel after awhile, start to walk through it, and stop.

The air has a suspicious feel to it.

I then get a bad feeling in my stomach and feel the side pocket where I keep my Dino Medals. _'You guys ready in case there's a fight?'_

_'We were born ready.' _Air Strike says. I nod and walk through the tunnel. After about ten feet, I come to a passage that has a path worn onto the ground. I see a bolder blocking it.

_Great. _I walk up to it and examine it.

"Is there a problem? You are troubled by a large rock again?" A voice asks. I whirl around to see Duna standing there.

_How does she do that? _I wonder. I look back at the bolder.

"Perhaps in the future you should not travel to places with so many giant rocks." She suggests. I look at her. She sighs. "I will destroy it for you nevertheless." I get out of the way, and she does the same thing as last time. She looks at me. "Now you may pass."

"Thank you." I say. I walk past her and watch my sonar. I see a red dot appear, run to the spot where it appeared and throw down my pick. I reach into the hole, and pull out the idol. This one is about two feet tall, sandy-gold as the others, with spirals for eyes, a mohawk, and yellow designs. "Excellent. Well done." I look at Duna, whose still standing there, cutting me off from the pass.

"Thanks?" I ask.

"I will take the idol now, thank you." She says holding out her hand.

"What?" I ask.

"Please hand it over." She says.

"No." I say hugging it and taking a step back. She takes a step forward.

"Hand it over. NOW!" She says irritation on her face.

"NO! Look, I don't know who you-" Suddenly, a multicolored pillar of light appears around her. _What...? _It disappears, then reappears. She gets a frantic look on her face. There's a bright flash of light, and when I lower my arm, I get a completely shocked look on my face. Duna's hair is now pink, her eyes are yellow, her ears are pointed, has light blue skin, pink lines that start beneath her eyes and go sideways to disappear into her hair, dark blue on her shoulders, arms, hands upper back and sides, pink across her breasts and that area of her back, pink around her waist that's connected to the pink on her upper back, dark blue legs with cyan feet, a light blue dot on her knees, which are now bending the other way, with a another, smaller, light blue dot above that, both surrounded with pink, her forearms now have more bulk to them and two light blue ovals above her wrists on either side, light blue circles where her shoulders connect to her torso, and a thick, powerful looking tail that's about three feet long, with pink the first foot, two light blue circles on either side after the pink, and the rest of it is dark blue.

"This is not good." Duna says worried. "The heat from the lava is disrupting my holographic transformation technology."

"WHAT THE WHAT?" I ask in a high-pitched voice. Duna looks at me.

"Regrettably, I cannot allow humans that have seen my true form to escape..." She says her eyes narrowing.

She then turns into a vivosaur.

She looks exactly the same, but she is now built like a Oviraptor. '_Did... did... that... just... happen?' _I think scared.

_'Yeah...' _Cloud Cover says.

_'OKAY! THAT'S IT! I'VE LOST IT! I have officially GONE CRAZY!' _I tell them. I whip out my team and see Duna has to vivosaurs with her.

_'Are... are those... ROBOTS?' _Flamethrower asks bewildered. I look at them. They're built just like a Zino, are made from shiny, metal plates, and have a very futuristic look to them.

_'Well, I never thought I would see THAT.' _I tell them. Duna gets into the EZ.

"Dinomaton, Steel Slash on Spinax!" It attacks doing thirty-two damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing eighty-four damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing twenty damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Dinomaton!" She attacks doing eighteen damage.

"Dinomaton, Death Ray!" It attacks my entire team, doing fifty-seven damage to Air Strike, thirty-two to Flamethrower, and thirty-three to Cloud Cover.

"Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing ninety-two damage. Duna swaps places with it.

"Lethal Waltz on Spinax!" She attacks doing thirty-four damage and confusing him. He gets in the EZ and Cloud Cover takes his place.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fury on Duna!" She attacks doing eighty-three damage.

"Lethal Waltz on Cloud Cover!" Duna attacks doing forty-four damage.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fury on Duna!" She attacks doing eighty-three damage. Duna gets in the EZ and the other Dinomaton takes her place.

"Dinomaton, Death Ray!" It attacks doing sixty-eight damage to Cloud Cover and thirty-two damage to Flamethrower.

"Cloud Cover get in the EZ and Air Strike, take her place!" They do it. "Now Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing eighty-nine damage.

"Dinomaton, Steel Slash on Spinax!" It attacks doing forty damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing eighty-six damage.

"Dinomaton, Death Ray!" It attacks doing fifty-five damage to Air Strike and thirty-two damage to Flamethrower. It gets in the EZ and Duna takes its place.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Duna!" He attacks doing seventy-two damage. She falls on her side, tries to get up, but falls back down and turns back to her true form.

"AUTO-BATTLE MODE ENGAGED." The Dinomatons say.

"Flamethrower, S-Fang on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing twenty damage, sending it into its medal. "Cloud Cover, Shan Combo on Dinomaton!" She attacks doing twenty-two damage.

"SCISSOR SWIPE ON SPINAX." The Dinomaton attacks doing fifty-six damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing fifty-five damage, causing it to go into its medal. I call my vivosaurs into their medals, grab the idol and make a run for it. I jump over Duna, and as I land she grabs my ankle.

"GAH!" I exclaim. She stands up, holds me six inches off the ground by my ankle and glares at me.

"This... This is unacceptable!" She tells me. "Whether you like it or not, GIVE ME THE IDOL!"

"NO!" I yell at her. She throws me onto the dirt island surround by lava. I push myself up and look at her. She stands there, still blocking the way to the passage. She takes a step forward, and I hug the idol. "I won't let you." She gives me a deadly glare. The ground shakes.

"Wha-!" Duna says. "An earthquake?" The shaking worsens, and I lay on my side, tuck my chin against my chest, hug the idol harder, and curl up into a ball.

**THUD.**

I look up and see Duna trying to stay standing as the earth rocks beneath her feet.

**THUD.**

I look around and see a giant bolder falling from the summit.

**THUD.**

I watch it, and I see it's heading straight for the passage.

**THUD.**

It rolls off a ledge and begins to fall into the area we're in.

And lands on Duna.

_DUNA! _I think. The earthquake ends, I jump up, stuff the idol in my backpack, and run over to the bolder. _OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN! What do I do?_

_'Do you think she's dead?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'Well she probably is, since she fought US and survived.' _Flamethrower says.

_'Well if by some miracle she IS alive, THEN WE NEED TO HELP HER BEFORE SHE RUNS OUT OF AIR!' _Air strike yells. I take out my hammer, and begin to beat the bolder. I demolish it to pebbles, to see Duna lying there. I grab her shoulders.

"Wake up!" I yell shaking them. Nothing. "Hey! Wake up! Don't die on me!" Her eyes open and she looks at me. I help her up.

"Wh-why... Why would you...?" She asks me.

"Because," I tell her. "I could never bear the burden of knowing that I could have saved someone's life and didn't."

"After I tried to take the idol from you by force..." She looks to the left. "You are so confusing... I do not understand mammals at all..." An aftershock of the earthquake starts, I get down on the ground, and curl up into a ball. I look up and see Duna walking back through the passage. I tuck my head back down and wait. After a minute, the shaking subsides, I stand up, brush the dirt off me, and look at the passage.

_Okay... What in the world was she? _I wonder.

"Red!" I hear a familiar voice yell.

"Rosie!" I call. She comes out of the tunnel, runs through the passage, and hug me, making me blush.

"I'm so glad you're safe. That was a really strong earthquake!" She says.

"Don't worry..." I say hugging her back. "Earthquakes aren't the only danger I just dealt with." Rosie looks at me.

"What?" She asks.

"I'll explain later." I say. "I found the last idol I need to get it back to Dr. Diggins. C'mon." Without knowing it, I take her hand and walk into through the tunnel with her.

"Why do you want me to come?" She asks.

"The BB Bandits escaped from jail and I need to make sure that you stay safe." I explain. A light blush crosses her face.

"Oh...I... WAIT." She says. "The BB Bandits escaped?" I nod. She hugs my arm, making me blush. We walk out of the dig site, down the path to the dock, and walk up to the boat. Captain Travers looks at us.

"Heh." He says. "That's adorable." I face palm myself with my free hand and feel my face get hot. Me and Rosie climb aboard the boat, ride back to Vivosaur Town, and climb off at the dock. I look around and see Beth and Sue talking to each other. Holt runs up to them and tells them something.

"What's wrong?" I ask as me and Rosie walk up to them.

"Red! Rosie! we've got trouble. BIG trouble." Sue tells us.

"Vivosaur Town has been taken over by the BB Bandits!" Beth says. Me and Rosie jump and let out small gasps.

"I just came from the Guild Area." Holt says. "I was watching them to see what they're doing and that place is crawling with BB Bandits! And what's worse, the BB Boss is using the Richmond Building as his command center!"

"Grandpa!" Rosie exclaims with worry.

"That's not the only thing." Sue says. "The BB Boss is trying to take all the fossils on Vivosaur Island! You've got to do something Red!"

"Grandpa..." Rosie says.

"Don't worry." I say putting a hand on her shoulder. She looks at me, tears in her eyes. "I'm going to go there and take Bullwort down for good. If he's done anything to your grandfather, he's gonna get it. BAD." I turn to leave when Holt puts his hand on my shoulder.

"I'm coming with you." He says. I look at him. "He may have my uncle." I nod.

"I'm coming too." Rosie says.

"NO!" I exclaim. Everyone looks at me. "It's too dangerous. I don't want you getting hurt."

"I'm coming whether you like it or not." She says. I stand there for a second looking at her, my mind conflicted.

_She has a right to come. _I think. I sigh. "Okay."

"C'mon guys! We need to hurry to Mr. Richmond's office!" Holt says. We run to the entrance to see it's guarded by two BB Bandit members.

"Everything beyond this point is BB Bandit property!" One of them says.

"Yeah right!" Holt says. "What about the Junk Depot? That belongs to my uncle!"

"Let us through so Red can beat the BB Boss!" Rosie tells them.

"You cannot pass b-b-b-beyond this point!" The other one says. "And... did you say... Red?"

"Yeah, what about it?" I ask. Fear covers their faces.

"R-RUN AWAY!" They both yell as they turn and run into the Guild Area, waving their arms like maniacs.

"Nice." Holt says. We sneak through the Guild Area, making our way towards the Richmond Building. We get to it and take out our pick axes. I look at Rosie's. It has a pink handle with a yellow ring at the bottom of it, a steel-colored top that bends to the left then folds back over its self with a yellow wedge in the middle with turquoise inside of it. Holt's has a lightning bolt shaped handle that's black, and a yellow top that has a red upper half with a lightning blue bracket connecting the two.

"Okay, the inside is probably swarming with BB Soldiers, so be careful!" I say. We walk up to the door, we burst in, and I do a forward roll, come up in my fighting stance, ready to fight.

The room is completely empty.

"Well, so much for making an entrance." Rosie says. We walk over to the Elevator to Mr. Richmond's office, step in, and ride it up. We arrive at the office, step off the elevator, and walk into the first half of the office. We look through the fish tank to the second half of the office to see Bullwort sitting in the desk chair with two BB Bandits on either side of him, one man and one woman.

"You! Red!" Bullwort says. He and the lackeys come into the first half. "I must admit, I'm impressed you beat me before. But you won't be so lucky again. My defeat was bitter, but I'm going to enjoy forcing that bitterness down your throat tenfold!"

"Forget it Bullwort!" I say. "I don't eat anything a rotten person makes."

"Yeah!" Holt says. "What makes you so sure you can beat Red?"

"Because I have Frigisaurus!" Bullwort says. "Even I was surprised to find out just how powerful this legendary beast is. It's not merely more powerful than everything else, it's in a different league entirely! With vivosaur at my command, world domination is easily within my reach! Compared to what I'll achieve, mere wealth is nothing! I have no use for those petty idols anymore! With Frigisaurus, the ultimate vivosaur, in my control, I'll wipe out anyone who dares oppose me!"

"Come at me bro!" I yell. He takes out a Dino Medal and holds it up. It has a black ring around the outside, an orange background to show it's at top rank, and a picture of Frigi on it. He calls out the vivosaur, and we all gasp. It's built like a long neck, has ice blue skin, blue chunks of light blue ice on its back, neck, shoulders, and tail, cold blue eyes, and white frost streaked all around it. The room get noticeably colder, and shiver runs down my spine. I call out my team.

_'What IS that thing?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'Well whatever it is, I'm going to melt it with my fire.' _Flamethrower says.

_'Bring it on old man winter!' _Air Strike says.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Frigi!" He attacks, missing. _What? _"Flamethrower, S-Fang on Frigi!" He attacks, missing. _What in the world? _"Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Frigi!" She attacks, missing. _What the what?_

"Truly pathetic to think you could hurt him." Bullwort says. "Frigi, Subzero Stomp on Spinax!" He attacks doing one hundred sixty-eight damage.

_Holy Dino! _I think. "Flamethrower, S-Combo on Frigi!" He attacks, missing.

"Frigi, Subzero Stomp on Spinax!" He attacks doing one hundred seventy-one damage, sending Air Strike into his medal. I catch it and look at him.

The medal is frozen.

_'AIR STRIKE!'_

_'I-I-I'm f-f-f-f-fine. J-just a l-l-little c-c-cold.' _He says.

_'Lava Bite and Hot Head, help him warm up.' _I tell them as I put the medal in the side pocket.

_'Yes sir!' _Lava Bite, my Nychus, says.

_'Right away.'_ Hot Head, my Stygi, says.

"Flamethrower, S-Fury on Frigi!" He attacks, missing. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fury on Frigi!" She attacks, missing.

"Frigi, Absolute Zero on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing two hundred sixty-seven damage, causing him to go into his medal.

_'No!' _I catch his medal and look at it. Frozen. _'Guys, help him warm up!' _I tell Lava Bite and Hot Head worried. _'It's up to you Cloud Cover.' _She growls in confirmation. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fury on Frigi!" She attacks, missing.

"Frigi, Absolute Zero on Shanshan!" He attacks doing two hundred seventy-four damage.

Putting Cloud Cover in her medal.

I catch it, and like the others, its frozen solid. _No. No! NO! This can't be happening! He can't win!_

"Frigi, take care of these brats for me." Ice spreads from Frigi's feet toward us. I take a step back and it hits my other foot. The ice begins to spread up it, freezing me.

"This isn't over." I tell Bullwort. My legs are frozen. "I'll find a way to defeat you! I won't give in! I won't let you take over the world!"

"Red!" I hear Rosie say in a scared voice. I turn my head to look at her and see she's half frozen as well. I reach out with my hand and take hers. She looks at me.

The ice spreads over my face, and I black out.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- I don't REALLY know how you get frozen, I just it would be really cool if it happen that way. And I was just sitting there watching Bullwort drone on about Frigi and I thought: DUDE! Just skip to the part where you fight!<strong>

**Red: That was bad.**

**Me: What?**

**Red: You thought it would be really COOL if we got FROZEN that way.**

**Me: I wasn't trying to be funny!**


	11. Burning Hot

**AN-Okay, I have a made up character I'm trying to come up with a name for, AND I CAN'T THINK OF A GOOD ONE! The original name I came up with was Sallyann, But that just sounds kinda weird. If you have an idea for a name like that, please tell me and I will think about it. It has to be for a girl though.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Eleven- Burning Hot<p>

_I'm walking through the forest behind Zeke's house. It's a bright, warm, sunny summer day. I come to a small pond that has a mirror-smooth surface, I kneel down next to it and look at it. I see my reflection... but rather than my eyes being deep blue, they're ice blue. I get a confused look on my face, and ice begins to creep out of my eyes. It spreads all over me, then freezes the forest, then the town, then the whole world, making it a gigantic, frozen sphere. _

I wake up with a start. "Red?" I look around the room I'm in, to see it's a jail cell. It's about seven feet wide, twelve feet long, eleven feet tall, has a window reinforced with steel bars at the top of the right wall, with the left wall being made of steel bars. It has a sink, toilet, and a bed. Holt is leaning against one of the walls with his foot against it, and Rosie is sitting on the bed, looking at me.

"Don't worry. I'm fine." I tell her. "Just had a bad dream is all."

_'That really was some dream though.' _I look at my hand to see I still have Cloud Cover's Dino Medal in it. I put it in the side pocket to my backpack, and stand up.

"Anybody have any ideas on how we're gonna get out of here?" Holt asks. Rosie shakes her head and I look at the window.

"We need to find out if we CAN escape first." I say. I stand up on the bed, but it's still too high.

"I got an idea." Rosie says. I do as she tells me, get down on my hands and knees on the bed, and she stands on my back. She surprisingly light actually. She stands on the tips of her toes. "It's still too high."

"Hold on." Holt says. Rosie gets off my back and Holt gets on my back. He crouches while Rosie gets onto his back, he then stands up, and Rosie grabs the steel bars in the widow for support.

"Wow. They're behind every blade of grass." She says. She and Holt get off of me and I get off the bed. "Well, now what do we do?"

"Hey! What if we used the tunnel they made?" Holt suggests.

"They undoubtedly filled it in." I say.

"I wonder if Grandpa's okay..." Rosie says.

"Don't worry." I say hugging her. "He's a smart man. He's hiding somewhere they won't find him." She hugs me back and buries her face in the crook of my neck.

"But what if...?"

"Well if that by some chance did, then we can't help him from here. We need to escape." Holt says.

"He's right." I say. "Do you have a hair pin?" She looks at me confused, then reaches into her pocket and pulls one out. I take it. "Holt, do you by any chance have a screwdriver?" He reaches into his backpack, pulls one out, and hands it to me. I go over to the cell door, stick my arms through the bars, and start picking the lock.

"Where do you guys think he got that vivosaur?" Rosie asks. "It's the most powerful thing I've ever seen!"

"Well, powerful or not, everything has a weakness and we need to find it." I say.

"You're powerful and you don't have a weakness." Holt says.

"Yes I do." I say. "Why do you think they kidnapped Rosie?"

"To get the idols..." Rosie says.

"And they kidnapped you because they know we're friends, so they figured I would give them the idols." I say.

"Well, what could Bullwort's goals be?" Holt asks. "Between the BB Bandits and Frigi, he's got plenty of muscle."

"He said that he was going to take over the world." Rosie says.

"Grrrrrrow!" I hear a familiar voice bark. I quickly pull the hair pin and screwdriver out of the lock, and pull my arms through the bars. We all look between the bars as Rex comes in. He stops in front of the door.

"You're a BB Bandit!" Holt exclaims.

"What are you going to do to us?" Rosie asks, frightened. I step in front of her protectively. Rex looks at all of us.

"Nnnnh-nnnnh-nnnnh." He takes out some keys, puts one in the doors lock, unlocks the door, and pulls it open.

"You're here to HELP us?" I ask confused. Rex barks.

"I think he wants us to follow him." Holt says.

"Okay..." I look at Rex. "This had better not be a trap." We walk out of the cell and go to the main room of the Police Station. Rex walks out the door and distracts the guard outside of it. Without meaning to, I take Rosie's hand and we all quickly hurry outside, then hide behind some shrubs. Rex joins us, and we sneak by another BB Bandit into the Fighter Station. We hurry to the Fossil Center, go through the door on the left wall and walk into a hallway with some doors and a man standing at the end of the hall way where it turns. He steps out of the way, we all hurry past him, turn, and walk into a big elevator. We ride it down, and as we are, I realize that I'm holding Rosie's hand. I quickly let go, and the elevator door opens to reveal a large underground where house with crates of supplies and some familiar faces.

"Grandpa!" Rosie exclaims.

"McJunker!" Holt exclaims.

"Dr. Diggins!" I exclaim. Rosie runs over to Mr. Richmond and hugs him.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" She says.

"McJunker are you alright?" Holt asks hugging his uncle.

"I'm fine Holt. It was you I was worried about." He says hugging Holt back. I walk over to Dr. Diggins.

"Is everyone alright? How did you guys get here?" I ask him.

"Don't worry." He says. "Only one person has an injury and they're being treated for it right now. These three helped us quite a bit." We all turn and look at Vivian, Snivels, and Rex.

"You guys are BB Bandits. Why would you help us?" Holt asks. Rex and Snivels look at Vivian, who turn away from us.

"Call it my resignation." She says. "I've taken orders from Bullwort long enough." They all look at us. "Ever since he got his hands on Frigisaurus, he he's been treating his loyal follower like disposable pawns. He didn't even tell us WHY we were looking for those idols. Just that we had to. Who knows when we would have been sacrificed for some scheme we didn't even understand?"

"Hmmm..." Dr. Diggins says. He looks at me, Rosie, and Holt. "I've heard of Frigisaurus. Is it really as powerful as the legends suggest?"

"HA! Powerful? That's an understatement." Holt says.

"Yeah! Red's team couldn't make a scratch on that thing!" Rosie says pointing at me.

"That IS impressive." Dr. Diggins says.

"You kids should count yourselves luck you didn't get stomped flat by that monster." Snivels says. "The only way Bullwort even got his hands on it was by tricking the Digadig chieftain."

"In that case," Dr. Diggins says. "perhaps we should ask the chieftain how to defeat Frigisaurus.

"Let's go guys!" Rosie says. "Off to Knotwood Forest!"

"Good luck you three." Dr. Diggins says. "Be careful." We ride back up the elevator, walk out of the Fossil Center, run down to the dock, board the boat, ride to Knotwood Forest, and head to the Digadig Village. The villagers wave to us, to which we wave back. We walk to the chieftain's teepee to see him standing outside of it.

"Hello Mr. Chieftain." Rosie says. "Um, long time no see. We'd like to diga-discuss something with you." He looks at us and snickers.

"Of course, digadig." He says. "What would you like to diga-discuss, digadig?"

"We wanted to ask you about Frigisaurus..." Holt says. The chieftain jumps and takes a step back. The villagers within earshot all look at us. The children run to their mothers, and they hug them protectively while the husbands stand over them protectively.

"Why? What do you want to know?" The chieftain asks, terrified. "Please leave us alone! Don't hurt us! Digadig!"

_Huh... When they're scared, they don't talk how they usually do._ I realize. The chieftain turns his back to us.

"I...I have nothing to tell you." He says. "You can... torture me if you must... but I will say nothing... digadig.

"We're not here to hurt you." I tell him. "We're not hurting anyone here. We just need to know how to defeat Frigisaurus, otherwise Bullwort will use it to take over the entire island and then he'll take over the world. Please chieftain, if there's anything that you know of that can stop Frigi, you need to tell us.

"..." He says nothing. He turns back to us. "There is a... legend told among the Digadigs... A legend that tells of an epic battle fought long ago... That battle was fought between the seas... surrounding the island and the mountains of the island, digadig. The seas crashed... in rage, and the mountains erupted... fuming. The island was near ruin... digadig. It was then my ancestors offered up... sacrificial fossils to the sea and the mountains... An... Apatosaurus fossil to the sea and a... tyrannosaurus fossil to the mountains... digadig."

"Do you mean to say that Frigisaurus was somehow revived from the Apatosaurus fossil?" Rosie asks.

"Correct, digadig." The chieftain says. "It was revived from the biting cold of the ocean's depths. And the tyrannosaurus fossil... absorbed the heat of the mountain lava to become Ignosaurus."

"Then that's what we need!" Holt says. "Please chieftain, where can we find the Ignosaurus fossil?"

"No one has moved it, so it should still be deep in Mt. Lavaflow... digadig." The chieftain says.

"Deep in Mt. Lavaflow?" I ask. "But what if it's IN the lava? How do we find it?"

"C'mon." Rosie tells us. "We need to tell Dr. Diggins. He may have a clue." We all look at the chieftain.

"Thank you chieftain."Holt says. "We couldn't do this without you."

"Please..." He says. "protect our precious island, digadig."

"We will." I say with a nod. "Let's go."

A few minutes later...

We step off the elevator to into the Underground Where house. Everyone looks at us. "Well, there's good news and bad news." Holt says.

"The good news is that there's a dinosaur called Ignosaurus that can beat Frigi." I tell them.

"The bad news is that it's somewhere deep in Mt. Lavaflow." Rosie says.

"Deep in Mt. Lavaflow?" Dr. Diggins asks. "That lava could pose all sorts of problems in finding the fossil..." He sighs. "The lava flow may even just block the way."

"But if you could move the lava out of the way, you could look for the fossil freely." Vivian says.

"Move the lava?" Dr. Diggins asks bewildered. "How?" Rex barks something. Snivels gasps.

"He says that there's a lava-flow valve inside Mt. Lavaflow!" He tells us.

"A lava-flow valve?" Mr. Richmond asks him. "Like a water faucet for lava?" Rex barks.

"He says that's right." Snivels tells us.

"Hmmmm..." Dr. Diggins says. Everyone looks at me. "Well we know the Ignosaurus fossil is somewhere deep in Mt. Lavaflow and this may help us find it. Red, why don't you take Rex with you to go look for it?" Rex walks over to elevator and barks.

"He says he'll go ahead to Lavaflow and start looking. You can join him when you're ready." Snivels translates.

"I won't be able to understand him." I say. Dr. Diggins walks up to me and hands me something that looks like a hearing aid.

"It's a Doglish Translator I've been working on." He tells me. "Just put it in your ear and you should be able to understand whatever Rex says." I put in my ear, and I can't feel a difference. Rosie hugs me.

"Good luck Red." She says. I feel my face get hot and I look at everyone to see they're all looking at me with an eyebrow raised. Embarrassment fills me.

"Uh... I gotta get going." I tell Rosie. She stops hugging me and takes a step back. I quickly walk over to the elevator and ride it up. _Why did I get embarrassed when everyone looked at me like that? Why DID they all look at me like that?_ I leave the Fossil Center, walk to the dock, board the boat, ride to Mt. Lavaflow and walkup the path to the dig site. I walk between the two pillars and see Rex waiting for me.

"I have scouted the immediate environs." He barks with a British accent. "The lava-flow valve most vexingly refuses to be located. Let us continue the search farther afield." We walk farther onto the dig site, looking everywhere.

"I had a dog named Rex." I say after awhile.

"Really?" Rex asks me.

"Yep. I got him when I was nine. My parents took me to the pet store and I was so excited, I thought I was going to explode." I tell him. He laughs.

"So what made you choose him?" He asks.

"Well, I saw some that I really liked, so they took them into this room so I could interact with them and choose which one I liked the best. The others ran around and played with the toys in the room, but he came over to me and laid down on my feet. I knew he would be perfect, so we chose him and took him home." I explained. We come to a tunnel on the north eastern side of the dig site. We walk through about ten feet of tunnel before coming into a passage.

"Hello, what's this?" Rex asks sniffing the air. "I'm picking up a scent! Tallyho! Let's go farther!" We walk through the pass and come to a door made of sandy-gold colored material. It has an imprint of two Digadigs holding spears. "I say! There is something written here, albeit hard to understand... 'Offer... powerful... mountain rocks... to me.'. By Jove! Could this be a clue to opening the door?"

"No idea Sherlock." I say walking over to a rock. I take out my hammer and drill, and begin to carve it to fit the imprint. When I finish, I pick it up, and carefully put it into the imprint. I step back and the door slides into the ground, giving us access. We continue on, and find another door with an imprint of two beings with dinosaur heads. I get another rock, carve it, and put it in the imprint. The door slides down and we continue. Eventually, we come to a third door with an imprint of a fire-breathing dinosaur.

_'Hey! That's me!' _Flamethrower says. I smile. I carve a rock and put it into the imprint. The door slides down to reveal a large area filled with rocks. I begin to break them away. I break one open to reveal a valve.

"I found it!" I call to Rex. He runs over.

"Tighten the valve!" He says. We grab the handle and begin to tighten it. I push as hard as I can and it moves, slowly but surely. The ground shakes and we stop. "That should have shut down the lava flow. Let's have a peek!" We run back through the pass, and to the main area of the dig site. With the lava gone, it has at least tripled in size. We begin to look around.

A few minutes later...

"Over here!" I yell over my shoulder Rex comes running up to me and I point at the tunnel I found. We walk through it into a large area.

"Do you feel that?" Rex asks me. I nod. I can feel... something. It fills me with burning energy. "Come on! Ignosaurus must be here somewhere!" We begin looking around, but I realize I don't need to use my sonar. I walk over to one spot, and as I near it, I feel the energy get stronger. I begin to sweat from it and I stop. I throw down my pick ax, and when I do, a pillar of scorching hot fire shoots from the ground and into the sky. I fall on my back and shield my face with my arm. After a few seconds, I lower my arm and slowly look into the whole to see a fossil rock glowing cherry red. I tensely reach into the hole and touch the rock.

It doesn't hurt.

I pull it out and hold it up. _Ignosaurus... _Suddenly, a ray of white hoops hits it. I can feel and see it harden. Me and Rex jump then turn to see Bullwort standing there, gun in hand with the two lackeys on either side of him.

"AHAhahaahaaaa! My Imperva-Ray has made that Ignosaurus fossil rock completely impenetrable!" Bullwort laughs. "No drill or hammer in the world will be able to make so much as a scratch in that fossil rock now! That should pretty much dash your hopes of reviving Ignosaurus hmmm?" He laughs maniacally. "And with that, I am officially invincible. There is nothing that can defeat my Frigisaurus. You may as well just go home and wait for me to conquer the world!" He turns and starts walking. "Oh yes, taking over Vivosaur Island was just the first step! Nothing can resist the mighty power of Frigisaurus! Why should I stop at anything less than global control? Farewell Red! Enjoy helplessness!" He laughs. I look at the ground pick up a fist-sized rock, and chunk it at him. It hits him in the back of the head. "OW!" He yells as he falls to the ground. He rubs the back of his head and looks back at me, his face contorted with pain. I stand there, my face hard and the Ignosaurus fossil rock in my right hand.

"I'm not helpless." I tell him. "If I can find the Ignosaurus fossil, I know I can find a way to make it revivable and defeat you. If you think that rock hurt, it's going to hurt a lot worse when I show I'm right." He pushes himself up and walks away, rubbing the back of his head.

"We'd best tell the others." Rex tells me. We head back to Vivosaur Town.

A few minutes later...

We step off the elevator to the Underground Where house and Rosie walks up to me. "Red! Did you find the Ignosaurus fossil?" I pull it out of my backpack and hold it up.

"Ta-dah!" I say.

"Yes! I knew you could do it Red!" She tells me. I smile shyly. Rex begins to bark so fast I can't understand what he's saying. Snivels jumps.

"What's that?" He asks. "Bullwort blasted the Ignosaurus fossil with the Imperva-Ray? We're in trouble the folks."

"The what ray?" Holt asks.

"The Imperva-Ray." Vivian says. "It uses advanced molecular-binding technology to make any surface harder that a diamond."

"Harder than a diamond? Impossible!" McJunker says. "Where would he get something like that anyways?"

"He stole some blueprints from some kid who came through here with her collage class." Snivels explains. "The SAME kid who made the wires for the Fighters backpacks and the Diving Masks."

"Red, let me see the fossil." Dr. Diggins says. I walk over to him and hand him the fossil. He examines it. "Hmmm... I'm going to take a closer look. C'mon Red. Let's head up to the cleaning room." We get on the elevator, walk through the hallway, go into the main room, and go into the Cleaning Room. Dr. Diggins begins scanning it with some kind of machine. After a minute, he looks at me. "Red, whatever that Imperva-Ray did to the fossil is a mystery to me. I've never seen anything like it in the world. I'm not sure how to break it down, but we may as well start with the obvious... Let's try cleaning it. If it looks like your tools are in danger, I'll tell you to stop. I go over to the grid he puts it in and take out my hammer. I beat away at it with all my might, yet no chips, cracks, or dents appear.

"ARGH!" I yell frustrated. I hammer at it harder.

"RED STOP!" Dr. Diggins says. I stop and look at him. "You were about to make your hammer shatter." I sit down on the edge of the grid, my feet dangling two inches away from the floor. "I didn't think it would really be that simple. What to do? What to do?" We think.

"Do not worry any longer." I look up and see Duna standing there, in her human form. She walks over to the grid. "Stand back." I jump down and hurry out of the way. She takes out the gun that shoots the rays, points it at the fossil rock, and fires it. There's a bright flash of light, and then I can see. The rock looks like how it did when I first pulled it out of the hole. "It it done." Duna says as she puts the gun away.

"Why did you help us...?" I ask. She looks at me.

"You appear confused. You saved my life. I have repaid the favor. It is as simple as that." She says. She then turns and walks out of the cleaning room.

"Who was that?" Dr. Diggins asks. "And more importantly," He looks at the fossil rock. "what did she do to this?" He take out a hand-held scanner and scans it. "It's back to normal!" He looks at me smiling. "Red! This means that can clean and revive now! But... this is our only shot at cleaning Ignosaurus. You've got to be extra careful!"

"Yes sir." I say nodding. I climb back up onto the grid and take out my tools. I empty my mind of everything and start cleaning. Perfect one hundred.

"With cleaning out of the way, let's revive it!" I take it over to the revival machine and put it in. Dr. Diggins enter in the revival commands and hits the revive button. The machine whirls to life, and there's a flash of light. When the light fades, the revival machine is full of smoke. The front opens, and a heat wave comes out, followed by Ignosaurus. I gasp. It has black eyes with blood red pupils, sun glow orange skin, red claws, golden teeth, is built like a T-Rex, has a mane of fire around its face, on its back, chest, top of its tail, and thighs and has fiery spines coming off the end of its tail.

_WHOA. _I think. Igno bends down and looks me straight in the eye. I can see the fiery desire for battle in them. I tensely raise my hand up to him and put it on his snout. He nuzzles my hand.

_'You.' _He says with a voice made of fire. _'You have more skills and potential than anyone. It is my honor to let you command me and battle at your side.' _He dips his head then brings it back up to look me in the eye.

_'Whoa... well, it's my honor to be the one to command you.' _I tell him.

_'Name?' _

_'Red.' _

_'No. My name. There is the name of what I am, but I need a name of WHO I am.' _He explains.

_'...' _I think about it. _'Scorching Lava. Because you absorbed the scorching heat of the lava, and you will erupt like a volcano, sending the heat on Frigisaurus, defeating him.'_

_'Frigisaurus?' _He asks anger filling him.

_'Yes. An evil man is going to use him to take over the world, and I need your help to stop him.'_ I explain.

_'Take me to him.' _He says. _'And I will make sure he is evaporated into steam.'_ I nod. He turns into his medal, which has a black ring around the outside, an orange background and a picture of Scorching Lava on it. I pick it up and put it in the side pocket.

"Give him one for me Red." Dr. Diggins tells me. I nod. I walk into the main room and I see Holt and Rosie walking over to me.

"You revived Ignosaurus!" Holt exclaims.

"We knew there would be no problem if you were doing it Red." Rosie says. I smile shyly.

"Let me guess," I say. "You guys want to come huh?" They nod. "Right, let's go!" We run out of the Fossil Center, sneak through the Guild Area, go into the Richmond Building, and go up to Mr. Richmond's office. We come into the first half of the office to see Bullwort without his lackeys, looking at the fish tank with his back to us.

"You're going to knock the stuffing out of this Bullwort." Rosie murmurs to me. I nod. Bullwort notices us and turns around to face us.

"Well, well if it isn't Red, his little girlfriend, and his speedy friend." He says. My face turns red.

"She's not my girlfriend!" I say angry.

"Whatever. Is the weather too hot for you three?" He asks. "Need a permanent cool down?"

"Actually things are warming up! Have a look!" Rosie says. I whip out Scorching Lava's Dino Medal.

"Think you can take the heat?" I ask. Bullwort jumps and gasps in shock.

"An Ignosaurus Dino Medal?" He asks. "B-but...!"

"Face it Bullwort, Red's taking you down!" Holt says.

"How did you revive it when you couldn't clean it?" Bullwort asks.

"A friend helped me." I say.

"I guess now we'll find out if the legend is true. When Frigisaurus and Ignosaurus are near each other... the extreme heat and cold will wipe out each other's extraordinary powers."

"This time Red will beat you for sure!" Rosie says. "The world will be a better place with scum like you locked away in prison somewhere!" Bullwort jumps and looks at her, trying to hide his worry about losing.

"Little girls like you would do better to mind their elders and SHUT UP!" He tells her.

"What'd ya say Grandpa? We can't hear you." Holt says turning his ear towards Bullwort.

"Be quite!" He barks.

"You're no one's boss any more Bartholomew Bullwort!" I tell him. He takes out his medals. We call out our teams and I look at his. He has Frigi in the AZ, and Shuno and Salto in the SZ's. My team has Scorching Lava in the AZ, and Air Strike and Flamethrower in the SZ's.

"Frigi, Subzero Stomp on Igno!" He attacks doing sixty-one damage.

"Scorching Lava, Burning Bite on Frigi!" He attacks doing ninety-seven damage.

"Frigi, Subzero Stomp on Igno!" He attacks doing forty-three damage.

"Scorching Lava, Burning Bite on Frigi!" He attacks doing ninety-seven damage. "Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Frigi!" He attacks doing sixteen damage.

"Frigi, Subzero Stomp on Igno!" He attacks doing forty-one damage.

"Scorching Lava, Burning Bite on Frigi!" He attacks doing one hundred and one damage.

"Frigi, Absolute Zero on Igno!" He attacks doing sixty-eight damage.

"Scorching Lava, Burning Bite on Frigi!" He attacks doing ninety-eight damage.

"Frigi, Subzero Stomp on Frigi!" He attacks doing forty-three damage.

"Scorching Lava, Burning Bite on Frigi!" He attacks doing ninety-six damage.

"Frigi, Subzero Stomp on Igno!" He attacks doing forty-one damage.

"Scorching Lava, Volcanic Combo on Frigi!" He attacks doing one hundred thirty-one damage, sending him into his medal.

"Salto, Shockwave on Igno!" He attacks doing five damage.

"Scorching Lava, Burning Bite on Salto!" He attacks doing one hundred twenty-six damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Salto!" He attacks doing twenty-nine damage.

"Salto, Shockwave on Igno!" He attacks doing three damage.

"Scorching Lava, Burning Bite on Salto!" He attacks doing one hundred eighty-seven damage, causing him to go into his medal.

"Shuno, Epicenter on Igno!" He attacks doing six damage.

"Scorching Lava, Burning Bite on Shuno!" He attacks doing one hundred ninety damage. "Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Shuno!" He attacks doing thirty-eight damage, putting him in his medal.

"N-no!" Bullwort yells. "What have you despicable brats done with my Frigisaurus?"

"I beat him. That's what I've done." I tell him.

"Inconceivable! I... I... I... was going to rule the world..." He falls over. "I don't feel so good..."

"That's because I forced your bitterness down your throat." I say.

_'Red...' _I look at Scorching Lava, whose still in his vivosaur form. _'Thank you. You helped me defeat my greatest enemy. You are a person who will help everyone someday. I know it. May you live up to your full potential and show the world that you are no ordinary person... Thank you Red...' _He closes his eyes and he fades away to nothing. I look at where Frigi's medal landed to see it is also gone.

"Weird." Rosie says. "With Frigisaurus defeated, Ignosaurus just seemed to naturally fade away." Two officers step off the elevator and walk over to Bullwort.

"Well, 'Captain' Bullwort, it's time for you to see the inside of that jail you had built!" One of them says.

"Red, Rosie, Holt, Everyone is waiting for you three downstairs." The other officer tells us.

"Yes sir." Holt says. "Thank you officer."

"Let's leave the rest to the police guys." Rosie says. I nod. We step onto the elevator, ride it to the lobby, and walk outside to see everyone waiting.

"Thank you once again Red." Mr. Richmond tells me. "We have our town back because of your efforts."

"You really did an amazing job!" Dr. Diggins tells me. "I couldn't be more impressed!"

"Well you will be right after my Level-Up battle." I say. I stretch and yawn. "Which I'll do right after a nap." Everyone laughs. Vivian looks around.

"Hold on... Where did Rex go?" She asks. Snivels looks around.

"Hey good point." He says. "Oh wait. I think I know. With the lava shut down on Mt. Lavaflow, Rex has more places to dig. I'll bet he went there to find bones. Fresh or fossilized, he's not picky."

"Ugh." Vivian says. "I like fruit, but you don't see me running off climbing trees for it every second of the day." She looks at Snivels. "Anyway... I want you to go find him Snivels. Find Rex and bring him back home."

"You got it boss." He says.

"'Boss'." She says. "I like the sound of that." She walks off.

"May as well get use to it lady." Snivels says. He walks off and everyone looks at me. I yawn.

"Looks like keeping the world from being taken over really wears you out junior." McJunker says.

"You'd be surprised." I tell him.

"Red, I'll hang onto that new idol." Dr. Diggins tells me. I take the idol out of my backpack and hand it to him. "Red, you showed some outstanding battle skills today. I think you're ready... for your last Level-Up Battle."

"After a nap." Holt says.

"It's about time for the next round of Level-Up Battles isn't it?" Rosie says. "Okay, time to really prepare!" She looks at me. "If we happened to get matched up against each other, I won't be taking it easy on you."

"Same here." Holt says.

"This time tomorrow, you'll be a Master Fighter Red. I'm sure of it!" Rosie says. I look at everyone and smile.

"Thanks everyone..." I say before yawning again.

* * *

><p>Somewhere dark... (again)<p>

"Why would you involve yourself in such... trivial matters?" A man asks.

"..." Duna says nothing.

"No matter." The man says. "All four components are assembled. It is now time to collect them."

* * *

><p>A few minutes later...<p>

I walk out of the Fossil Center. I just cleaned some new fossils for my team after getting the last Fossil Chip installed into my sonar. Some fireworks go off.

BING-BONG-BING!

"Attention everyone, Level-Up Battles will be beginning shortly. All participating fighters should make their way to Fossil Stadium for registration." The announcer says.

BING-BONG-BING!

I go into the Fossil Stadium, register, get a one hundred on my cleaning test and fight my two primaries, which this time I had to win without losing a vivosaur.

"Congratulations!" Tiffany tells me. "You made it to the final battle! One more, you have to fight flawlessly. You'll lose even if one of your vivosaurs are defeated. When you're ready, go through the door on your right to the Battle Area." I walk over to the door and look at it.

_Okay... You can do this. Do it to prove that you ARE the greatest Fossil Fighter the world has and will see. LET'S DO IT! _I think. I walk through and see Saurhead standing there waiting.

"I'm going to rewrite your dictionary with a new definition if PAIN!" Saurhead tells me. "You done real good to get this far Red. But you won't get past me!"

"Watch me do it." I say. "Everybody says it's impossible to defeat you. I've made a habit of doing the impossible." He clenches his fists.

"Beating me would make you a Master Fighter! Losing to me makes you... everyone else." He says angrily.

"I'm not everyone else." I tell him. "I don't lose to punks like you." Suddenly we hear the audience outside stomp a foot followed by the next one, then clap their hands simultaneously. Stomp, stomp, CLAP! Stomp, stomp, CLAP! After a few times, when they clap their hands, they chant my name. Stomp, stomp, "RED!". Stomp, stomp, "RED!".

"LADIES and GENTLEMEN the fossil battle is about to begin!" The announcer says. Saurhead turns to the door and the crowd gets quiet. "He's one of two Master Fighters in the world, a man who never takes off his mask and says 'roar' a lot, SAURRRRRRRRRRHEAD!" He walks out, and there's a few cheers much to his surprise. "NOW! The kid you've all been waiting for! He stopped a crooked medal dealer, saved the famous fighter Nevada Montecarlo, returned the Treasure Chamber key to the Digadigs, helped McJunker to rebuild some of his destroyed mine cars, found the sunken ship of Woolbeard the Pirate, collected three extraordinarily rare things for a man to get Woolbeard's beard ribbon, defeated an enraged Woolbeard, saved Rosie Richmond from the BB Bandits, defeated the entire BB Bandit army single handedly, stopped Bullwort from taking over the world, revived the legendary vivosaur Ignosaurus, defeated the legendary vivosaur Frigisaurus, fought his way through the ranks faster than ANY Fossil Fighter, even Saurhead, is a rarer find than ANYTHING the world has ever seen, and is undoubtedly the greatest Fossil Fighter ANYONE ANYWHERE has EVER seen in the HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE, REEEEEEEEEEEEED WALKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER!" I step out onto the Battle Area, and it feels like a sonic boom hits me. The crowd has gone completely insane. I've never seen a crowd cheer like this. It's like they're cheering as if there's no tomorrow. I hear some screams and look to see the front row of the stadium is packed with fan girls. They have signs with my name on them, are calling my name, and when I look at them, they faint.

"Okay guys." I say taking out my team. "Let's show Saurhead how you fight a Fossil Battle." They come out and I look at Saurhead's. He has a Pachrino, Guan, and a Pelto. The Guan is black with a red underside, is built like a Oviraptor, has a crest on the top of its head, and has red splattered on its legs, sides, tail, face and the crest. The Pelto is built like a Goyle, has two spikes sticking out of its shoulders, has a sandy underside and a sandy, clay red, and black pattern on its back.

The battle starts.

It's just a blur of me giving commands to my vivosaurs, the sound of the crowd cheering for me, thinking of how to attack, and the feeling of excitement and adrenaline coursing through me. I love that feeling. It's something not everyone will feel, because you only get it when you fight a Fossil Battle. I open my mouth to tell vivosaurs to attack when the announcer cuts me off.

"RED WINS!" He yells as the crowd loses it, and I realize that Saurhead's team is in their medals. I, alongside my vivosaurs, release a cry of victory. I feel the back of my shirt get grabbed and I get lift up into the air, then put down on something. I open my eyes to see that Flamethrower lifted me up onto Air Strike's back. I hold one of the spikes for balance, and wave to the crowd. They chant my name and some people throw confetti in the air while my team again releases roars f victory.

Two minutes later...

I walk into the lobby and stop in front of the desk. I'm ready to fall over actually. The battle, hearing all those cheering people, and not to mention the events from earlier, have worn me out. I notice the fan boy and the man from earlier today walking towards me, anger edged into their faces.

"You must have cheated or something to beat Saurhead!" The fan boy says taking a step forward.

"Yeah... cheater!" Says the man as he takes a step forward. "You're a dirty, cheating... cheater! Cheater." I look at them. I know they'll probably try to fight me, and I'm in no condition for that right now.

"That's enough!" We all turn to see Saurhead walking over to us. "Do you two think Saurhead can't spot a cheater in the ring?"

"Oh! Saurhead!" The fan boy says.

"Hey kid." Saurhead tells me. "That was a good battle. Saurhead hasn't smelled the old-socks odor of defeat in ages!"

"Hear that?" The man says, jumping. "Saurhead smells old socks! Whoaaaa!"

_What? _I wonder.

"So that was just a hard fought battle?" The fan boy asks. "No cheating?"

"No cheating." Saurhead says. "And victory over me, Saurhead, means that you kid, are now a Master Fighter!" He takes out my license. "I hereby certify you Red, as a Master Fighter." He stamps it and hands it to me. I look at it, and the 6 has been replaced with the word 'Master' and has 'Master Fighter' under it. I stand there for a second, then jump in the air.

"OH YEAH!" I yell.

"But don't get full of yourself just because you're a Master Fighter kid." Saurhead tells me. "There are plenty of Fighters out there with tough, tough vivosaurs. Never let your guard down. Like those vivosaurs I used today? I raised those JUST for Level-Up Battles. I've got tougher ones too! You just keep doing what you're doing kid. Lots of digging and lots of fighting!" He leaves the stadium.

"Saurhead didn't use his strongest vivosaurs?" The fan boy exclaims. "Sheesh. He wasn't even taking the battle seriously!" He walks out of the stadium.

"Just imagine how much Saurhead would flatten the competition with his REAL vivosaurs." The man says before walking out. I turn and see Rosie walking over to me, and I stand up straighter.

"Red! You made Master Fighter!" She says. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks." I say with a smile. "But... Saurhead didn't use his regular team of vivosaurs."

"What?" Rosie exclaims.

"But he was still as strong as ever."

"Wow... I'm heading to my battle now. I better reconsider my team. Anyway thanks for the pro tip Red."

"Anytime." I say. I yawn.

"Ok, I can't put this off any longer!" She says with determination. "Time to become a Master Fighter!"

"You can do it." I tell her. She smiles, making me smile.

"Thanks..." She heads into the Battle Area, and despite how tired I am, I watch her battle.

She doesn't win.

I rush into the lobby and see her walking towards the door to leave, her head hanging. "Rosie!" I call as I run up to her. I put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't feel bad! You'll be a Master Fighter one of these days! I know you will!" She stands there. Seeing her sad for some odd reason makes me feel bad. _I can't BELIVE I'm about to do this. _I hug her. "Cheer up or I'll feel bad." She stands there a second, than hugs me back, her head in the crook of my neck.

"Thanks Red... You've always cheered me on and believed in me, even when I didn't. Thank you..." We stand there for a second, then we hear a clock ring five times. "I gotta go..." She says. We separate and she walks over to the door waves to me, and leaves. I walk towards the door when out of nowhere, an envelope falls in front of me. I pick it up, to see it has my name written neatly on the front. I open it, pull out a sheet of paper, and read it.

**Red-**

**There's something I want to talk to you about. I'll meet you in the park tonight.**

**-Duna**

I go back to my hotel room, hang my backpack on the desk chair, take off my boots, fall on my bed, and fall asleep.


	12. A Conflict

Chapter Twelve- A Conflict

I wake up to see the sunset sky through the sliding door. I roll out of bed onto the floor and yawn. _Ugh. I don't wanna go anywhere... I just what to go to bed. _I push myself up, go into the kitchen, and make a sub sandwich. I realize that I didn't have lunch, and I devour the sandwich like a starved wolf. I lay on the bed a doze until it gets dark. I then get up, change into a pair of black cargo pants, pull on my dark gray jacket and zip it up three fourths of the way. I grab my backpack, pull it on, leave my hotel room, go into the lobby, walk out of the hotel, and walk into the park. I look at the thicket of trees and bushes and remember what happened there last night. I get the happy, idiot look and the warm feeling fills me again. I see Duna in her human form standing next to a lamp post right next to a railing in the area where you can look out to sea. I walk over and she turns to look at me.

"Thank you for coming Red." She tells me.

"You... wanted to talk to me about something?" I ask.

"Yes." She says. "I am unsure if I will ever see you again, so I wanted to make sure I was able to speak to you. As you have seen, I am not human." I nod.

"What are you exactly?" I ask. She turns and looks out to sea.

"I am a Dinaurian. I am from another world. You might think of us as dinosaur people." She says.

"Are all your people able to turn into vivosaurs?" I ask. She nods.

"Living beings change over time... Over millions and millions of years. This is called 'evolution'." Duna tells me. I nod.

"I learned something about that in school. They didn't go into a lot of detail though." I tell her.

"You and I have followed different evolutionary paths and now are different creatures altogether." Duna tells me. "The Dinaurians as a group have never thought well of humans."

"What?" I ask confused.

"You have a long history of turning against each other, waging war, and other such... problems." She explains. "One of your kind even used... something... to take over others bodies, ensuring himself eternal life."

"WHAT?" I exclaim. "How does THAT work? I get the other stuff but..." I sigh.

"I have always believed that humans to be unable to respect one another wanting more than conflict." She looks at me. "But... you are different."

"Your people shouldn't think that humans just want conflict. Many don't. They are just trying to protect what is most important to them, while others are just greedy." I tell her. "But... how am I different?"

"Despite the fact that I am Dinaurian and I attacked you... You saved me from under that bolder." She tells me. "May... may I ask you one thing?"

"Yeah."

"If there were a war between humans and Dinaurians... If I were your enemy... Would you still have saved me Red?"

"Of course. I couldn't let anyone, not even an enemy, die like that." She blinks in surprise.

"Really?" Duna asks. "Even as an enemy you would have saved me?"

"Yep."

"..." She slowly turns to look out to sea. "Your answer inspires a strange feeling inside me. It is hard to describe. I suppose it is... happiness. I never thought I would say this to a human, but... I think I like you."

_What? ... Oh boy... She... has a... crush. On me. Oh man, what do I do? _I wonder. Duna looks at me.

"It saddens me that I will not be able to see you again. But this is something that cannot be changed. There is nothing that can be done about it. If only I could change the past and have you evolve into a Dinaurian like me...

_WHAT?_

"If that were possible, we could be really close... friends."

_I don't like where this is going._

"Good-bye Red." Before I can do anything she leans forward and kisses me on the right side of my face. She then turns and walks away, leaving me there with my face red from embarrassment. I stand there for a minute thinking.

I didn't feel like how I did after Rosie kissed me.

I just feel normal. Embarrassed, but normal. When Rosie had kissed me, I felt... amazing. I walk back to the hotel, go up to my room, shower, pull on a clean pair of boxers, and get in bed. I lie there in the dark, exhausted.

Yet I can't sleep.

My mind drifts to Rosie and the weird feeling fills me. I lie there and think of her. Then I realize something. She and Duna have kissed me.

That means they both like me.

I continue to lie there, and it feels like the room has gotten hot and stuffy. I push the covers off, get out of bed, get Air Strike, Cloud Cover, and Flamethrower's medals, and go out onto the balcony, despite I'm just wearing my boxers. The night air is cool against my skin and the fresh air fills my lungs. I lay them out on the short table out there and stretch out on the lawn chair. The furniture out here is quite nice actually, it has the table and the lawn chair, another white chair made of that wicket stuff that some baskets are made of, and a taller table next to that. I lie there, and look at the clear night sky full of stars.

_I never saw the stars like this at home. Not even at the summer camp me and Zeke went to. This looks... amazing really..._ Rosie enters my mind. _She reminds me of this for some reason... why? And why do I have that feeling when I'm around her? Does she l-l-l-lo... really, really like me? Or just as a friend? Of course just as a friend... right? ... Do I l-l-l-l-lo... NO! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! I do not! I just like her as a friend! Why am I asking myself that question? ... Do I like her more than a friend? No. Yes. Maybe? ARGH! Why...? Why...? Do I feel so... so... so..._

_'Happy?' _Air Strike asks.

_'Confused?' _Flamethrower asks.

_'Absolutely, wonderfully indescribable?' _Cloud Cover suggests.

_'ALL THOSE! ... Around her?... What do I do?'_ I ask.

_'What do you mean?' _Flamethrower asks.

_'I mean, what do I do about Rosie and Duna BOTH liking me to the point where THEY BOTH KISSED ME?' _I tell them. _'I barley know Duna, but I'm content on being friends with her, and I have that weird feeling around Rosie, but I don't want her to hate me! If I tell them I don't like them that way, Duna will shoot me with the ray-gun-thing and Rosie will unleash her vivosaurs on me! OR maybe Duna won't use the ray-gun-thing and instead she'll turn into a vivosaur and get all "RAWRZ!" on me! And if I play along with both of them, they'll find out sooner or later, and STILL kill me, and if I tell one that I like the other, they'll kill each other! WHY DOES ALL OF THIS HAVE TO BE SO COMPLICATED AND CONFUSEING?'_

_'Maybe it's some sort of cruel joke?' _Cloud Cover suggests.

_'Hey, have you guys ever felt like there was some other force watching us?' _Air Strike asks.

_'Yeah...' _Flamethrower says. _'Sometimes I feel like there's someone watching us... reading our minds, actions, what we say, and everything else as if they where words on a screen...' _

_'...' _All of us sit there for a second. _'Nah.'_

_'But still! How does this help me? I don't want them to kill each other and don't want them to kill me, and I just want to tell Duna I just want to be friends, and I just want this weird feeling I get around Rosie to STOP BUGGING ME! WHY CAN'T I UNDERSTAND THIS? I like it, but I hate it, but I like it! ARGH! Why can't I just...? Just...? JUST...? I DON'T KNOW! MAKE IT LEAVE ME ALONE? ARGH! I don't want it to go away entirely, just the confusing part... the happy I don't mind...' _I say.

_'What are you going to do?' _Cloud Cover asks me.

_'What should I do?' _I ask Flamethrower.

_'What? Why are you asking me?' _He asks.

_'Well you just know all of this stuff!'_

_'I don't know what to do!'_

_'ARGH!'_

_'Calm down.'_

_What AM I going to do? I'm freaking out. I've gone into a panic about something I don't understand. I'm confused. _I think. _'I can't fight this feeling anymore. The first chance I get, I'm going to tell Duna I just want to be friends and I'm going to tell Rosie about the feeling I get around her.'_

_'I can't fight this feeling anymore? ... Where have I heard that before?' _Air Strike asks.

_'Maybe it was in a song or something...?' _Flamethrower suggests.

_'...' _We all sit there for a second. _'Nah.' _I pick up their medals, go back into the hotel room, lock the sliding door, put the medals back in the side pocket of my backpack, and climb into bed. I lay there in the dark and I know that tomorrow I'll feel better after talking to them. I drift into a deep, restful, sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Lawlz. I think Red is getting in over his head eh? Leave a review or Duna will get all "RAWRZ!" on you! And yes, 'I can't fight this feeling anymore' is from a song.<strong>


	13. Idol Thieves

Chapter Thirteen- Idol Thieves

RRRRIIIINNNNGGGG! I slap my hand down on my alarm clock. I lay there for a second then open my eyes. The first thing that enters my mind is Rosie. _I'm going to tell her today. _Oddly, I'm filled with a sudden shyness and don't want to tell her. _NO. I'M TELLING HER. _I get up, do my exercises, get dressed, eat breakfast, pull on my backpack, and head out the door. As I head down to the lobby, I think of how I'm going to tell Duna I just want to be friends, and how I'm going to tell Rosie about the weird feeling I get around her. I step off the elevator into the lobby and walk out of the hotel. _Okay, the SECOND I see her I'll-_

"Red!" I hear Rosie say. I jump and look to see her walking towards me. The strange feeling grips me. "Perfect timing! You the idols the BB Bandits were after? Turns out they DO have a hidden secret!"

"What is it?" I ask her.

"They're not just old statues! They're advanced technology that no one's ever seen before!"

"Whoa!" I exclaim. "That's... That's CRAZY!"

"I know!" Rosie says. "Dr. Diggins has them over in the Secret Lab now doing some testing. Let's go see what's going on."

"Okay, but..." I scratch the back of my head, look at the ground and feel my face get hot.

"Yeah?" Rosie asks. I look up at her.

"Uh... after... after that there's... there's something I need to tell you." I tell her shyly.

"Okay." She says. "Maybe while we're at the lab we'll find out some more about Duna and what she's all about. The Secret Lab is in the Richmond Building's basement." We walk across the Fighter area to the Guild Area, walk through it to the Richmond Building and walk in. I notice that the lobby is surprisingly empty. I then see something running around on the floor. It's a dirt-orange color with red spots, about one and a half feet long, comes up to my knee, has a triangular head, point ears, four legs with black feet, and a tail.

_What the WHAT? _I think. It walks up to Rosie and make a noise that's a mix between a squeak and a growl.

Rosie shrieks in disgust and jumps backward. "What is that? An aardvark? A beaver with a tail injury? A gerbil that's been working out? Ugh. I guess it looks like a huge mouse. Blech!" It runs toward her, making her run away from it. It chases her around the lobby, and eventually she runs behind me. I take out my pick ax, making it skid to a stop in front of me.

"Go on! Get outta here!" I tell it. I chase it out of the building and walk back into it and up to Rosie. "It's gone."

"With mice that big running around, what in the world has the cleaning lady been doing with her time?" Rosie exclaims. We look around, and I notice the huge potted plants on the right side of the room are gone revealing a door way. "Wait... The cleaning lady is usually here by now... Where IS she? Hey, look!" She points at a guard standing in the corner, fear covering his face. We walk over to him. "Excuse me, Sir?" He stiffens.

"Th-th-th-the beam... S-s-s-s-squeak..." He stutters

"Get a hold of yourself man!" I yell shaking his shoulders. He looks down at me with eyes full of fear.

"S-s-s-secret Lab... Underground..." He tells me.

"What about the Underground Secret Lab?" Rosie asks.

"Come on! You need to tell us!" I tell him.

"Th-th-th-the beam... S-s-s-s-squeak..." He says.

"C'mon!" I yell grabbing Rosie's hand. "There's something bad going on down there!" We run through the doorway, down some stairs and come to a gray-blue door with a heavy lock. I let go of Rosie's hand take out my pick, kick in the door and jump in the room. "NOBODY MOVE!" I yell. The room has a lot of gadgets and computers everywhere including a special analyzing chamber with the idols in it.

"Duna!" Rosie exclaims. Duna looks at in us in her human form and the green idol in her hands. Standing beside her, putting the yellow idol in some sort of container, is a young man about sixteen. He's not a human though.

He's another Dinaurian.

He has blue hair done into a spike with bangs covering his forehead and two long locks of hair around his face, purple on his neck and collar bones, light blue skin and pointed ears, two pink lines that start beneath his eyes that disappear into his hair, yellow eyes, teal arms, hands and shoulders with three crystal-like objects on his chest, green torso, purple going around the middle of his lower arms, purple around his waist with another crystal-like object in it, cyan feet, teal legs with purple on the knees and thighs, two more of the crystal-like objects in his knees, and a tail that has green the first six inches, then light blue the next three, then teal the rest of it.

"Red. Rosie." Duna says. The other Dinaurian steps forward.

"Hello humans." He says. "My name is Raptin. I have taken the liberty of letting myself in, thank you."

"This is private property!" Rosie exclaims. "What are you doing here? Explain yourselves!"

"Ah, how to explain in such a way that you'll understand..." Raptin says. "We are... Dinaurians, a superior life-form. First I should thank you for collecting all the sub-idolcomps for us. Clearly we should have hired you from the beginning, instead of that useless Bullwort."

"You two were the people who hired him?" I exclaim.

"That is correct." Raptin says.

"Why do you want those tacky idols?" I ask.

"Sub-idolcomps." Raptin says. "We require them to make some adjustment to an... experiment."

_I don't like the way he said that. _I think.

"This experiment, you might be interested to know, involves wiping humans off the face of the earth."

"WHAT?" Me and Rosie yell simultaneously.

"Whoa, whoa." Rosie says scared. "You can't possibly have said what I thought you said!"

"I assure you I did, and I meant it." He says. "I suggest finding some way to occupy yourselves until your time comes." He takes out a gun and points it at Rosie. "For example, you could practice scurrying around on all fours!" He fires it, and a beam of yellow hoops shoots straight towards Rosie.

"ROSIE!" I yell. I sprint forward, knock her out of the way, and feel the beam hit my side. "AAAAAAAH!" I yell out of pain. It feels like someone kicked me really hard. It suddenly stops, and I fall to the floor, half knock out.

"RED!" Rosie and Duna both scream at the same time.

"Hmmm..." Raptin slaps the gun. "Ah! There we go!" He points it back at Rosie.

"R...r...r...run..." I force out. Rosie runs over to me, grabs the back of my shirt and tries to take me with her. "...g...go... leave... me... run..."

"NO!" She yells. "I'm not-"

The ray hits her.

"AAAAAH!" She screams, and turns into the giant mouse we saw earlier, except her helmet remains on her head.

"NO!" I yell. "R...R... Rosie..." She releases some of the squeak-growl noises. She nudges my head.

"Ah, interesting." Raptin says. "Did the beam actually work? I have such trouble telling one mammal from another. Rosie growls at him and attacks him. "GAH! S-stop it! Do not bite me, you filthy beast!" He hits her off of him, and she hits the wall, knocking her out. "Ugh. So primitive and... brutish.

"No!" I say. "Rosie..." I push myself up onto my hands and knees, only to fall back down. Raptin looks at me.

"Time to finish the transformation." He says pointing the gun at me. Duna stuffs the idol into the container and steps in front of him.

"Raptin!" She says. "We have the idolcomps. Let's hurry and get back to the ship. Just leave him alone..."

"Get out of the way Duna." Raptin says. "Unless you'd care to revisit some earlier braches of the family tree!" He pushes her out of the way, and points the gun at me. "Take this!" He pulls the trigger, but nothing happens. "Hmmm. Must be out of power. Oh well. It will leave you weak enough to do nothing to stop us." He looks at Duna, who is looking at me with tears in her eyes. "So Duna, shall we return to the ship?" He reaches up to his neck, then looks around frantically. "Wh-where is my teleporter? It must have fallen off somewhere. Argh..." He holds out his hand. "Let me use yours." Duna takes off her necklace and hands it to him. He turns the pendant over a pushes a button. Orange rings with white specks in them appear next him.

"Raptin..." I say in a hoarse voice. He looks at me. "I... will... stop you... I won't let... you wipe out... humans..." Pain burns on my side.

"I doubt that." He says. He then steps in to the middle of the orange rings. He turns white, then diffuses into small particles which then disappear. Duna looks at us.

"Red. Rosie. I am so sorry." She turns to step into the rings.

"Duna..." She looks at me. "Don't let him... help us... please..." She stands there and looks at me as tears weld up in her eyes. She steps into the rings and looks away from us. She turns white, defuses into small particles which disappear, and the rings disappear.

_I will stop you Raptin._

_Even if it takes me to the grave._

My eyes close, and I black out.

The first thing I'm a wear of is that I'm lying on something surprisingly soft. I slowly crack open my eyes and see I'm lying on Rosie's bed in her room. "Rosie?" I ask. She pops up next to the bed as the giant mouse creature. I slowly sit up, and put my feet on the floor. "Ohhhhh..." I moan and put my hand on my side where the ray hit it. Rosie climbs up onto the bed, and into my lap. "Don't worry." I say hugging her. "Everything will be alright." I sit there hugging her, with one hand one back of her head which is rested on my shoulder. We sit there for a minute, then I remember I wanted to tell her about the strange feeling I get around her. "Um... Rosie?" She looks at me. "I don't..." My face gets hot as a blush spreads across it. "I don't know if this is the best time but..." She remembers something, jumps down to the floor runs to the elevator, and looks at me. I stand up, slowly and painfully walk over, push the button and step on to the elevator. We ride it down to the lobby, Rosie leads me over to the left elevator, and I push the button for that one. We step on when it arrives, and I push the button for Mr. Richmond office. We arrive, step off, and I hear Mr. Richmond and Dr. Diggins talking.

"Diggins, who are those two on the security camera?" Mr. Richmond asks. "What do they mean by Dinaurians?"

"Dinaurians..." Dr. Diggins says. "Hmmm... Could these be humanoids that somehow evolved from dinosaurs? Very interesting. This is all speculation, of course... One thing for sure, these Dinaurians have technology far beyond ours."

"Better than yours Diggins?" Mr. Richmond asks.

"Better than that collage student's."

"That IS impressive."

"Mr. Richmond, do you think they have something to do with the secret site?"

_Secret site? _I wonder. Me and Rosie walk into the second half of the office to see Dr. Diggins in front of the of the desk with Mr. Richmond sitting in the chair behind it. Rosie walks over to the side of the desk, and I stand and the end of it.

"Red! You're awake." Mr. Richmond says.

"How long was I out?" I ask him.

"About one hour." He tells me. "Red, I don't know how to thank you for trying to help Rosie and stop that man. Even though..."

"It's okay." I tell him. "I'm just trying to keep her safe." He nods.

"We saw what happened in the laboratory." He tells me. "It was recorded on the security cameras. I again thank you for trying, and I'm sorry you had to go through it son." He looks at Rosie. "It's Rosie I'm really worried about though. What have they done to her?" Rosie makes some of the squeak-growl noises. Mr. Richmond gets up from his chair, walks over to her and pats her head. "There, there Rosetta. I wish I could make you feel better... Oh! mice like cheese right? I'll go get some."

"With all due respect Mr. Richmond, Rosie did not get turned into a mouse." Dr. Diggins says. We all look at him. "She was turned into a triconodonta."

"A triconodonta? What's that?" Mr. Richmond asks.

"Triconodotas were ancient creatures that were the predecessors to some modern mammals." Dr. Diggins explains. "The ray that hit Rosie must somehow revert creatures to earlier evolutionary forms. Put another way, it alters your DNA to match that of your most ancient ancestors."

"That's... utterly terrifying!" Mr. Richmond exclaims. "What a devastating weapon!" I look at Rosie.

"I'm sorry..." I tell her. She looks at me and cocks her head.

"Yes, we'll have to take that dino-being's threat to 'wipe humans off the face of the earth' seriously." Dr. Diggins says. "I only wish we knew more about them. If only to understand their motivations better..." Rosie squeak-growls excitedly and we all look at her. She then walks over to me and gives me a pendant with a broken string attached to it. The pendant is dark green with a black symbol on the front and is shaped like a velociraptor. "What is that thing?" Dr. Diggins asks. I hand it to him.

"I think it belonged to Raptin." I tell him. "She must have pulled it off him when she attacked."

"Good girl Rosie!" Mr. Richmond tells her. "Way to keep your head in a crisis!" Rosie smiles. Or at least I think she is.

"There's a switch on it. Hmmm." Dr. Diggins says looking at the back of the pendant. "It looks like some sort of electronic device." Mr. Richmond looks at him quickly.

"Now Diggins," He says. "don't go pushing buttons. We don't know what that thing could turn people into."

"Don't worry." Dr. Diggins says. "I'm not THAT careless. After... ah... ah... AH... AH-CHOOOO!" He accidently pushes the button as he sneezes. "Oh darn, I push the button."

_Face palm._ I think as I do it. Suddenly, orange rings with white specks in them appear around me and Dr. Diggins.

"What the what?" I exclaim.

"AAAAAH!" Dr. Diggins yells. I notice that I can't feel my feet, and I look down to see that my lower body is white. I can't feel any of it, and I look up to see Mr. Richmond and Rosie standing there horrified.

Everything goes white.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- In case you're wondering, the symbol on Raptin's pendant is suppose to be the Dinaurian letter 'R'. Leave a review!<strong>

**Red: WHAT'S GOING ON?**

**Me: Take a chill pill. You'll find out in the next chapter!**


	14. Time Traveling and Teleporting

**AN- FYI, the symbols on the pendants are the Dinaurian letter for that person first letter of their name. Also, they won't use Saurhead's mask to sneak on the ship. They use something A LOT cooler! After all, HOW IN THE WORLD DID THEY PASS AS DINAURIANS WITH THAT MASK?**

* * *

><p>Chapter Fourteen-Time Traveling and Teleporting<p>

I don't feel anything.

Physically that is.

Mentally, I feel everything.

I feel my emotions and my thoughts racing around my mind in a whirlwind of questions.

I think of Rosie, and the strange feeling gets its iron hold on me.

Its all just a cosmos of bliss now.

I can feel myself at the farthest corners of all of outer space.

I am everywhere.

I am nowhere.

The ocean of stars that I love to look at is now all around me as I get submerged into it.

I feel...

At peace.

It's as if all my worries have been washed away.

A thought enters my mind.

_Am I dead?_

_No._

_I can still think._

_But what DO I think of?_

_My worries? My hopes? My dreams? My memories? My family and friends?_

_No._

_I think of what this feeling reminds me of._

_Rosie._

_Why does this feeling do this to me?_

_Why am I like this?_

_This is the feeling I get._

_But I've never felt anything like this before._

I've never felt like all the galaxies, all the stars, all the planets, every ounce of energy and matter are orbiting me like I'm the center of all of it.

_Is this what I'm supposed to feel like around her?_

_Do I like Rosie?_

_More than a friend?_

_Is this feeling trying to tell me that?_

_Is this why I'm confused?_

_Am I in love?_

_No..._

_Yes..._

_Maybe..._

_I don't know._

_I don't know anything anymore._

_Ever since I first felt this, my world has been upside down._

_But is this what love feels like?_

_An entire cosmos of bliss orbiting you?_

_I like it._

_I don't like it._

_Do I?_

_I don't know._

_I wish I knew what this feeling was._

_I think._

_When I'm with her, it just feels like..._

_Perfection._

_Nothing can go wrong._

_Time has stopped._

_We'll never get hurt._

_We'll always be together._

_Like the energy of time and space want us to love each other._

_..._

_Do I..._

_...love her?_

I feel something.

My feet in my socks and boots.

My hands in my gloves.

My arms and legs.

My clothes rubbing against my skin.

My torso.

My backpack.

My neck.

My head.

My crown and my hair.

I stand there, frozen for a second.

I open my eyes and gasp for air. I then fall to my hands and knees panting, my vision flashes black and red as I try to oxygen in to my blood stream.

"Red!" I look up, still panting to see Dr. Diggins standing there, bent over panting. "Are you... okay?" I nod. We sit there panting for a minute. I stand up and get a bit light headed, but I look around the room. The floor and bottom half of the walls are teal, and the upper half of the walls are white. All around the room, on the floor, ceilings, and walls, are yellow light built into them, give the room a strange appearance. In the center of the room is a light blue circle surrounded by purple, which is then surrounded by black that leads off to a hallway. Around the circle, floating about a foot off the ground and about ten feet tall, are lavender panels with light blue symbols and a yellow circle towards the top. On the right wall is a hallway and on the other three walls there are long windows.

"What... just happened?" I ask Dr. Diggins, about to go into panic. "Where are we?" He shakes his head.

"I don't... don't..." His eyes get huge and he runs over to the window. "**WHAT**?" I run over to it, and I don't believe it.

We're in outer space.

Aboard a spaceship.

I can see earth from here.

It's small.

"I don't believe it!" Dr. Diggins exclaims with disbelief. "We're in space! ... And on a spaceship!"

"WHAT THE WHAT?" I ask in a high-pitched tone of confusion.

"This pendant must be some sort of teleportation device then." Dr. Diggins says. "Fascinating! But wait... This spaceship... Is it the Dinaurian base? And where in the galaxy is it?" I point out the window at earth. "Ah." We stand there, looking at earth, the place where we were only a while ago. I hear footsteps and turn to see a Dinaurian walking towards us. He has light blue skin, green hair spiked in the back, green around his waist, pointed ears, pink lines that start under his eyes and disappear into his hair, pink dots on his knees and where his shoulders connect to his torso, bluish-green shoulders and upper half of his upper arms, which have regular green around them, hands, and upper legs. The lower part of his legs are brown, has bluish-green feet, and he has a tail with the first foot being brown, two pink dots on the sides, and the rest of it is light blue.

"Hey guys," He says. "Looks like you two forgot to turn off your holographic disguises. You know the rules, holographic disguise devices must be turned off inside the Mother Ship. Or is there some other reason you look like humans...?" He takes a step forward. "Like... you're actually humans that sneaked aboard somehow?" We keep straight faces.

_OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN! PLEASE DON'T LET HIM RELIEZE WE'RE HUMANS! _I think, my mind panicking. He takes a step back and laughs.

"Ha! I'm only joking!" He says. "C'mon! What are the odds REAL humans could get out here into orbit? Sheesh! Anyway, shut off the holographic devices okay?" He stand there, waiting for us to do so.

"We can't." I say. He looks at me.

"Why not?" He asks.

"We were looking around a volcano and the heat from the lava made our holographic devices malfunction. They just need to re-boot is all." I explain.

"Ah." He says. "Okay. But when they do, turn them off. Okay?" He turns and walks down the hallway.

"Whew." Dr. Diggins sighs. "That was close. That was quick thinking with the explanation. How did you know it would work?" He asks looking at me. I stand there, my mouth clamped shut.

"ABOUT that..." I say. "I'll explain when we get back to earth. We can't stay here looking like this." He nods. We walk over to the circle on the floor. As Dr. Diggins steps onto it, the floating panels spin around in a circle, and the rings appear. He teleports, and I'm actually worried about doing it again. I don't want to go through that again. I LIKED the feeling... but I didn't like the questions I asked myself. I take a deep breath, and step onto the circle. I squeeze my eyes shut, waiting for it to return, as I feel myself being teleported. I feel myself being put back together, but I just stand there, stiff and eyes squeezed shut.

"Diggins! Red!" I hear Mr. Richmond say. I open an eye to see me and Dr. Diggins standing in Mr. Richmond's office. "Don't scare me like that! You just melted away in front of me!" Rosie suddenly jumps up onto me, and I catch her in my arms. She hugs me, making my face grow hot. "What happened?" Mr. Richmond asks Dr. Diggins.

"You won't believe this," I tell him. "but..."

"We were teleported to a spaceship. Apparently the Dinaurian Mother Ship. We need to go back. That spaceship is our key to finding out more about the Dinaurians!" Rosie suddenly let's out some worried squeak-growls.

"Don't worry." I say hugging her tighter. "We'll be okay." She buries her face in the crook of my neck.

"Red's right." Dr. Diggins says. "But in order to be okay, we'll need to use disguises. Some way to avoid looking to... human." We all stand there and think.

"I know!" Mr. Richmond exclaims. He opens a desk drawer and pulls out some blueprints. "The college student, the one whose made all this other stuff, gave me these. They're blueprints for a machine that makes you look however you want. It's just a prototype though, she didn't need them and I asked if I could have them in case we need them."

"That's brilliant!" Dr. Diggins says accepting the blueprints. He unrolls the paper and looks at it. "Yes... yes... I'll get to work right away. I'll need some parts and help though."

"Holt and McJunker may be able to help." I tell him. "They have all those parts in the Junk Depot and they're good engineers." Dr. Diggins nods.

"I'll head on over to the Underground Where house." He says. "Tell them to met me there." I nod and put Rosie down. Me and Dr. Diggins then leave the Richmond building. He heads to the Fossil Center while I head to the Junk Depot. I walk in to Holt and McJunker working on some sort of machine. Holt turns to look at me and lifts up the welding mask he has on.

"Hey Red!" He says with a smile. "How ya been?"

"Junior!" McJunker exclaims smiling. "What brings you here?"

"Okay... I'm sound ABSOLUTLY insane, but..." I take a deep breath. "As it turns out, the idols the BB Bandits were after were really high-tech devises that no one has ever seen before and an alien race called Dinaurians want them to make some adjustments to something so they can wipe humans off the face of the Earth, and I tried to stop two of them from stealing the idols, but I got shot with some ray-gun-thing that weakened me and Rosie got turned into a triconodonta and she then attacked one and in the process she took his pendant and then the two Dinaurians teleported away after the one that got attacked got Rosie off of him, and then Dr. Diggins was taking a look at the pendant and he teleported me and him onto the Mother Ship of the Dinaurians and we almost got caught, but then we teleported back and Dr. Diggins needs your help to build some sort of machine that'll disguise me and him as Dinaurians to avoid suspicion, so we can stop the Dinaurians from destroying the human race!" I say it all very quickly, and I stand there panting. They stand there for a second, then burst out laughing.

"HA HA HA! Good one Red!" Holt laughs.

"You almost had us fooled for a second!" McJunker says. "Aliens! Good one!" They continue to laugh. I stand there, giving them a dead serious look. They begin to stop laughing and begin to realize I'm serious. "Holt, get the tool box."

"Yes sir!" He says. He takes off the welding mask and protective gloves, then runs over to a shelf and takes down a large tool box. McJunker goes over to a workbench and begins to get some parts. When they have everything they need, I tell them what Dr. Diggins told me to tell them. They head to the Fossil Center, and I go out of the Junk Depot and look out to sea. I wander into the Fighter Area and walk down the road between the Fossil Stadium and the Fossil Center, into the housing area of the island.

The houses here are really nice actually. They all have white wooden fences, sidewalks in front of them, have nicely cut green grass lawns, blooming flower beds, are two-story, are painted light blue with white trimming, black roofs, have workshops rather than garages, and have trees neatly arranged in the backyards with a hammock hanging between two. Each house has a different number above the front doors and on the mailboxes which are right next to the front gates. The thing that I like best about these houses though, is that they have nice porches and back decks with swinging chairs, rocking chairs, and regular ones. My house didn't have those. I always wished we could. I keep walking and eventually walk into some woods and after a few minutes, come to a clearing. I stand there and look at it. I then take off my backpack, put it under a tree and walk to the middle of the clearing.

"Why do I feel like this?" I wonder aloud. "I don't understand this at all. I want to know what this... feeling is, but I don't. Whenever I have it, I get this warm, happy, fuzzy feeling inside. It's just feels like... like... nothing I've ever felt before." I grab my head in frustration.

"Why do I have to be like this? Why do I have to feel this? Why do I have to be SO CONFUSED? I don't get it! I like it, but I don't. But I like it. I wish that I could always have it, but I don't. I wish I knew WHY I feel this way! Why do I have to have this feeling? Why can't I just go about my life and not have it? I mean, REALLY! I... I..." My wanders back to when she kissed me.

"Why am thinking about that? I... I... I didn't want to be smooched! ... Did I REALLY just say 'smooched'? ... Never thought I would say that. But... why did I react like that? I... felt... amazing... It made me feel... indescribably... wonderful... Did I? Did I want her to kiss me? NO!... Yes? No! I-I-!..." I sigh. "I... I don't know... What DO I know? Ever since I felt this, I haven't been the same... Why? What am I feeling? Why is it confusing? Why is it wonderful? Why do I get shy when I'm about to tell her about it? I... I... WHY? That's all I want to know! Why do I feel like this? What am I feeling that's thrown my view of the world? I know it's not love!..." I stand there for a second.

"Is it? No... ARGH! I DON'T KNOW! WHY AM I THINKING LIKE THIS? WHY DO I FEEL THIS WAY? WHAT AM I EVEN FEELING? I just want it to leave me alone! Is that SO much to ask for? No! It's not! I know I'm not in love!... Am I? I don't know what is and what isn't anymore! I'm lost in a world of questions and feelings that I don't understand! And... I know she kissed me to thank me but... was there another reason? Does she think that it's... cute?... that I got shy? If I had to would I kiss her? Would I even do it right? Would I like? Would she let me? ARGH! Why am I EVEN TALKING ABOUT THIS? I've never needed love! ... Well... I liked Mary... but..." I sigh. "I wonder how she and Zeke are..."

* * *

><p>Mary sat there alone in a clearing in the forest behind Zeke's house. This was a special clearing. She, Red and Zeke had all built a fort there. They always loved to play there.<p>

_Why? Why he leave? Why didn't he tell me? Why didn't he say good-bye? Did... did really like him? Or was it just... puppy love? _She thought about it. _I... I... It was. It was just puppy love. Not real love. I need to move on. Red was my friend and my crush, but he's gone. And I know I'll see him again but... I can't wait around. I'm sorry Red. But I... I don't like you like that anymore. We can still be friends though... you haven't changed. No matter what, we'll always be friends._ She stands up and looks at the fort. It was made of wood planks nailed together between two trees. It wasn't the best in the world, but they really liked it.

"Hey..." Mary turns to see Zeke standing at the edge of the clearing with his hands in the pockets of his jacket. He walks over to her and they both look at the fort. "You miss him don't you?"

"Yes..." Mary says. "But... not as much." Zeke looks at her confused.

"What?" He asks.

"I... let him go. It... wasn't real... just puppy love."

"Ah. ... He'll come back one day. I know he will. He'll give us the reason he left. Even though we already know." Mary nods and looks at him.

"Huh..."

"What?"

"Nothing." They look back at the fort. _I never noticed how beautiful his brown eyes were._

* * *

><p>I stood there, looking at the sky. <em>Maybe... I'll get rid of this feeling if... <em>I take a deep breath. "Mary... I'm sorry but... It... wasn't... real. It was just puppy love. I'm sorry, but... I'm sorry. I let you free. I know you liked me back since you... ya know... but, I let you free. I'll come back one day. Don't let me hold you back. You're smart, beautiful and nice. There's a guy out there just waiting for you... you'll find him. I know you will." I feel a weight be lifted from my heart. Part of my mind clears and becomes peaceful. It was the part that always had the fact that I left someone I liked behind. It's at peace now.

"Well... at least I feel a little better." I think of Rosie,

And the feeling has only increased in strength.

"ARGH! That didn't help with this! WHY? WHY DO I HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS? WHY DO I FEEL LIKE THIS? I DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS! ... Why did I feel like fireworks went off inside me when she kissed me?" My face instantly turns red and get fiery hot. "If... if it had been two and a half inch to the left she would've... would've... NO! I don't want to be kissed on the lips! I don't even want to be kissed! ... Do I? No! ... Yes? NO! I don't! ... I don't, but I do, but I don't! ARGH! THIS MAKES NO SENSE! I just... just... I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I WANT ANYMORE! Why? Is this some curse that's been put on me? Or just some cruel twist of fate? ... I don't know..." I fall backwards onto the grass.

"I don't know anything anymore. Is this just because its spring? Or... is it summer? I left on a Saturday, went to Greenhorn Plains Sunday, Knotwood Forest Monday, Rivet Ravine Tuesday, Bottomsup Bay Wednesday, Saved Rosie Thursday, stopped Bullwort Friday... IT'S ONLY BEEN A WEEK? Wow... It's just the third week of April... it seems like it's been longer than that..." I lay there in the grass and look at the clouds float by.

"Am I going to be like this forever? I don't know if I want to or not." My mind drift to Rosie. "WHY DO I DO THAT? I'll be doing nothing, but then, POOF! She jumps to the front of my mind! WHY? I-I don't want her to but I do! ARGH! WHY AM I SO **CONFUSED**?" I lay there, confused, not knowing what to do about the situation. "What do I do...?" I lay there for a second, then get up, pull on my backpack and head to the Fossil Center. I go down to the Underground Where house and see a large machine that wasn't there before. It's about ten feet tall with the first five being a circular base that slightly slants as it goes up. The upper half of it is red and the bottom half is a dirt-orange color. The next five feet is a steel colored top and leading up to it is are some stairs with red railings. About three feet away from it is an odd-looking machine that's the same color as the base. Dr. Diggins is typing something into the control panel and McJunker and Holt are working on some kind of circular chamber hooked up to a computer. McJunker stands up.

"Okay. It's done." He says. "Well junior, where have you been?"

"Nowhere." I say.

"Well you got here just in time." Dr. Diggins tells me. "C'mon." He goes over to the computer and types something in. "You first." He says. I step into the chamber and it closes. A quiet humming fills my ears, and there's a flash of light. I open my eyes and see McJunker, Holt and Dr. Diggins standing there with shock on their faces. I look at the mirror in the chamber and gasp.

My hair is the same style and color, except instead of a crown on it, the tips of it are white. My ears are pointed, my skin is now a silvery-white color, my eyes are still blue, and rather than having pink lines under them, I have blue. My upper arms and chest are black, my neck is silver-gray, my forearms are the silver-white color, my hands are gray with blue around the wrists, my feet are black, my lower legs are gray, my knees have blue on them, my upper legs are dark gray with white around my waist and blue on the front of it, and my stomach is the silver-gray color. My tail is black where it connects to me, but as it gets closer to the tip, it turns white. Around my neck is a blue pendant in the shape of a T-Rex with the same symbol on it as Raptin's. I look at them, to see them still standing there, gawking.

"What?" I ask.

"How did you get that much muscle?" Dr. Diggins asks. "I didn't program that!" I look at myself to see that I do have a large amount of muscle and that I have no fat on my face or stomach.

"I already had it." I tell him. Dr. Diggins look at the computer screen.

"This is a problem." He says.

"What's the matter?" Holt asks.

"Well," Dr. Diggins says. "the Dinaurians are built a BIT differently than the outcome. It shouldn't give us away, but we still need to be careful." I step out of the chamber and Dr. Diggins steps in. "Just push the enter key." He tells us. McJunker pushes it and the humming starts. There's a flash of light, then the chamber door opens to reveal Dr. Diggins in Dinaurian form.

His hair is the same style and color, his skin is brown, he still has his glasses, his eyes are still the same color, cyan, the lines under his eyes are cyan, his torso is orange at his neck then turns to green, then to blue as it gets closer to his waist. His upper legs are orange, his lower legs are brown, his feet are black, his arms and back are white with brown hands, his tail turns from orange to green to blue and he is actually very scrawny.

"Cool." I say. Dr. Diggins looks at himself in the mirror and nods.

"Okay," He says. He points to the pendant around his neck, which is cyan, shaped like a stegosaurus, and has a different symbol on it. "if you want to change back to human form just take the pendant off."

"Yes sir." I say.

"Okay," He walks over to the machine next to the platform and continues typing. "I opened the teleportation device and found out the battery was dead. You know me. I got to tinkering and ended up totally rebuilding it. It's a LITTLE bigger now, but..."

"Little?" McJunker asks.

"Okay, a lot bigger, but we should be able to visit the Dinaurian Spaceship as much as we want now." Dr. Diggins says. "Now let's sneak onto that ship!" Me and him walk up the stairs to the top of the platform.

"Be careful!" McJunker says.

"If you guys aren't back in thirty minutes, I'm coming after you two." Holt says.

"Thanks Holt." I say. "But don't worry. We'll be a-okay!"

"Ready?" Dr. Diggins asks. I nod. "Here... we... GO!" The teleporter starts, and the rings appear around us. I close my eyes, feel myself teleport, then open my eyes to see we're in the ship. I step off the teleporter and look around. "Good, we're all in one piece."

"What?"

"I forgot to mention there was a danger of permanent discorporation?"

"WHAT?" I ask bewildered.

"We don't reassembly."

"..."

"What?"

"You couldn't have mentioned that BEFORE we teleported?"

"... I guess I could have." We hear footsteps and turn to see the Dinaurian from earlier walking towards us.

"You guys again... Finally got rid of those disguises I see." He says. He looks at us harder. "Hmmm..."

_PLEASE DON'T LET HIM FIND OUT WE'RE HUMANS! _I think.

"I don't know what it is, but there's something strange about you two." He says. "Are you guy sure you didn't catch some bizarre human disease down on Earth?"

"Why that's actually what happened." Dr. Diggins tells him. "It's called... um..."

"Disfigure-itis!" I say. "It's a VERY contagious, painful and DEADLY disease that makes you look weird. It doesn't SEEM so bad at first but it gets absolutely-" I start coughing, and keep coughing like I'm in serious pain. I fall to the ground and continue coughing and hacking along with some moans and groans of pain.

"AAAAAAAAAGH!" The Dinaurian says jumping back when Dr. Diggins takes a step closer to him. "Stay away! I do NOT want to catch THAT!" He takes a step back. "Do everyone a favor and get over to the sick bay right away!" He coughs. "Oh no! I gotta get outta here!" He runs away.

"Thank goodness the fear of cooties is apparently universal eh?" Dr. Diggins asks me.

"You can say that again." I tell him. "Let's get going." We walk down the hallway and in the middle of it, Dr. Diggins stops.

"That's odd." He says. "These hallway patterns look... familiar..." He examines the yellow tubes with light flowing through them. "Of course! It looks just like the halls at the Secret Site!"

_'The Secret Site?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'Something tells me he and Mr. Richmond have a secret they need to tell us.' _I say.

_'Well they might have had a good reason for secrecy.' _Flamethrower points out. Dr. Diggins continues to examine the patterns on the walls.

"There IS a connection between the Dinaurians and that place..." He says. He examines them a bit more.

"What's the Secret Site?" I ask him.

"Oh!" He exclaims looking back at me. "Sorry. You have no idea what I'm talking about. I'll tell you when we get back to Vivosaur Town. For now we need to search the rest of the ship." I nod. We continue down the hallway to something that looks like an archway with lavender light in it. We walk through into a large room with odd-looking chambers on the walls. In between two of them in the middle of the room on the left wall, is a computer.

"What... what is this room?" I ask. Sudden drowsiness fills me, and I feel like taking a nap. Something about the room is... peaceful. Like you have nothing to worry about and if you do fall asleep, it will be a long, deep, restful one.

"Look!" Dr. Diggins says pointing. He walks over to one of the chamber and I follow him. I look in it to see a stone statue of a Dinaurian. "Hmmm... Something about this place suggests it might be sacred to them. It feels... tranquil here. Restful. I know we're in danger on this ship, but I feel like I could lie down and sleep in this room."

"Tell me about it." I say before yawning. "What do you think that's for?" I ask point at the computer. Dr. Diggins hurries over to it.

"I don't know, but it may have the information we need on it." He pushes a bunch of buttons on the keyboard, probably hoping he won't set off an alarm. "I'm in! And I configured the language to English!"

"Let's see what we got." I say as I look at the screen.

**We have finally found what we've been looking for at the far reaches of space. This world will fulfill all of the requirements for Project: Mother Planet. The seeds of intelligent life have been planted. Now we simply have to wait for them to grow. We shall wait in our fossilized forms in the Stone Sleep Chamber until the time is right. Millions of years from now, we shall be revived and we shall call this planet home. **

"Those aren't statues..." Dr. Diggins says. "They're..."

"Sleeping Dinaurians!" I say. "This is crazy! Using these things to sleep for YEARS and not age! But... What do you think they mean by 'seeds of intelligent life' and 'Project: Mother Planet'?"

"I'm not sure." Dr. Diggins says. "But let's keep going." We go through the door on the other side of the room and come into a hallway with more doors in it. We walk down the hallway and when we come to last one, we enter into another Stone Sleep room. We look around, see another computer, and go over to it. "Let's see what's on this one." Dr. Diggins says as he types in something on the key board. "Okay... Configuring display to English..." He types something in, and the symbols on the screen become readable. "Open this submenu here... And let's see what we get.

**We created special computers to coordinate our project: a main idolcomp and the sub-idolcomps. The sub-idol comps will assist the main idolcomp. As we wait in Stone Sleep, the main idolcomp will carefully monitor activities on the planet. If any life-forms follow an unanticipated evolutionary path, the main idolcomp will correct them.**

"Those idols that were stolen were the sub-idolcomps." I say. "They must be really important, huh?"

"The Dinaurians did mention how they would help with Project: Mother Planet." Dr. Diggins says. "Let's go." We walk out the other door into another hallway. There's several more doors and there's one guarded by six Dinaurians that eye us suspiciously as we walk by. The hallway turns, and when we come around the corner, there's only one door. We walk up to it to go through, but stop when we hear footsteps. We turn to see a Dinaurian walking over to us.

"Did you guys miss the space memo?" He asks. "King Dynal has given strict orders to stay out of the Idolcomp Room! If you guys get caught in there you'll have to deal with the roboguards... the Dinomatons! No one wants that, so you'd best find somewhere else to be!" He walks away.

"The Idolcomp Room..." I say. "We need to go in there. If we get one of the sub-idolcomps, we can prevent them from finishing."

"You're right." Dr. Diggins says. "I don't know what will happen if we go in there, but let's go." We walk through the door into a room with dark blue walls and a floor that rises up above the floor in the middle of the room. the lower floor is dark blue with thin yellow lines throughout it. The slope leading up to the higher floor is also dark blue, but the lines on it are much thicker. The higher floor is pale brown-pink around the edges and the rest of it is brown-pink. The walls are a pale teal with teal lines with yellow lights flowing through them that lead to the same place: The main idolcomp. It's about nine feet tall, has pink light emitting from it, has light pink designs on it, and is a very pale purple-pink. In the center of it about eye level with me is a button.

I know what it does.

To the left of the main one is the green and red sub-idolcomps and to the right of it is the blue and yellow sub-idolcomps. They're put on their own separate green pedestals with another one above them and have wires connected to the back of them. "The big one must be the main idolcomp." Dr. Diggins says. I nod.

"And there's the sub-idolcomps connected to it." I say. He nods.

"It doesn't look like anything has been activated yet..."

We hear footsteps.

"Someone's coming!" I say. "Quick, Hide!" We run and I hide behind the red idolcomp's pedestal and Dr. Diggins hides behind the green one's pedestal. Two Dinaurians enter, Duna and an adult male who, judging by the royal blue robe he's wearing, is King Dynal.

He has light periwinkle skin, pointed ears, yellow eyes surrounded by black, pink lines that start under his eyes and disappear into his hair, which is pure white and falls to the small of his back, two short magenta horns that come out above his temples, cyan wings with orange dots with black on them coming out of the back of his head, teal shoulder pads that connect at his chest with two black dots in the middle and turquoise arches on the shoulders, a royal blue robe that has long sleeves that covers his hands, has pink on the hips, and a turquoise oval at his knees. Past his knees, it's open in the front to reveal teal legs with orange dots with black on each leg and cyan feet. He looks at Duna.

"So you have finally recovered all the sub-idolcomps." He says. "You have done well Duna. I am pleased."

"I was only doing my job King Dynal." She says. There's a hint of remorse in her voice and there's sadness in her eyes.

_She's sorry that she helped steal the idolcomps... _I realize. Dynal turns back to the main idolcomp.

"Once the main idolcomp is running, we will be ready to reinitiate Project: Mother Planet." He says taking a few steps forward. "The main idolcomp's regression rays are powerful enough to revert all humans on Earth to single-celled amoebas!" My eyes widen.

_Rosie! _My thoughts begin to race. _My parents, aunt and uncle, Grandma and Grandpa, Mary, Zeke, Holt, Mr. Richmond, McJunker, and Rosie... Rosie... _My mind suddenly focuses on only her. I think of everything about her. Her eyes, her hair, her smile, laugh, voice how she's nice, adventurous, excitable, and how I feel around her. _I can't let them! I WILL NOT let them! _

"Revert humans to amoebas?" Dr. Diggins murmurs, his eyes wide. Dylan looks back at Duna.

"Duna, you have earned the honor of activating the switch on the main idolcomp." He tells her. "Evolution lost its way on this planet, but we shall finally correct that, now and forever." Duna walks past him and up to the main idolcomp. She looks at the activation button. She slowly reaches her hand toward it.

_If you get within an inch of that button Duna, I WILL attack you. And if Dynal tries to activate it while I'm attacking you, I WILL kill him. _I think. It's not a nice thought, but all is fair in love and war.

And this is both.

"..." Duna stops her hand two inches from the button. Dynal gets a confused look.

"You hesitate." He says. "Activate the switch. ... Now." Duna takes a shaky breath, then moves her hand another inch closer. I get ready to attack when she pulls her hand away and turns to Dynal.

"I'm... I'm sorry." She says. I can't." Dynal's eyes widen as he lets out a small gasp of surprise.

"What did you say?" He asks confused and angry. Duna takes a step forward.

"I can't do it." She tells him. "This is wrong. I can't bring myself to flip a switch and exterminate the entire human race. They are intelligent beings, like us. We have no right to destroy them all and take their planet!" She takes another step forward. "Your majesty, I respectfully request that Project: Mother Planet be shut down!"

"You claim these... descendants of rodents are equal to us?" Dylan asks her with disbelief. He gets an enraged look. "HAVE YOU LOST YOUR SENSES? Humans are nothing more than an accidental side effect of or real goals!" He take a threatening step forward. "If you won't remove them, I will. Get out of the way."

"No!" Dr. Diggins murmurs to me. "He's going to flip the switch!"

"Oh no he isn't." I say.

"Okay, You stall him, and I'll try to disconnect one of these sub-idolcomps!" I nod. I come out from behind the pedestal walk up to them and stop four feet away from both of them. Dylan looks at me.

"What are you doing here?" He asks. "I gave orders-... Never mind. This is perfect timing. Take this traitor away and lock her in the brig immediately." I look at Duna and she takes a few steps back. I look back at Dylan and take a step forward.

"What is going on here?" He asks, his voice irritated. "Will you also betray ma and your entire species?" I stand there my face hard. Realization cover Dynal's face. "I see. You are Dinaurian at all. You might as well remove your disguise now." I wrap my fingers around the pendant, and pull it off. The second I do, I revert back to normal, my backpack and clothes now seeable. Duna gasps.

"Red!" She exclaims. "What are you doing here?"

"A human stowaway on our Starship?" Dynal exclaims. "UNACCEPTABLE!" I step in front of him, blocking the way between him, the switch and Duna.

"If you want to flip that switch and hurt my friend, you'll have to kill me first." I tell him my voice dead serious.

"Dinomatons!" Dynal says. "TEAR HIM APART!" Three Dinomaton Dino Medals fly out of his sleeve and turn into Dinomatons.

"Guys!" I say calling out my team. "Let's show them whose boss!"

"STEEL SLASH ON SPINAX." The Dinomaton attacks doing twenty-one damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing one hundred seventy-seven damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Dinomaton!" She attacks doing thirty damage.

"DEATH RAY." The Dinomaton attacks doing forty-one damage to Air Strike, thirty-one damage to Flamethrower, and thirty damage to Cloud Cover. The Dinomaton gets in the EZ.

"Flamethrower, S-Fury on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing fifty-two damage.

"STEEL SLASH ON SPINAX." The Dinomaton attacks doing twenty-two damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing one hundred twelve damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Dinomaton!" She attacks doing thirty-two damage.

"DEATH RAY." The Dinomaton attacks doing forty-five damage to Air Strike, thirty-one damage to Flamethrower, and thirty damage to Cloud Cover. The Dinomaton gets in the EZ.

"Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing one hundred seventy-six damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Dinomaton!" She attacks doing forty-seven damage.

"STEEL SLASH ON SPINAX." The Dinomaton attacks doing thirty-three damage.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Dinomaton!" She attacks doing thirty damage, sending it into its medal. "Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing eighty-one damage, causing it to go into its medal. "Flamethrower, S-Combo on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing forty-one damage.

"HEARTLESS FURY ON SPINAX." The remaining Dinomaton attacks doing eighty damage. In the process, it hurts itself on Air Strike's spikes doing eight damage, putting it in its medal.

"Red... you defeated the Dinomatons..." Duna says. "I was right about you... and your species..." I catch my team's Dino Medals, put them in the side pocket of my backpack and put the pendant in the one on the other side. Dylan shoves us out of his way. "The switch!" Dylan looks at us.

"Too late." He says. "In just a moment, the entire human race will be extinct!" He turns back around and raises his hand toward the switch.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" I yell. I jump onto his back, causing him to lose his balance and start running backward. I grab his horns and pull them, and he grabs my shirt then throws me off of him. I hit the floor and slide seven feet. Dynal whirls around, runs back to the switch with his arm outstretched.

"**NO!**" I yell.

He flips it.

_No... No, No, No, No, NO! Rosie! _I hear a humming noise that lasts a few seconds then suddenly stops.

"What?" Dylan asks. "Why did it stop?"

"I did it!" We all turn to see Dr. Diggins standing there, holding the green sub-idolcomp in his hands. "I managed to disconnect one of the sub-idolcomps!" He says triumphantly.

"YES!" I say. _Rosie's okay! _

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE MAMMAL?" Dynal asks Dr. Diggins outraged. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH ENERGY YOU JUST RELEASED?"

"Well... no... not really." Dr. Diggins says. I hear a siren go off and look to see the main idolcomp is flashing pale yellow with lightning-blue light coming out of it. "Red! Come on let's get out of here!" Suddenly, orange rings with white specks in them appear around him. "Huh? What's going on?" He looks around. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" He and the idol turn white, diffuse into small particles, and disappear.

"DR. DIGGINS!" I yell.

"Good riddance." Dylan says. "The chronal energy leakage will send him to some other point in time."

"WHAT?" I yell looking at him.

"Wait! That barbarian was still holding the sub-idolcomp!" Dynal exclaims. "I have to track it!" He pushes a button to the left of the activation switch on the main idolcomp, and a holographic screen pops up. He moves some things around and types something in. "They reappeared some 150 million years ago! The Jurassic period!" He bangs his fists against the holographic computer. "BLAST IT!" He head whips around to look at me and Duna. His eyes burn with anger and he turns toward us and takes a couple of steps forward. "Your species may have a temporary respite, but YOU will meddle in our affairs no longer." He tells me, his voice full of hate. "You're obviously a match for Dinomatons, so I will have to kill you and the traitor Duna myself!" Yellow light appear around him and we take a step back.

"Red let's get out of here!" Duna says. She hugs me and activates the teleporter on her pendant. "Back to Earth!"

* * *

><p>The lights around Dylan stopped. He looked at where the human and Duna had been standing. "Running will not help you human." He says. "You cannot outrun your inevitable doom..." Every available Dinaurian including Raptin runs into the room. "Listen now my people. We will find the sub-idolcomp that was sent to the past! And we WILL rebuild our home planet on the fallen ruins of this one!" They all cheer and Raptin runs up to Dylan.<p>

"Where's Duna?" He asks worried.

"... She helped the human escape... she betrayed us." He tells him. Raptin lets out a small gasp and tears and hurt fill his eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Yes sire... I'm... I'm fine." He blinks the tears back and stands up straight. "What do you want me to do your majesty?"

"Find the human boy... and bring him to me... so that I may have the pleasure of killing him myself."

* * *

><p><strong>AN-OH NOSE! Red's life, friends, family, home, and the entire human race have been put on the line! WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN?<strong>

**Red: You're writing this! Shouldn't YOU know?**

**Me: Well, anybody who's played the game knows, and don't worry, I KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN!**

**Red: What happens?**

**Me: I ain't tellin'! You're gonna havta wait like everyone else!**

**Red: I CAN'T STAND THE SUSPENCE!**

**Me: Take a chill pill. **


	15. The Hunt

Chapter Fifteen-The Hunt

I open my eyes to see me and Duna standing on the platform of the teleportation machine in the Underground Where house. Holt and McJunker are still there, and jump when they see Duna hugging me. "Duna, you can stop hugging me now." I tell her.

"Oh... Right!" She stops hugging me and takes a step back.

"Where's Dr. Diggins?" Holt asks. I look at him to see worry on his face.

"Well..."

A few minutes later...

"So Diggins risked his life to save mankind..." Mr. Richmond says. "How like him." I stood there in front of his desk, my eyes downcast. Holt sat on the sofa hanging his head, McJunker stood by the fish tank, his eyes also downcast, and Duna stood next to me in front of Mr. Richmond's desk. We all sit there for a second. "Duna... This plan of the Dinaurians'... Project: Mother Planet... Would you explain a little more about that?"

"Of course." She says. "You should know everything. Project: Mother Planet was a plan to re-create our home planet for settlement. Our home planet was... lost, so we ventured into space with the few survivors that remained. Our mission was to find a way to re-create the basic environment of our world on a new planet. And so, we drew up the plans for Project: Mother Planet. We traveled far and wide and finally discovered a planet suitable to begin our work. That planet was Earth, roughly 600 million years ago."

"The Cambrian period." McJunker says. "When the very first multicellular life-forms came to exist on Earth."

"Yes." Duna says. "Multicellular life-forms planted by the Dinaurians."

"WHAT?" Holt exclaims.

"The seeds of intelligent life..." I say. Duna stands there, then activates something on her pendant that brings up a holographic screen. It shows her and King Dylan looking out the window of the teleporter room at Earth.

"My brothers and sisters, we have found a suitable planet on which to carry out our great plan." Dylan says. "Now all we must do is plant primitive seeds containing Dinaurian DNA... These primitive creatures will be the seeds of intelligent life... And these seeds will recreate the evolutionary path of our world, eventually leading to Dinaurians. We will once again be part of a mighty and flourishing race, surrounded by our people." Duna looks at him.

"But what if evolution follows some other path?" She asks. "Conditions on this world are different than they were on our world." Dylan looks at her.

"Don't worry." He tells her. "It is for that reason we have built the idolcomp system. The main idolcomp will constantly monitor all life across the planet. If any species takes an... unprofitable evolutionary turn, the idolcomp will correct it with regression rays. The idolcomp will restart evolution on this planet as many times as in required to create Dinaurians." He looks back out the window. "As for us, we will wait in Stone Sleep... in preparation for that glorious day to come. When we awake, it will be to our planet and its people reborn, completing Project: Mother Planet." The holographic screen goes blank, and disappears.

"But the project failed..." Duna says. "We awoke 600 million years later from Stone Sleep to find not Dinaurians, but you. Humans. It turns out while we slept, we had lost the sub-idolcomps in some sort of accident. Without backups, the main idolcomp has shut down and stopped 'guiding' evolution. We tracked the for missing sub-idolcomps here to Vivosaur Island."

"And you hired the BB Bandits to look for them?" Mr. Richmond asks her.

"Correct." She says. "We didn't know our way around your society, so we needed human help."

"I see..." Mr. Richmond says. "That's... quiet the story."

"To think all of Earth's life-forms can from another planet. Planted by Dinaurians..." McJunker says.

"'Shocked' doesn't cover it." Holt tells us.

"I know." I say. "But that doesn't mean we should allow humankind to be thrown out like some sort of failed experiment!"

"I agree completely." Duna tells me. "But even as we speak, King Dynal is working out how to recover the sub-idolcomp. We have to find it before he does."

"And we will." I say.

"Yeah!" Holt says in agreement. "... Just how exactly?"

"We can use the computer in the Underground Lab." Mr. Richmond says. "It has sonar tracking equipment that can display the entire island."

"Understood." Duna says. "Let's go." We all start to leave.

"I have to know one more thing Duna." Mr. Richmond says. "What's going to happen to Rosie?"

"She'll be fine." Duna tells him. "Raptin's portable regression ray is weak, so the effects should wear off shortly."

"That's great!" I exclaim overjoyed. Everyone looks at me. "... What?"

"She may already be back to normal!" Holt says. "C'mon!" Holt says. We all ride down the elevator, and while me and Holt head over to the private elevator, Mr. Richmond and Duna head down to the Underground Lab and McJunker walks out of the Richmond Building. Me and Holt ride up the elevator and step off when it gets to Rosie's room. We walk around to where we can see her room, to see her in her usual outfit and on her knees at the short table in the middle of the room, drawing something on a sheet of paper. She turns her head to look at us and we walk over while she jumps up. She runs straight up to me, hugs me, making me blush.

She then lets out some happy squeak-growls.

I sigh. I hug her back. "At least you're not a giant mouse anymore."

"Wait... squeak?" Rosie says. My face brightens.

"You are to normal!" I exclaim with joy.

"WHOA!" Rosie says suddenly jumping backwards. "I didn't even realize I had turned back to normal! I just kept on blurting out m innermost..." She turns away from us. "Yikes that's embarrassing!"

"Don't worry." Holt says. "Nobody has a clue of what you said. Or squeaked is more like it."

"Right..." Rosie says turning back to us. She has a light blush on her face. "So what did I miss?" Our smiles vanish.

One explanation later...

"Dr. Diggins was sent back to the Jurassic period?" Rosie exclaims. "That's crazy! And horrible! What's going to happen to him?" She says. Tears weld up in her eyes. It makes me feel awful to see her sad. I hug her. She buries her face in the crook of my neck, has her hands in fists against my chest, and cries. "Is he going to wind up a fossil somewhere?"

"Well... that wouldn't be so bad, after all, then we could revive him." I tell her.

"But what if... if... a... dinosaur..."

"That's not going to happen." I tell her. "Dr. Diggins is a smart man. Scatter-brained, but smart. He'll survive. We'll see him again. I know we will." She cries on my shoulder for a bit as I hold her in my arms, gently rocking her back and forth.

I never noticed, but her hair smells like strawberries.

"Come on Rosie, crying isn't going to get anyone anywhere." Holt says. He's also sad, but I shoot him a glance.

"Holt's right..." Rosie says lifting her head off my shoulder. "Dr. Diggins sacrificed himself for us. The least we can do for him is find the idol before the Dinaurians do." I nod.

"Let's get down to the underground lab." Holt says. Me and Rosie separate, and we all head down to the secret lab. We walk in to see Duna sitting in a chair in front of a computer screen and Mr. Richmond standing behind the chair. He looks at us.

"Rosie! You're human again!" He says overjoyed.

"Yes sir!" Rosie tells him. "I'm all done squeaking!" She looks at Duna. "Duna, I want to thank you for helping us. For taking our side. That couldn't have been easy." Duna looks at her, then looks at me, then looks back at the computer screen.

"Have you found the idol?" Holt asks.

"We've finished reconfiguring the tracking device." She tells us. "I'm ready to hit the switch. We should be able to find the sub-idolcomp very quickly with this equipment." She flips a switch next to the keyboard and we all look at the screen.

_How did I not see THAT sooner? _I wonder. Vivosaur Island is shaped like a T-Rex head. The lower jaw is Knotwood Forest, the inside of the mouth is Bottomsup Bay, the end of the snout is Mt. Lavaflow, the eye is a desert, Rivet Ravine is right next to the eye, Greenhorn Plains is where the jaw and skull would connect, and Vivosaur Town is right where the head would connect to the neck. A white, blinking dot appears in Greenhorn Plains.

"So the idol's in Greenhorn Plains?" Holt asks.

"Great! Let's go find it!" Rosie says. She beings to walk toward the door.

"Hold on Rosie..." Mr. Richmond says. "There's something wrong." We all look back at the screen.

White dots appear in Greenhorn Plains, Knotwood Forest, Rivet Ravine, Bottomsup Bay, and Mt. Lavaflow.

"It's picking up the sub-idolcomp in ALL those areas?" Rosie exclaims. She looks at me. "Red I thought you said that there was only ONE idol that got sent back in time with Dr. Diggins!"

"There was!" I tell her. I take a step back as she takes one forward.

"Can someone explain to me what's going on here?" Rosie says.

"The sub-idolcomp must have shattered in the trip through time." Duna says as she looks at Rosie. "It shattered into five fragments."

"So we'll have to collect all five fragments?" Holt asks her. Duna nods.

"C'mon Red." Rosie says. "Let's go find those fragments!" We all turn to leave when Rosie stops. "I feel... funny."

"Funny Ha, Ha, or funny weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeird?" Holt asks. Rosie stiffens,

And turns back into a triconodonta.

"GAH!" Holt exclaims jumping backwards. Rosie lets out some of the squeak-growls.

"Hmmm... Apparently excitement still triggers the effects of the regression ray for her." Duna says. "Don't worry. She'll recover again shortly." Mr. Richmond sighs with relief at that and Rosie lets out some more squeak-growls. "Red, I think it's up to you to find the fragments." I nod.

"You wanna help?" I ask Holt.

"Sure." He says with a smile. "I don't want to miss any of this."

"Bring all the fragments here when you find them." Mr. Richmond says. "We'll have to find a way to hide them from the Dinaurians. Our survival depends on it!"

"Couldn't we just destroy the fragments?" I ask. Duna shakes her head.

"It's not that simple." She says. "The sub-idolcomps are made of an indestructible rock alloy."

"Aw man." Holt says.

"Well, let's go. Standing around it's going to help us." I say.

A few minutes later...

"Found it!" I yell. Holt runs over to me to see an idol fragment in my hands. It's the head.

"YES!" Holt says. "Now we just have to find the ones in Knotwood Forest, Rivet Ravine, Bottomsup Bay and Mt. Lavaflow!"

"Then we better continue." I say. As we walk out of the dig site, my mind drifts to Rosie. I want to find all of the fragments so I can get back to her. It's weird. We climb aboard the boat and ride straight to Knotwood Forest. We find the one there, then the one at Rivet Ravine, Bottoms up Bay and then head to Mt. Lavaflow. We find the one there and the entire time,

I feel like we're being watched.

I constantly look around and try to keep by back to a wall. We quickly put the fragment in my backpack and walk to the boat. One the ride back, I get a bad feeling.

Like someone's waiting for us.

I shiver and try to get my mind off of it. "So what do you think of all this Holt?" I ask him.

"A lot to wrap my mind around." He says.

"Yep." I say nodding.

"I still can't believe Rosie turned into a giant mouse."

"Me neither."

"Ya know, you seemed a bit TOO happy when you saw she was back to normal."

"We already had that discussion at Bottomsup Bay."

"Dude...

"DON'T!"

"you have..."

"Drop it Holt."

"a crush..."

"Shut up."

"on..."

"Finish that sentence and I'll throw you over board." I tell him with a glare.

"..." He sits there for a second. "If you don't want to talk about it, then you have a crush!" He tells me. I face palm myself.

_ARGH! One of these days I'm gonna grab him by his little neck and squeeze it until his head pops! ... Okay, that's not a nice thought. But still! Why can't he just drop it and quit saying I have a crush when I don't? ... Maybe I should wring him by his neck... dispose of the body by throwing it over board... Nah. It's not worth it. _I think.

"Besides, you two would look cute together." He says.

"Face palm." I say doing it.

"Hey, I'm just saying." Holt tells me. "Besides, I think she has a crush on you." I look at him confused.

"What?" I exclaim. "She does not! What in the world would make you think that?"

"The picture she was drawing." He tells me. "It was a picture of you leaning against a rock with one foot against it and your pick ax on your shoulder and you were looking off into the distance."

_Why would she draw a picture of ME? _I wonder. _She can't have a crush on me. She's too sweet for someone like me._

"Here you go." Captain Travors tells us. We climb off the boat onto the dock of the Fighter Area, and head into the Guild Area and the Richmond Building. We go down into the Underground Lab.

"Did you boys get the five idol fragments?" Mr. Richmond asks us.

"Yes sir." I say as I take them out of my backpack.

"Wonderful!" Mr. Richmond says with a smile. I give the fragment to him and Duna looks at the fragments. "I'll put these in safe keeping where the Dinaurians will never find them.

"Wait." Duna says. "Let me see those." He hands them to her, and she examines them. "... Something is missing." We all let out small gasps.

"What do you mean 'Something is missing.'?" Holt asks. "That's all five fragments."

"Yes, there are five pieces here." Duna says. "But the sub-idolcomps core processor is missing. That means there's another fragment somewhere."

"But we scanned the whole island!" I tell her.

"Mr. Richmond are there any places on the island that aren't detectable by sonar?" Holt asks. Mr. Richmond stands there for a second, thinking.

"Not detectable by sonar?" He asks. "There's no such place ON the island, no... But I think we may need to search the Secret Island."

"The Secret Site!" I exclaim. Everyone looks at me. "Dr. Diggins mentioned something about that on the Starship."

"Yes." Mr. Richmond says. "You won't find it looking at any map or chart. Secret Island is... well... it's where we found the crashed spaceship." Everyone jumps with surprise.

"What?" Duna exclaims.

"When we dug up the spaceship, we discovered all sorts of technologies inside. We learned to use one of those technologies to reanimate and revive fossils."

"When did this happen?" I ask.

"Back when my hair was still red." Mr. Richmond tells me sadly. "But back to the point, the entire fossil revival process is based on a device we found in an alien spaceship. I was afraid that the technology would fall into the wrong hands, so I hid the island."

"How?" Holt asks.

"I'm not sure WHO exactly, this was back when I was still very young so it wasn't the college student, but I came up to my office the next day and saw a set of blueprints on my desk. It was a special holographic device that jammed all sonar in the area. I had it made, then set it up on the island. It's entirely possible the last fragment is there on the island. I'll arrange to power down the screen and get a boat to run from the harbor to Secret Island." Duna looks at the computer screen.

"A crashed spaceship... That must be one of our starships from the original scouting mission..." She says. "I'd like to go see it for myself."

"Let's go!" Holt says. "I wanna see it to!" She and Holt walk out the door and I start to follow, when I stop and look at Rosie. She sits there and looks at me for a second, then nudges me towards the door.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." I tell her. I walk up the steps to the lobby, and instead of walking out the Richmond Building, I ride the elevator up to Rosie's Room. I step off the elevator and quickly walk over to the table. I pick up the paper she was drawing on, and look at it.

It IS a picture of me.

I'm in my usual outfit, leaning against a rock with one foot against it and my pick ax on my shoulder and I'm looking off into the distance. I have a calm look on my face and everything is in sharp detail, making it look absolutely amazing.

_She... She... She does not! She was just trying to... to... uh... to make a nice picture is all! That's it! That's all! That's the end of it! _I put the paper back down and hurry out of the Richmond Building. I meet up with Holt and Duna, who is in her human form, and we board the boat. As we ride in the boat to the island, I notice Duna sits there, staring at my face the entire time. I just sit there and look at my boots while my mind thinks of Rosie. When we arrive, the first thing I look at it the giant spaceship covered by vegetation. The island has some grass and giant rocks other than that. We walk into the spaceship to see large piles of dirt, and yellow patterns on the floor and walls that STILL have yellow light flowing through them.

"As I thought." Duna says. "It's a Dinaurian Starship." I look around again to see that there's also vegetation in the ship and torn up floor tiles everywhere. "This is one of the scout ships that went down during our expedition to the planet."

"How many others went down?" I ask.

"One." Duna tells me. "There's this one, and another one that crashed somewhere else. We were unable to locate it." She stands there for a second. "It's funny to think that your fossil revival uses technology scavenged from my people. We entered Stone Sleep to shape your whole world, and you used it to re-create how it used to be... Guess that's the difference between our species."

"Regardless, we need to find the last fragment." Holt says. Duna nods and changes back to her Dinaurian form.

"Let's go." I say. We walk down the hallway and come to an archway with no light in it. We walk through into a Stone Sleep room with broken Stone Sleep chambers in it.

"Will you two wait while I check something?" Duna asks. We look at each other then look back at her to see she's over at a computer typing something in. We walk over and look at the beat-up computer screen that miraculously still works. "I want to know why this starship crashed." Duna explains. "The crew members escaped to our ship before the crash had no idea what happened." She types something in. "Here's the ships log of what happened when the ship went out of control." Me and Holt stand there, looking at the unfamiliar symbols on the screen. "Hmmm. I see..." She looks at both of us. "Sorry, let me configure it to English." She types something in, and the symbols become readable.

**Abnormal energy readings detected from sample holding chamber 3A: Guhnash tissue sample. Energy spikes have damaged flight system beyond repair. Per standard emergency protocols, the crew will abandon ship and be teleported to safety.**

"Guhnash..." Duna says with her voice full of hate and hurt. "The intergalactic scourge that consumed our entire world..."

"WHAT?" Me and Holt exclaim at the same time.

"That thing... ATE the Dinaurian home world?" Holt asks with a confused and freaked-out look on his face. Duna nods.

"That's... that's... that just ain't right man!" I say with the same look on my face.

"He roams the universe, looking for planets with life on them..." Duna tells us. She looks down. "Then eats them whole." She looks around the room. "This ship had a small sample of Guhnash's tissue in a holding chamber for research purposes. We hoped that we might learn enough from it to find a way to kill Guhnash. We eventually gave up on that hope. Nothing can kill Guhnash. It's simply impossible."

"No it's not!" I tell her. "Everything has a weakness!"

"Not Guhnash..." Duna says. She stands there for a second. "I should not delay our progress any further. We need to find the last fragment before the Dinaurians discover this place. Let's go." We walk out the other door into a hallway. We walk down it, and I look at the pile of dirt that stretches the entire length of the wall. We walk into another Stone Sleep room, and halfway through it, I see a slate with writing on it. "That shouldn't be here." Duna tells us.

"Weird." Holt says. I look at it, to see it's written in English.

**It's been six months since I found myself in this dangerous world. It took all that time to reach this site. It was a long, perilous road. So perilous in fact, I lost my sandals along the way.**

"The sandal fossils!" I exclaim.

"What?" Holt asks. I had him the slate. "THAT'S where they came from... but from WHO?"

"I... don't understand." Duna tells us.

"The sandal fossil! Ya know, the one you gave us in Greenhorn Plains? This explains where they came from!... Sort of." I tell her.

"We can think about it later." Duna says. "Let's get back to saving your people from mine." We take a few steps, and I see another slate. I pick it up and read it.

**My first crisis was with a tyrannosaurus. He scooped me up in his mouth... If my body hadn't of been so minty fresh, I have no doubt he would have gobbled me right up. Thank goodness for mint soap.**

We walk over to the door and I find another slate.

**My next run-in was with an angry stegosaurus. She must have thought I was encroaching on her territory. She waved her big, spiky tail at me like, "swooosh!" and I was like "Aaaaaagh!" It's a shame, stegosaurus used to be my favorite dinosaur. I think I'll go with triceratops now.**

We walk out the door and into a hallway where I find another slate.

**While trying to cross the bay, I apparently annoyed a plesiosaur. Grabbing onto his long neck was a mistake. He flung me like a rag doll clear across the bay. I survived the splash, but drank a lot of sea water in the process. It was quite salty.**

We walk down the hallway and at the end I find a slate.

**My biggest dilemma though, was when the pterodactyl tried to feed me to her babies. There I was on their cliff-top nest. Trying to jump would have left me flattened on the rocks below. So, I pretended to be a pterodactyl chick. I hope I never have to have anyone chew my food for me ever again. **

_GROSS... _I think. We turn the corner, and see an entry way.

"Just past this is the starship's main control room." Duna tells us. "I don't know what we'll find in there."

"Only one way to find out." I say. I walk through it, followed by Duna and Holt.

"I'm... glad I have you with Red." Me and Holt look at her. "... and Holt." The room is very large with broken computer screens and control panels everywhere. Towards the back, it a raised platform about a foot above the floor. On it, is a sea green pedestal with yellow markings and a blue sphere. "That's a stone sleep device..." Duna tells us. "Why would it be pulled out her like this?"

"Wait..." I say. "That's a human! Not a Dinaurian!"

"Red!" Holt says. "Let me see your sonar!" I hand it to him and he pushes the button, making it scan the area around us.

"How did a human come to be in Stone Sleep?" Duna wonders.

"Well whoever it is, they have the last fragment!" Holt tells us.

"Come on! We need to get them back to the Fossil Center!" I say. Holt hands me back my sonar.

"Not so fast." A man's voice says. We all whirl around to see a familiar, but unfriendly, face.

"Raptin!" Duna exclaims. He walks towards us, stopping a few feet away.

"So it's true Duna." He says his voice full of hurt. "You've betrayed the Dinaurians... Your own people." He stands there for a second, looking like he's trying to keep tears from appearing in his eyes. "Back away. Once I get the core component, we'll be able to reassemble the sub-idolcomp."

"I won't allow you to take the core component." Duna says stepping in his way. "And I won't allow you to hurt the humans... to hurt Red!"

_What about Holt, Rosie, and Mr. Richmond? _I wonder. I notice that when she said my name, Raptin flinched and his eyes got wide and filled with hurt.

"You have let yourself be tainted by human weakness." He says. "You used to be better than they are Duna. Please... come back with me. Rejoin your people... Please Duna...

"No." She says. Raptin stands there for a second before tears weld up in his eyes. Anger fills them.

"If you can't see reason then I'll annihilate you and that yellow hairad human boy, then take that human," He says pointing at me. "to King Dynal so he can be killed! Combat holography systems, ON!" Yellow lights appear around Raptin and I take out my team. "Battle mode... ENGAGE!"

_'Okay guys, the fate of the human race is in our hands.'_ I tell them. They growl in confirmation. Raptin is now built like a velociraptor and has two Dinomatons. _'Let's show this jerk who's boss.'_

"Reaper's Wrath on S-Raptor!" Raptin attacks doing thirty damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Raptin!" He attacks doing one hundred two damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Raptin!" She attacks doing thirty-eight damage.

"Reaper's Wrath on S-Raptor!" Raptin attacks doing twenty-eight damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Raptin!" He attacks doing one hundred one damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Raptin!" She attacks doing twenty-six damage. Raptin collapses and turns back to his Dinaurian form.

"AUTO-BATTLE MODE, ENGAGED. HEARTLESS FURY ON S-RAPTOR." The Dinomaton attacks doing forty-eight damage. "SCISSOR SWIPE ON SPINAX." The Dinomaton attacks doing twenty-four damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing one hundred nineteen damage.

"SCISSOR SWIPE ON S-RAPTOR." The Dinomaton attacks doing thirty-one damage. "STEEL SLASH ON SPINAX." The Dinomaton attacks doing thirteen damage.

"Flamethrower, S-Fury on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing fifty-two damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Dinomaton!" She attacks doing thirty damage.

"SCISSOR SWIPE ON S-RAPTOR." The Dinomaton attacks doing thirty-one damage and gets into the EZ.

"Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing one hundred nineteen damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Dinomaton!" She attacks doing twenty-nine damage.

"SCISSOR SWIPE ON S-RAPTOR." The Dinomaton attacks doing thirty damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing one hundred thirteen damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Dinomaton!" She attacks doing twenty-nine damage, sending it into its Dino Medal.

"HEARTLESS FURY ON S-RAPTOR." The Dinomaton attacks doing forty-seven damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Dinomaton!" He attacks doing one hundred fourteen damage, causing it to go into its medal. I catch my team's medals and put them in the side pocket. Raptin opens his eyes and stands up.

"There must be some kind of mistake!" He says "I was in battle mode!" He looks at me, anger burning in his eyes. "You... You... You HUMAN! HOW COULD I LOSE TO SUCH A FLAWED ORGANISM?"

"Raptin listen, humans are different, but not any more 'flawed' than Dinaurians. They were born on this planet and they've evolved into real, intelligent life. The idea that Dinaurians are the only worthwhile beings in the universe is narrow-minded, dangerous thinking." Duna tells him.

"NO!" He yells. "Humans were an accident, a side effect of our evolutionary experiments gone wrong! You don't befriend your mistakes! You learn how not to make them again and start over from scratch! No matter how you fight against it, you cannot escape the inevitable doom of humankind! No creature as that can survive for long! Please Duna! Come back with me... Please..."

"... No." She tells him. He stands there for a second, hurt on his face. He turns and runs... and I think I see a tear hit the floor. Duna stands there. "One day Raptin, I hope you and King Dylan will be able to see past your own DNA."

"There's probably more Dinaurians on the way. We need to get this stone human back to the Fossil Center." I say.

"Red's right." Holt says. We manage to get the stone human off the pedestal and into my backpack. We run out of the starship and jump on to the boat.

"HIT IT!" I yell to Captain Travers. He puts the boat on full speed, and we zip back to the Fighter Area. We then jump off the boat and charge into the Fossil Center, then to the Cleaning Room.

"To retrieve the last fragment, we'll need to revive this human." Duna tells us. "Since this equipment is based on Dinaurian technology, I'm confident that I can operate it. Unfortunately, the stone sleep device wasn't calibrated for human use, this specimen is... unusual. It looks like there's an extra coating of stone that we'll need to remove." Holt and Duna both look at me.

"..." I stand there and look at both of them. "What?"

"You're the most skilled fossil cleaner here." Holt tells me.

"Alright, let's do it." I say. We half drag half carry the stone human to the grids and manage to get it into one of them. I start cleaning. I empty my mind of all distractions and focus harder than a laser. I clean the stone human perfectly, but were still unable to identify them. We pick them up and carry it over to the revival machine. I quickly enter in the revival commands, and hit the revival button. The machine hums to life, and there's a bright flash of light. The chamber is full of fog, and the front opens.

A man steps out rubbing his left eye. He has shaggy, wild cyan hair, glasses, bare feet, brown skin, and is wearing a leopard skin that stretches down to above his ankles with one strap over his left shoulder.

"DR. DIGGINS!" We all exclaim. Me and Holt run forward and hug him.

"Thank goodness you're okay!" Holt says.

"Yeah! We never thought we would see you again!" I tell him.

"Of course!" Duna says. "He was sent back in time to the Jurassic period!" Dr. Diggins lets out a huge yawn and looks around.

"...Red? And Holt? And Duna?" He asks. He looks around quickly and joy spreads across his face. "And... this... This is the Fossil Center! I'm back! I'm back in my proper time period! YAAAAAAAA-HOOOOOOO!" He hugs me and Holt, lifting us off the ground.

"You got A LOT stronger!" I tell him.

"I know!" Dr. Diggins says. "After all, that's what happens when you're forced to survive in a hard, untamed land. ... I'm never going to take machine-related transportation for granite again." We laugh. He put us down and runs around flipping switches and pressing buttons. "OH, THAT FEELS **SO GOOD**! This is like waking up from a nightmare... I went straight from the starship to the Jurassic period in an instant! I was sure I would die there, long before I'd even been born, but then I remembered! I remembered the crashed spaceship only I and Dr. Diggins knew about! I hoped desperately that I might find some Stone-Sleep technology inside the ship. It was a long and... extremely difficult journey."

"Yes, we can tell by looking at you." Duna says. His hands and feet are like rocks, he's splattered with mud, and has some scars.

"You're okay right?" Holt asks.

"Of course I am!" Dr. Diggins tells him. "I found a Dinaurian device that healed my wounds instantly and repaired any damage my injuries did to me!" He says happily.

"...What?" Duna asks. "We... never made anything like that..." We all look at her.

"Then who did...?" We all stand there, letting the question hang in the air.

"Well..." Dr. Diggins says. "First, I ran into a hungry tyrannosaurus that scooped me up in his mouth and..."

"We would love to hear about your adventures... some other time..." Duna says, cutting him off.

"But we need to concentrate on the idol fragment." Holt says.

"Right!" Dr. Diggins says. He reaches into a pocket on the front of the leopard skin, and pulls out a hi-tech looking rod. "I held onto it tightly the whole time." He tells us. He hands it to me, and it's surprisingly light.

"Red, would you take that to Mr. Richmond?" Duna asks. "I'll be right over after I explain everything to Dr. Diggins."

"And I need to get back to the Junk Depot." Holt tells me.

"Alright." I tell them. "I'll see you guys later." I leave the Fossil Center, go into the Guild Area, walk into the Richmond Building, and walk down to the secret lab. I walk in and see Rosie in her human form looking at one of the dials on the wall. "Rosie!" I run over to her and hug her.

"Red?" She looks at me and hugs me back, standing on one foot with her head tucked beneath my chin. "Thank goodness you're safe." We stand there for a second, our eyes closed and smiling. "I think my mouse-transforming has stopped." She tells me.

"That's good..." I tell her.

_'Don't you think you're enjoying this a LITTLE TOO much?' _Air strike asks me.

_'No.' _I tell him.

"So... what have you wanting to tell me?" Rosie asks. I get that "DERP" look on my face, and she lift up her head to look me in the eye.

"I... wanted to tell you... uhhhhh..." I stand there, filled with shyness all of a sudden. _ARGH! Just tell her how you feel around her! No one else is here! Well except for the security camera, but it's off right now so... JUST DO IT MAN!_ "I just wanted to tell you that... I... I..." I stand there and look into her eyes, and I feel the shyness in me increase and my face get hot. "I just wanted to tell you that I've enjoyed the adventure we've been on and that I'm happy we're friends!" I tell her very quickly. _What's wrong with me? _

"Oh..." She says. I see a bit of sadness in her eyes, which makes me feel terrible.

"I..." _I can't BELIEVE I'm about to do this. _I tuck her head back under my chin, and she blushes. We stand there, and after a minute, our eyes are closed and we're smiling. Right now I have an absolutely, one hundred percent, amazingly wonderful feeling inside me.

It's weird, it feels... RIGHT... to be doing this.

The door opens and,

of ALL people that could've walked in,

it had to be Mr. Richmond.

Me and Rosie get DERP looks on our faces, look at each other moving only our eyes, then back at Mr. Richmond who has an eyebrow raised.

"I'm not... interrupting... anything... am I?" He asks.

"NO!" Me and Rosie both say as we separate and take a step away from each other.

"It's nothing!" I tell him.

"We were just... um..." Rosie says.

"It was kinda chilly down here and Rosie was cold so..."

"Yeah! Red was just helping me warm up!"

"Yeah! That's it! That's all!"

"That was... all that was going on!"

"Yeah..." I look at the floor and rub the back of my neck, my face hot. _Why did HE have to come in here? _I think miserably.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- I know. It was predictable that it would be Mr. Richmond to walk in. *Trollface*<strong>

**Red: You arranged that?**

**Me: Yep.**

**Red: Why?**

**Me: Cuz I wanted to.**

**Red: ...**

**Me: Leave a review, or I'll send Red's vivosaur team after you! *Trollface***


	16. Fight for Mankind

**AN- Okay, I just want to tell you, there's something this chapter tells you about Red: DO ****NOT****, under ANY circumstance, make him have to go beast-mode on you.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Sixteen-Fight for Humankind<p>

Mr. Richmond shrugs and walks into the lab. "So, did you find the last idol fragment?" He asks me. I take the core processor out of my backpack and hold it up.

"Ta-dah!" I say.

"That's great! You beat the Dinaurians to all of them!" Rosie says cheerfully. "I knew you could do it!"

"Thanks." I say with a smile.

"Now Grandpa can hide it away where NOBODY can find it." Rosie says.

"No doubt in Red's abilities to find the fragments." Mr. Richmond says with a smile.

But there's... something... off about him.

I push the idea out of my mind, and hold out the fragment to him. "Before I do that however, can I ask you to assemble all the fragments into the complete sub-idolcomp?" Mr. Richmond asks.

"S-Sir...?" I ask him confused.

"If you're going to hide it, why would you need to have it assembled?" Rosie asks him.

"Because we... we won't know if... if... if there are any missing pieces until we assemble it!" He tells her. "Yes, that is it!"

_There's something wrong. _I think. _He said 'that is it' rather than 'that's it'. ... 'I think I'll go with him when he goes to hide the sub-idolcomp...'_

_'Careful, I don't like this either.' _Flamethrower tells me.

_'I have you guys.' _I tell him. _'Won't you guys help me in case I need it?'_

_'Your question offends me.' _Cloud Cover tells me.

_Heh._ I think.

"I guess you're right... but... Hmmm." Rosie tells Mr. Richmond. She looks at me. "Let's assemble the fragments Red." We go over to the display chamber where the idols were, and I lay out all the fragments. We try to reassemble it three times before I get an idea. I put down the feet, insert the core processer, then put on the left side, Rosie puts on the right side and face, and I put on the head. "Yes! The idol is back together with no missing fragments!" Rosie says. "Red found them all!" I pick up the idol and show Mr. Richmond.

"Are you certain?" He asks. "Let me see." Rosie grabs it and tries to take over to him.

"Red let go!" She says. I hold the idol firmly. "C'mon Red! Let Grandpa see it!" I tighten my grip on it. "Red!"

_I can't BELIEVE I'm about to do this. _I think. I quickly pull the idol towards me, causing Rosie to come towards me. Our heads are right next the other's. "I'm not sure that's Mr. Richmond." I whisper in her ear. Mr. Richmond raises an eyebrow, making my face get hot.

"What?" Rosie whispers in my ear, confused.

"There's something... off... about him." I tell her.

"Don't worry. It's Grandpa." She tells me.

"But-" She pulls the idol out of my hands, walks over to Mr. Richmond, and gives it to him. I walk over next to her, and we stand four feet away from him. He examines the idol and smiles.

"Excellent." He tells us. "You did a good job for mammals."

_WHAT? _I think as my eyes get big.

"The autorepair functionality will do its work and fully restore this sub-idolcomp in no time. And then... we'll finally be able to complete Project: Mother Planet as intended." He laughs manically.

"Grandpa, wh-what are you talking about?" Rosie asks worried.

"You're not Mr. Richmond!" I say. "You're a Dinaurian!" The door opens.

"Rosie! Red! Back already?" Mr. Richmond asks. He walks in and sees the first Mr. Richmond. He jumps, and me and Rosie look back and forth at them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoaaa!" Rosie says. "What's going on here?" We all look at the first Mr. Richmond who's standing there with the idol in his hands.

"Humans, you have my thanks for reassembling the sub-idolcomp." He says. "I won't need this disguise anymore..." Blue flecks of light appear around him, and there's a bright flash of light.

There stands King Dynal.

"A Dinaurian!" Rosie exclaims as we all jump back.

"That's not A Dinaurian!" I tell her. "That's King Dynal! He's their leader!"

"Quite correct..." He tells me with hate in his voice. "I very much appreciate all your hard work, collecting the pieces of the idolcomp system... Your efforts will make the doom of your entire species possible! Now, I must return to the main idolcomp."

"If you want to leave here, you'll have to kill me first." I say curling my fingers into hard fists. "Now hand over the idol!" I take a step toward him, and he pulls out a gun. We stand there, eyes locked in deadly glares.

He point the gun at Rosie and fires it.

"**ROSIE!**" I yell as he fires it. Yellow and white lights head straight towards her, and I tackle her, knocking us both to the ground and sending the ray at the wall. I look back at Dynal to see he has the gun pointed at us. I jump up, charge at him, grab the hand with the gun in it, and point it at the ceiling as the gun fires.

"LET GO OF ME, HUMAN!" He yells with disgust. He raises his free hand to strike me, and I punch him in the face. We wrestle for the gun, but another ray fires,

And hits Rosie.

"**ROSIE!**" I yell.

"I... I can't move!" She says terrified. She stands there, and shivers uncontrollably.

"You fiend!" Mr. Richmond exclaims. "What have you done to my precious granddaughter?" I pull back my fist, ready to beat every ounce of life out of Dynal when he kicks me off of him. He points the gun at Mr. Richmond and fires. "I... I can't move eitherrrrrr!"

"Humans... your end draws near." Dynal says evilly. "There is nothing-"

"YOU'RE WRONG!" I roar at him enraged. He turns, and I attack him. I kick, punch and claw at him, making him release cries of pain.

"ENOUGH!" Dynal yells. He grabs me by my throat, pulls me off of him, and holds me a foot off the ground. His grip tightens, and I begin to choke. "You cannot defeat me human. Enjoy your last few moments as multi-celled organisms."

"R...R... Red..." I choke.

"What?" Dynal asks.

"My... name!... Is... R... Red..." I tell him. "We... have... names... Of who... we... are... You have been... call... calling us by what... we are..." I gasp for breath. "I am... a person... I have a name... I have... a purpose... like everything does... Like you do..."

"And what is your purpose?" Dynal asks raising an eyebrow.

"To... to..." My vision flashes red and black. "protect... the innocent... even if I don't know them... Even if it... means... giving my own life... I... WILL... stop you... even if it takes me..." I take a deep breath. "to the grave." Dynal stands there, then throws me to the ground and runs out of the room. I gasp for breath, and pant. My head feels like it's in the clouds.

"Red!" I hear Rosie say. "I know that you're in no condition to do it right now, but-"

"I'm on it." I push myself up, making my lightheadedness get worse, but I step forward and take slow deep breaths.

"Red! You need to get the idol back!" Mr. Richmond tells me.

"Go! Hurry!" They both tell me.

_No time for slowness! _I think. I take a deep breath. "I'll stop him even if he kills me." I charge out of the lab and run up the stairs to the lobby, where I see Dr. Diggins and Duna standing there, shivering uncontrollably.

"Has Richmond lost his mind?" Dr. Diggins exclaims. "He just blasted us with some ray... Out of nowhere!"

"That wasn't Richmond!" Duna tells him. "That was King Dynal!"

"Who has the sub-idolcomp!" I tell them.

"WHAT?" Dr. Diggins exclaims.

"Red! You have to beat him!" Duna tells me. "Otherwise, he'll activate the main idolcomp!"

"Please Red!" Dr. Diggins says. "Get to the ship and stop him before that happens! The teleporter in the ware house is good to go! Just step on the platform!" I nod and charge out of the Richmond Building and straight to the Fossil Center. I run down to the ware house, charge up the stairs to the platform, and as I jump into the orange teleportation rings, I pull out my pick ax and get ready to fight. I teleport to the Starship and do a roll into my fighting stance. The air is heavy with danger, and a squadron of Dinaurians run into the room.

"Stand down hu-" Before the Dinaurian can finish, I jump at him, and knock him aside like a rag doll. The squadron attacks.

I beat the snot out of all of them.

I charge through the Stone Sleep room, breaking through a wall of Dinaurians, sending them everywhere. I run into the hallway, and a Dinomaton is ready for me. It swings its razor-sharp claws at me and I duck, making me slide under the claws, and I hit my pick against the bottom of its neck, causing it to fall to the ground. I run into another Stone Sleep room, to see it's empty of guards. I run into the hallway, and see a blockade of armed Dinaurians. I stand there and look at them, rage boiling inside of me. I charge, doge the rays the guns fire at me,

And take out all of them.

The weird thing is, this entire time,

I've only been able to think of Rosie.

_She's the main reason I'm fighting so hard. _I realize. I run past the knocked out Dinaurians, and into the idolcomp room. King Dynal stands on the slope in front of the main idolcomp with his back to me. I skid to a stop a few feet away from him.

"In my wildest imaginings, I never thought you'd make it here human. I admit that I am... impressed." He tells me. "The sub-idolcomp has already completed its autorepair cycle and has been installed in the system. The main idolcomp is ready and waiting. All I have to do is flip the switch... and regression rays will rain down on your planet, removing humans from your worlds evolutionary story."

"Take one step towards that and I'll kill you. Right here, right now." I tell him my voice full of dead seriousness and hate. He turns toward me, and sees me standing there, and look of hate, anger and seriousness on my face.

"But in order to protect your people, you will have to defeat me, mightiest of all Dinaurians." He tells me. "Here I stand, fighting for the revival of my long-lost world... Here you stand against me, striving for the survival of your species."

"We both have reasons to fight to the very end." I say. He takes a step forward.

"Everything... has built to this moment. When the two of us shall determine who will take this world." Dynal says.

"I will not lose to you." I tell him. "I will save my home, my family, my friends and my people. I will do what it takes." Yellow lights appear around Dynal, and he transforms into a vivosaur. His robe melds onto his skin, he is now built like an Lambeosaurus, and two Dinomatons appear on both sides of him.

Me and Dynal stare each other down.

"ATTACK!" I yell. Air Strike and Cloud Cover shoot cyclones out of their mouths, and Flamethrower shoots fire out of his. The cyclones and fire combine, creating a tornado of horrifying beauty, that hits Dynal. "Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Dynal!" He attacks. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fury on Dynal!" She attacks. "Flamethrower, S-Fury on Dynal!" He attacks. Dynal staggers backward, falls on his side, his eyes close, and he turns back into a Dinaurian. I didn't even get the chance to see how much damage was done to him in those attacks. He didn't even get the chance to recover his footing from the attacks. I look at the Dinomatons. "TEAR THEM APART!" I yell. My team attacks, ripping the robots limb from limb, leaving them a pile of scrap on either side of Dynal.

I did it.

I won.

I saved mankind.

"..." I stand there for a second. "OH YEAH!" I yell. Me and my team release cries of victory. Dynal opens his eyes, stands up and looks at me. He takes a step back, staggering. He takes another step back.

"I lose." He says. "Hu-" He shakes his head as if to snap out of something. "Red... I confess that I have learned from you. Through you I have seen a part of humankind I was not aware of." He takes a few steps forward. "Your people are strong, tenacious. I have never seen a species with such determination. No matter the odds, you will stand against any opponent... brave. Our people did not evolve as differently as I first thought. You may even one day surpass us." I smile.

"Red! Are you okay?" I hear Duna ask. I turn, and she runs up to me and hugs me.

"I'm fine." I tell her. "And so are all the humans."

"I knew you could do it." She tells me. Oddly, when she says it, I don't feel anything. When Rosie says it, it makes me feel wonderful. She stops hugging me, and stands beside me to where we can both see Dynal.

"Duna." He says. "I owe you an apology. You saw the humans' potential long before I could, and for that I thank you."

"That you, Your Majesty." Duna tells him with a smile.

"We still must find a home world however, so we shall once again venture into space, and resume our long search for another planet to make our own." Dynal says sadly. They both look down. I step forward.

"No you don't." I say they look at me.

"We need not return to space?" Dynal asks confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"Come live with us on Earth." I say.

"You are suggesting that humans and Dinaurians could walk side by side on Earth?" He asks.

"Yes Sir." I say. Duna and Dynal's eyes widen.

"I'm shocked to be honest." Dynal tells me. "I'm shocked that there are such beings capable of such generosity... On behalf of my people," He says holding out his hand. "I accept your gracious offer of hospitality." I shake his hand, sealing the agreement.

"Our two species have much to teach each other." I tell him. "I look forward to the beginning of that instruction." We both smile.

"HAVE YOU LOST YOU MIND?" Someone yells. We all look to see Raptin standing in front of the main idolcomp, anger on his face and in his eyes. "AM I THE ONLY ONE LEFT THINKING RATIONALLY? This is madness! Humans are primitive beasts unworthy of the planet we accidentally gave them! They're a mistake with delusions of grandeur! And I will be the one to correct that mistake!" Duna runs forward.

"Raptin! Stop!" She tells him. Dynal walks forward.

"I command you to stop Raptin!" He orders him. I run forward as he turns around to the main idolcomp.

"At last! All humans on the face of the earth below are about to become so much protoplasm!" He says.

_**"**__**NO!"**_ I yell.

He flips the switch.

The idolcomp starts humming.

I fall to my knees.

"No..." I whisper as tears weld up in my eyes. "NO!" I bang my fists against the floor and tears pour out of my eyes that are squeezed shut, and I grit my teeth with pain.

Because I'm broken.

I feel like I'm just an empty husk.

Like I just shattered, and blew away as dust.

My inside is an acheing void.

_Rosie..._

_I couldn't save her..._

My breath comes in jagged gulps.

_I'm sorry..._

_I'm so, so, so, so, so, so, so, sorry..._

_Everyone..._

_Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Jane, Uncle Hugh, Zeke, Mary, Holt, McJunker, Dr. Diggins, Mr. Richmond, Rosie..._

_Rosie..._

_I'll never be able to tell you the feeling I have around you..._

_I'm sorry..._

_More sorry than anything..._

_Rosie..._

_I'm sorry..._

_Please..._

_Forgive me..._

_Please, Rosie..._

_Please forgive me._

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Sorry about the lack of detail in the battle, but I forgot to hit the record button on my iPod, and I was half way through the battle when I realized it. LEAVE A REVIEW!<strong>


	17. The Terrible Truth

**AN-Okay, if you've played the game, you know what the title of this chapter means. Disclaimer: I do not own Fossil Fighters!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Seventeen-The Terrible Truth<p>

"Circumstances are now such that we cannot maintain our silence any longer." A voice says. We all gasp, and I look up and look around the room.

"Who said that?" Raptin asks bewildered. We all look around, and I wipe the tears that are still pouring out of my eyes.

"We are the devices that you refer to as sub-idolcomps." The red idol says.

"The AI brain of the sub-idolcomps?" Raptin asks. "Perfect! Listen, make the main idolcomp fire the regression rays!"

"Your request is unreasonable. We cannot comply." The blue idol says.

"WHAT?" Raptin exclaims. "That's the purpose of the main idolcomp! To use regression rays to correct flawed evolution!"

"You are correct." The yellow idol says. "The idolcomp system was built to correct flawed evolution."

"But only for the evolutionary branches originating from the 'seeds' planted by the Dinaurians." Green idol says.

"For this reason, the main idolcomp will not be activated, and the regression rays will not be used." Red idol says.

"But that's absurd!" Raptin says angrily. "You must be missing data!"

"No you are missing data. The humans are not what you think." Blue idol says.

_Raptin just got burned by a sub-idolcomp... that's kinda sad... _I think. _But if they can't carry out what he wants... _Joy fills me. _Then everyone's okay! No one's a blob of jell with one cell! Rosie's okay!_

"Humans did not evolve from the 'seeds' planted by the Dinaurians." Yellow idol says.

"**WHAT?**" King Dynal exclaims dumbfounded.

"The Dinaurians planted the 'seed' life-forms in the ocean in the Cambrian period." Green idol says.

"Unfortunately, they all perished a few thousand years later." Red idol says.

"All further evolution sprung from the single-celled life that already existed on the planet." Blue idol says.

"So that means that our revival project didn't spawn any of Earth's current life-forms..." Duna says.

"Correct. Every living creature on this planet was born and evolved quite naturally." Yellow idol says.

"And that includes humans as well." Green idol says.

"So Project: Mother Planet failed from the very beginning." Dynal says. "And in our arrogance, we were going to wipe humans out of existence and start over..."

"We too were surprised at first. Our programming was not designed to cover such an eventuality." Red idol says.

"We considered the problem, then reconsidered and reconsidered before arriving at our answer." Blue idol says.

"We decided to do nothing. We would simply observe and protect these new forms of life." Yellow idol says.

"But... the main idolcomp reached a different conclusion." Green idol says.

"The main idolcomp decided to destroy all life on the planet." Red idol says, making me let out a small gasp.

"But... how?" King Dynal asks. "The main idolcomp isn't equipped to destroy anything, only regress it's evolution."

"Correct. Since the main idolcomp was unable to carry out this goal, it began broadcasting signals." Blue idol says.

"It sent these signals to the one force that it knew was capable of annihilating an entire planet." Yellow idol says.

"No... NO!" Duna say with horror. "You can't mean...?"

"Guhnash." Green idol says.

"No..." I whisper. I feel myself shatter again.

"As you well know, if Guhnash were to come to this world... Every living thing would be consumed, along with the planet itself." Red idol says.

"It was at this point that we sub-idolcomps disconnected ourselves and escaped from the Starship." Blue idol says.

"Without us to regulate it, the main idolcomp was forced to shut down and it stopped sending signals." Yellow idol tells us.

"But now with its power restored..." Green idol says.

"The main idolcomp has successfully broadcast the last required signal." Red idol tells us.

"Guhnash now has the coordinates to reach Earth... and consume it." Blue idol tells us.

"This will be the end of all life on this world." Yellow idol says. The words hang in the air and hit me like a speeding, runaway train.

_Rosie..._ I think. Everything about her enters the front of my mind...

And I feel hopeless.

We all look at Raptin, he looks at us, and we see the horror on his face, and he sees the horror on ours. "So... I've just summoned the monster, the catastrophe, that ate our entire planet...?" Raptin asks.

We all nod.

He looks at all of us, and sadness fills his eye and spreads across his face. "I... I didn't mean... I never intended for this to happen!" He tells us. "I just wanted... to help my people..." We all look at Dylan. He turns away from us, and takes a few steps forward.

"Look at what we have done in our vain arrogance..." He says. "We have brought the same terrible fate on this planet that befell ours. We have failed... utterly."

_Rosie..._

_I am going to stop Guhnash._

_To protect you._

* * *

><p><strong>AN- okay, sorry about how short this one is, but the title 'The Terrible Truth' just sounded like a good chapter to me... so yeah... and I'm getting these chapters out pretty fast!<strong>


	18. Battle for the World

**AN-I'm surprised to see that I'm not getting reviews like how I was. *sniff* It makes me feel bad. If you want me to do something different or make a one-shot, please, tell me in a review.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Eighteen-Battle for the World<p>

"I... see." Mr. Richmond says. Me, Duna, Dynal, Mr. Richmond, Holt and Rosie all stand there next to the teleportation machine in the Underground Warehouse. "This is quite the situation we're faced with." I look at Rosie, who's standing there, looking at the floor and hugging herself.

"Yes," King Dynal says stepping forward. We all look at him. "and I am sorry to say that it is a situation for which there is on remedy: escape from Earth. We will carry as many humans as we can aboard our Starship. It is the least we can do. I will remain behind, if it means one more human can be carried to safety."

"I... will do the same." Duna says stepping forward.

"A noble thought, but that just won't work." Mr. Richmond says. "We can't fit enough humans on your ship to make much difference."

"But-!" Dynal says. "...You are right." He sighs. We all stand there. Rosie gets an idea.

"In that case, how about this? We use Dinaurian technology to build an even BIGGER ship!" She says. "We call it Project: Noah and load every last person onto it!"

"..." Everyone stands there.

"I'm sorry, but no amount of technology is going to make a ship big enough to carry every human." Duna tells her. "Besides, there's not enough time. Guhnash will be here before you know it."

"Okay then..." Rosie says. "You can use that ray-gun thing that turned me into a mouse into a to turn everybody into mice! Then we can fit everyone on your ship! We'll call it Project: Squeekums!"

_Okay, it's not a bad idea, but 'squeekums'? Really? _I wonder. Dynal looks at her.

"Um, yes, but it would still be very difficult to fit everyone onto the ship." He tells her. Rosie stands there, then gets angry.

"FINE then!" She says. "We'll just have to attack Guhnash head-on and destroy him!"

"Yeah!" I say in agreement. Dynal turns away.

"We appreciate your enthusiasm, but THAT is the most impossible idea yet." He says. "For thousands of years, my people researched ways to defeat the monster Guhnash. We concluded that there is NO weapon capable of slaying him."

"Then what about poison?" Holt asks.

"Isn't that a weapon?" I ask him.

"Oh yeah..." He says.

"Guhnash WILL eat this planet." Dynal says. "There is nothing that can be done about that." We all stand there, with hopelessness.

I see something in Dynal's eyes.

I have no idea what it is, but I can tell that he's lost something, or someone, he cared about very deeply and that there's only one thing that kept him from killing himself over the loss. I frown.

I can tell he lost whatever it was from Guhnash.

"With all due respect Your Majesty, there IS a way to defeat Guhnash." We hear a voice say. We all let out small gasps and turn to see Dr. Diggins standing there. He's still how he was when we revived him. He walks over to us. "I spent a lot of time on that crashed spaceship with the Guhnash tissue sample and experimental data. I realized that, while every part of him is essentially a living weapon... It can't live without the coordination of its three brains. And before I went into Stone Sleep, I pinpointed exactly where in the beast those brains are. With your teleportation technology, it should be possible to attack and defeat Guhnash's three brains." Everyone except Rosie lets out a small gasp.

"But how?" Rosie asks. "We don't have any missiles or guns or anything!" Dr. Diggins laughs.

"But we do have some powerful muscle behind us..."

"WHAAAAAAAAT?" Holt asks. "You mean that we could use vivosaurs to defeat Guhnash in a Fossil Battle?"

"A Fossil Battle..." Dynal says.

Everyone slowly turns to look at me at the same time.

"... I know where this is going." I say.

"Red you are the most accomplished Fossil Fighter there is." Dynal tells me. "We must ask that you fight Guhnash. Please."

"I WILL defeat Guhnash, and I WILL save the world." I tell him. He nods.

"Let me know when you are ready to go, and I will teleport you inside Guhnash." He tells me. I nod.

"I just need to do two things first." I tell him. I run out if the Fossil Center and to my hotel room. I stuff my face with leftovers since there's no time to cook and the sun is going down, and the events from today have my stomach growling like an angry lion. I then go into the bed room, sit down at the desk, get out a sheet of paper, an envelope, and a pencil. I start writing. I write down everything that has happened, how I got here, who I am, the weird feeling I get around Rosie, and how sorry I am for running away. It's for my parents. I write the address on the paper and stick it in the envelope. I run back to the Underground Warehouse. I walk up to King Dynal.

"Guhnash is unbelievably powerful." He tells me. "This will be the hardest fight of your life. Are you ready?"

"Yes sir." I tell him.

"Are you sure? You are prepared to face Guhnash in battle?" He asks.

"Yes sir." I tell him.

"Understood." He says. "Good luck Red. Prepare to be teleported to Guhnash." I nod. I walk over to Dr. Diggins and take out the letter to my parents.

"If... If I don't come back, and ONLY if I don't come back, will you teleport this to the address on the letter?" I ask him.

"I will." He says as he takes it.

"Thank you." I tell him.

"Red." I turn to see Dynal standing there with a hi-tech walkie-talkie in one hand, and some sort of hi-tech cube in the other.

"You'll need these." He tells me. I nod and clip the walkie-talkie onto a belt loop and put the cube in my backpack.

"Good luck Red." Holt tells me. "You can do it. I know you can." We hug.

"Thanks Holt." I tell him. We separate and Duna hugs me.

"Be safe." She tells me. I nod. She takes a step back, and me and Rosie hug.

"Come back and don't get yourself killed, you hear me?" She asks.

"I'll come back faster than a lightning bolt." I tell her. We stand there for a few seconds, hugging. We separate, and Rosie has worry in her eyes. I walk up the stairs to the teleportation platform and look at everyone. "I won't fail you guys. I promise." Dynal begins to enter in something on the keyboard.

"Wait!" Rosie says taking a step forward. We all look at her. "I'm going too! I can't let you do this alone Red!" A warm feeling swells up in my chest when she says that.

"I would also like to go." Duna says. Dynal looks at them.

"It would be safe to have some support in case of an emergency." He says. "However, the teleporter can only carry one addition person." He looks at me. "Red, Who will you bring with you?"

_Oh man! What do I do? _I think. _I don't want either of them to come since they're my friends and I don't want them to get hurt, but I can't go alone! ARGH! ... Maybe I can use this... I want to tell Duna I just want to be friends._ "Rosie." I say. Duna looks at the wall.

"Thanks Red..." Rosie tells me. She hugs Mr. Richmond and then walks up onto the platform and stands right beside me.

"Are you ready?" Dynal asks. "I'm about to activate the teleporter."

"We were born ready." I tell him. He nods and everyone gathers around the teleporter.

"..." Dynal stands there looking at us. "Good luck." He says. Me and Rosie look at each other.

"Alright Red, let's go beat Guhnash!" I nod, take a deep breath, and close my eyes as the teleporter starts. I feel myself be teleported and reassembled. I open my eyes to complete darkness, humid air, a strange noise that vibrates in my ears, and a foul smell. "Are we... inside Guhnash? I can't see a thing... and what's that noise?"

"No idea." I tell her. The ground under us... slithers? "What? Ground doesn't... are we in his...?" Suddenly, the place lights up to reveal sharp, jagged teeth, a huge purple circle, and pink tissue that forms a dome around us. Around the circle, is a yellow tube that emits light. I look at the teeth, and beyond them is the darkness of outer space with stars all throughout it.

"Ugh! We're inside him alright..." Rosie says. "But what if we're in the wrong part? What if we get...digested?"

"C'mon on!" I say, grabbing her hand. "We need to get out of here!"

"Calm yourselves children." We hear Dynal say. We look around, and I remember the walkie-talkie. I take it off my belt loop. "According to Dr. Diggins, Guhnash's three brains are in its mouth. That's why I teleported you there.

"Why didn't you say so?" I ask him. We look around.

"Where are the brains?" Rosie asks. Suddenly, we hear loud screeches that make us grab our heads and squeeze our eyes shut.

I see something.

It's huge.

It has a red sphere for a head,

A long, blue triangle for a body,

Blue spikes coming out of its sides,

Jagged teeth,

And two gargantuan, terrifying blue eyes.

"Did you see THAT?" I exclaim opening my eyes.

"I think I did." Rosie says. "But did you hear that screech?"

"I... I don't know... It sounds like it came from INSIDE my head." I look around. "Something... Something's coming... Guhnash's brains..."

"Remember what Dr. Diggins said!" Rosie tells me. "Every part of Guhnash is a living weapon!" I look at her. "Red, for the future of Earth and all of mankind, you have to win!"

"I WILL win..." I tell her. _...for you. I don't know why I have this strange feeling around you, but I'm going to fight, and I'm going to win for you. _I think. The top of the dome opens, and the three brains come down.

_'Guhlith...' _Something tells me in a hollow, ghostly voice as I look at one. It's gray with three black eyes with yellow light glowing in them. Coming out of the side of its head in three different areas on either side, are gray cylinders with turquoise at the ends. It has a jaw separate from its head that has turquoise teeth and keeps spinning in a circle.

_'Guhweep...' _Something tells me as I look at the next brain. It's a gray sphere with two closed eyes that have tears coming out of them. Above and beneath the eyes are two turquoise circles with black in the middle that seem to be moving in and out. All around it are leaf shaped objects that are gray and turquoise and it has a black line going the middle of the face.

_'Guhvorn...' _Something tells me as I look at the last brain. It has two black eyes with yellow lights in the middle, two curved horns with gray, black and turquoise stripes going around them coming out of the sides of its head. It has a third one on its chin under a mouth with jagged turquoise teeth.

I call out my team. _'Okay guys... I don't know what to tell you other than LET'S DO THIS!'_

_'Guhvorn... Gash Combo on Shanshan...' _It attacks doing thirty-five damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Guhvorn!" He attacks doing ninety-nine damage.

_'Guhvorn... Gash Combo on Shanshan...' _It attacks doing twenty-seven damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Guhvorn!" He attacks doing ninety-six damage.

_'Guhvorn... Gash Combo on Shanshan...' _It attacks doing thirty-five damage.

"Flamethrower, S-Fury on Guhvorn!" He attacks doing forty-seven damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Combo on Guhvorn!" She attacks doing twenty-nine damage.

_'Guhvorn... Gash Combo on Shanshan...' _It attacks doing twenty-six damage. _'Guhweep... Weeping Slam on Spinax...'_ It attacks doing eighteen damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Guhvorn!" He attacks doing one hundred three damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Guhvorn!" She attacks doing twenty-two damage.

_'Guhweep... Quicken on Guhvorn...'_ It does it, making Guhvorn's evasion go up.

"Flamethrower, S-Fang on Guhvorn!" He attacks doing forty-one damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Guhvorn!" She attacks doing twenty-eight damage, making it fade away to nothing.

"He did it! One of the brains is gone!" Rosie says.

"Keep going Red. The whole world is listening in right now." Dynal tells me.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Guhlith!" He attacks doing fifty-six damage.

_'Guhlith... Billowing anger on Shanshan...' _It attacks doing thirty-five damage. _'Guhweep... Whirling Displacement...' _The brain creates a tornado and sends it at my team. Cloud Cover is put in the AZ, Air Strike in the EZ, and Flamethrower in the right SZ.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fury on Guhlith!" She attacks doing sixty-four damage. "Flamethrower, S-Combo on Guhlith!" He attacks doing thirty-four damage.

_'Guhlith... Billowing Anger on Shanshan...' _It attacks doing sixty-four damage and exciting her.

_Argh. Can't move her to the EZ when she's excited._

_'Guhweep... Weeping Slam on Shanshan...'_ It attacks doing seventeen damage.

"Pass!" I say.

_'Guhlith... Weeping slam on Shanshan...'_ It attacks doing fifty damage, sending Cloud Cover into her medal. I catch the medal and look at it.

_'You did well out there... I'm proud of you. Thank you.'_ I tell her. I put the medal in the side pocket of my backpack. "Air Strike, Cyclone on Guhlith!" He attacks doing ninety-two damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fury on Guhlith!" He attacks doing forty-two damage.

_'Guhlith... Billowing Anger on S-Raptor...' _It attacks doing forty-nine damage.

"Air Strike, Cyclone on Guhlith!" He attacks doing fifty-eight damage, making it fade away to nothing. "Flamethrower, S-Fury on Guhweep!" He attacks doing fifty-four damage.

_'Guhweep... Weeping Slam on S-Raptor...'_ It attacks doing nineteen damage.

"Air Strike, Cyclone on Guhweep!" He attacks doing one hundred eighteen damage.

_'Guhweep... Weeping Slam on S-Raptor...'_ He attacks doing eighteen damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Guhweep!" He attacks doing one hundred ten damage.

_'Guhweep... Weeping Slam on S-Raptor...'_ It attacks doing eighteen damage.

"Air Strike..." I point at Guhweep. "END IT!" He attacks doing one hundred thirteen damage, making it fade to nothing.

I did it.

I won.

I saved the world.

I saved Rosie.

"HE DID IT!" Rosie yells into the walkie-talkie. "RED DID IT! ALL THE BRAINS ARE GONE! THE WORLD IS SAFE! YAY!"

"OH YEAH!" I yell. "What now Guhnash? What now? I saved the world! Everyone is safe!" Without meaning to, I hug Rosie around the waist, pick her up off the ground, and spin in circles while jumping up and down, cheering.

"Uh... Red?" I look up at her with pure joy on my face, to see a blush on her's. "Um... Could... Could you please put me down?" I quickly put her down, take a step back and my face gets hot.

"Sorry! I was just... really... happy..." I tell her scratching the back of my head. She hugs me.

"I am too Red. You did it. You destroyed Guhnash's brains. You won. You saved everyone." She tells me. I hug her back, and we move our heads to where we can see each other. "Red, you're... you're..." Our faces get closer together, my eyes close, I tilt my head to the side, and I'm actually just following some instinct that just appeared inside of me.

The ground starts to shake.

I open my eyes to see our lips are just two inches apart.

_'We were about to... to... TO...'_

_'Kiss.' _Flamethrower says.

_'Yeah that!' _I tell him.

"Wh-What's happening?" Rosie asks scared.

"No idea." I tell her. She buries her face in the crook of my neck while her arms rest on my chest. I take the walkie-talkie off my belt loop. "What's going on?" I ask Dynal.

"Without his brains to regulate his power, Guhnash is going to explode." He tells us.

"WHAT?" Rosie yells. We separate, oddly I don't want to, and she takes the walkie-talkie from me. "Didn't you see that coming? Teleport us out of here already!"

"Guhnash's energy is pouring out and causing interference." Dynal tells us. "The teleporter can't lock on to your position." We stand there for a second, and I grab the walkie-talkie from Rosie's hand.

"THEN YOU NEED TO FIX IT RIGHT NOW AND GET ROS- err... I mean... US OUTTA HERE!" I yell into it. "...We're not... still on the radio... are we?"

"No. You are no longer on the radio, and do not panic. Activate the other device I gave you." He tells me. "It is a miniature Stone-Sleep inducer. You will be turned to stone and protected from the explosion. We will then recover you in stone form and revive you. Do it quickly." Rosie reaches into my backpack and takes out the devise. She turns it over and finds the activation switch. We look at each other.

"Well you heard the man. I guess we don't get a choice about it." She tells me. "To make sure we're not separated... um..."

"I'll hold your hand. Tightly." I tell her. I gulp and take her right hand in my left. I feel my face get hot.

"Thanks Red." She says. I put the walkie-talkie on a belt loop, turn it off, and look at her.

"Rosie there's something I've been meaning to tell you all day and... well..." I say quickly, looking her straight in the eye.

"Yes?" She asks.

"Well... this isn't the best time, but... uh... I..." I look at our hands, then back at her, my face burning hot. "I... I... I'll tell you as soon as we get back to Earth."

"Okay..." She says. "See you soon Red." I smile shyly and I feel warmness fill me when she says that. She actives the Stone-Sleep inducer, and there's a flash of light.

I'm asleep...

Yet I see Guhnash explode...

And see me and Rosie float through the stars.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-YES! I got to watch Guhnash explode! MWA HA HA HA!<strong>

**Red: I think you enjoy watching fires and explosions too much.**

**Me: Ya think?**

**Red:...**

**Me: Leave a review, and I'll make Red kiss Rosie!**

**Red: Wait, WHAT?**


	19. Remembering

**Red: You didn't mean what you said in the last chapter... right?... RIGHT?**

**Me: ...**

**Red: WELL?**

**Me: Disclaimer: I do not own Fossil Fighters! BTW, leave a truth or dare for Red in a review so I can do a truth or dare show with him.**

**Red: You're evil, ya know?**

**Me: I AM NOT! I'm just amused to watch you suffer from the feeling you get is all.**

**Red: ... You make no sense.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Nineteen-Remembering<p>

_Me and Rosie are running through a field beneath a blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds, while all the vivosaurs one after the other appear in it and release roars of victory. Me and Rosie run to a cliff and stop. The wind rushes past us, I take her right hand in my left, and we raise them up light how a champion does. We look at each other, and we both have light blushes on our faces._

_"I will never forget you." Rosie says._

_"I can't forget anyone as amazing as you." I tell her. "I never want you to let go of my hand... and I want you to never leave my side."_

_"I won't... I could never leave someone like you." She tells me._

"See you soon Red."

The words echo in my ears, and I feel myself lying on my side on a hard surface. My left hand closes around empty space, and I grope around for Rosie's hand. I open my eyes to see I'm in a revival chamber in the cleaning room at the Fossil Center. I sit up and yawn

"Good morning sleepyhead." Dr. Diggins says. I look out the front of the revival machine to see him, Duna, Dynal and Holt standing there, smiling. "How does it feel to be on the other side of the revival machine?"

"Talk about waking up on the wrong side of the bed." I tell them. They laugh.

"You saved Earth Red." Duna tells me. "It's all over. Everything is fine." I climb out of the revival machine.

"And thanks to you, the Dinaurians were able to avoid making a colossal mistake." Dynal tells me. "Speaking for all Dinaurians, I thank you." I look around again.

"Where's Rosie?" I ask. Everyone's smiles vanish and Dynal looks away. "She's okay... right?" I ask panic filling me.

"We might as well tell him." Holt says. Dr. Diggins nods and I look at him, my eyes big with worry.

"All that energy coming off of Guhnash caused problems in the Stone-Sleep inducer." He tells me. "It malfunctioned... and... and..."

"Her revival... didn't go quite as planned." Holt tells me.

"Rosie's still alive... right?" I ask with worry. He sighs.

"Physically, Rosie was revived, and she's in perfect health..." Dr. Diggins says.

"Then what's wrong?" I ask him.

"..." Dr. Diggins looks down. "She lost all of her memory in the process."

"Wh...What...?" I ask. I feel like I'm a void. I thought I was broken before, but now I feel as if everything dear to me has been taken, and I will never recover from it. "No... No! That couldn't have happened!" Tears weld up in my eyes and my breathing grows haggard.

"We couldn't get her memory back, even using the Dinaurians advanced technology." He tells me. I stand there, tears pour out of my eyes, I feel like there's a bolder made of lead in my chest and I can barely breath.

"No..." I shake my head. "No... No! Her memory can't be gone! She must remember something! There has to be some way to get it back!"

"I'm... I'm... afraid there isn't." Dynal says with sorrow in his voice. I look at him.

"Rosie in her room in the Richmond Building." Holt tells me. "You should go see her." I bolt out of the room, through the main room and out of the Fossil Center, to see a crowd of reporters. The sun is in the morning position, telling me they let us stay in Stone Sleep over night. The reporters all start calling my name and asking questions, but I push my way through them, and run like a speeding bullet to the Richmond Building. I run in and up to Rosie's room. I walk around to where I can see her entire room, and I see her and Mr. Richmond standing there next to the sliding door. I walk over, and I look at Rosie.

"I'm glad to see everything went well with your revival Red." Mr. Richmond tells me. I stand there and look at Rosie. "It's true... Her memory is gone, every last bit. She won't remember you Red... I'm sorry." I look at him, my face and eyes sad, then back at Rosie, who is looking me straight in the eye.

"Am I suppose to know you?" She asks. "Are you going to tell me another weird story about aliens and stuff?" Mr. Richmond walks over to the elevator and leaves. I swallow.

"I'm your friend..." I tell her, my voice full of sadness. She blinks, then grabs her head with frustration.

"ARGH! It's so FUSTRATING not to be able to remember!" She says. "I know something... important happened..." She walks over to the short table in the middle of her room. "Something I should remember... Something special..."

"Rosie..." I say. She doesn't respond. "That's you... Your name is Rosetta, but everyone calls you Rosie." She looks back at me.

* * *

><p><em>Rosie? <em>She wondered. _I like that name. _She looked the blue-eyed boy in the eye. _He has nice eyes... They look familiar..._ A dream worms it way to the front of her mind. She had it right before she woke up in a strange machine.

She and the boy were running through a field while brightly colored, giant lizards appeared in the sky. They stopped at the edge of a cliff, and the boy took her hand. She looked at him, and he had a blush on his face. They promised never to forget each other, and she woke up.

In her dream, the boy had beautiful, deep blue eyes. They were wonderful to look at. They were a happy, warm, caring, soft blue, that made her want to get lost in them forever.

Right now, they were different.

They made her feel sad when she looked at them. They were a sad, heart-broken blue, that looked like he was in a pain he would never get out of.

"Why are you so sad?" Rosie asks him.

"You don't remember me." He tells her.

* * *

><p>I stand there, looking into Rosie's eyes.<p>

I don't know what to think or do.

"Please... don't you remember me?" I ask. She shakes her head.

"I'm... sorry, but I don't." She tells me. The void inside me grows, bringing more pain.

"I... I helped you..." I tell her. "When you had your Dino Medals stolen... When you had a spell cast on you... When you were about to be eaten by denture sharks... When you were kidnapped..."

"All that happened to me?" She asks confused. I nod. "Oh... It sounds like I have bad luck." I stand there. "What happened after all that?"

"Well... nothing." I tell her. "Except for the kidnapping part."

"What happened after that?" My face grows fiery hot as the memory jumps to the front of my mind.

"Uh... well... you... asked me to meet you in the park that night... and... you thanked me... and... um... well... you... well, you... k... k... k..."

"KISSED?" She asks bewildered.

"Uh..." I scratch the back of my head and look at the floor.

"On the lips?"

"NO!" I tell her snapping my head up. "Uh... no. It was on the side of my face..."

"Oh..." We stand there and look each other straight in the eye. Instead of the wonderful, yet confusing, feeling I get around her, I get a terribly sad feeling.

_'It's because she doesn't remember.' _Flamethrower tells me.

_'... I know.'_ I tell him. The elevator dings, and me and Rosie look at it. Mr. Richmond and another man walk into view and over to us. "CHIEFTAIN?" I exclaim bewildered. Rosie jumps behind me, puts her hands on my shoulders, and peeks out from behind my head at the chieftain. "What are you doing here?"

"He knows how to get Rosie's memory back!" Mr. Richmond tells me overjoyed.

"Really?" I ask. Hope and joy fill me. "How? With what? Tell me and I'll get it! Even if I have to go to the ends of the Earth!"

"Something special... digadig." The chieftain says. "Perhaps something passionate and vigorous, digadig?"

"Y-you're... joking... right?" I ask. "You don't mean...!"

"The hip-shaker dance?" Mr. Richmond asks.

"Yes, I diga-do, digadig!" The chieftain says. "It could be just the... spark to trigger her memory, digadig!" He looks at me. "Young Fighter boy... It is time to... perform passion and vigorous hip-shaker dance for the young Fighter girl, digadig!" I stand there looking at him, my lower left eye lid twitching and my mouth slightly ajar.

That means I have no idea how to react.

"It's worth a try Red!" Mr. Richmond tells me. "Please, do it for Rosie!"

"I will... it's just..." A memory jumps to the front of my mind. When I was eight, in school they taught us that Indian boys would perform dances for a girl they were in love with.

"Just what, digadig?" The chieftain asks. I hang my head and my shoulders slump.

"I am going to look like an idiot." I tell him. "But I'll do it to help Rosie." I say looking at them. I turn around to face Rosie. "Okay... um..." I take her hands, guide her to the middle of the room, let go of her hands, and take two steps back. I get ready to do it, and I look at everyone.

They're all staring at me.

I get an uncomfortable look on my face. "Okay. This just feels weird." I say.

_'It would be easier if you and Rosie were alone, eh?' _Air Strike asks.

_'Yeah, I guess it would... wait... wait, WHAT?' _I ask. "Uh... Okay..." I take a deep breath, and start doing the hip-shaker dance. I keep doing it, even as my mind drifts to Rosie and everything about her that gives me the weird feeling. Suddenly, rainbow colored light appears around Rosie. She turns and walks a few steps toward her table and stops. She blinks, blinks again, and again. There's a flash of light, and Rosie stands there, the rainbow light gone. She looks at the wall and shivers.

"...D-d-d-d-d-d..." She says. We all lean forward some. "D-d-d-diga-d-d-d-d... D-d-digadig!" We all stand there.

"R... Rosie...?" I ask taking a step forward. She whirls around, and pushes me on the shoulder playfully.

"Knock it of Red, you weirdo!" She says smiling. "Why were you doing the hip-shaker dance HERE?"

"You remember?" I ask as my eyes widen. "Everything?"

"Yes!" She says happily. "I remember-"

"YOU REMEMBER!" I cry with joy. I hug her around her waist, and pick her up off the ground as I jump in circles. "YOU REMEMBER, YOU REMEMBER, YOU REMEMBER!" I'm so happy, I think I'm going to pop.

"Uh... Red?" Rosie asks. I stop and look up at her, a huge smile on my face.

"Yeah?"

"Could you please put me down?" She asks. I get a DERP look on my face, quickly put her down, and take a step back.

"Sorry!" I say as I scratch the back of my head and feel my face get hot. "Just... got really happy is all..."

"It's a miracle!" Mr. Richmond exclaims. "We've just seen a miracle! Red cured your amnesia by doing the hip-shaker dance!" Me and Rosie look at each other.

"I guess it makes sense..." Rosie says. "I mean, how could I NOT remember a crazy dance like that?"

"No idea." I tell her with a smile. She hugs me.

"Thanks Red." She tells me. "Thanks again." For some odd reason, The chieftain and Mr. Richmond start laughing. While they are, their eyes are closed and Rosie kisses me on the right side of my face.

I feel like my inside melt, a show of fireworks go off, and my face turns fiery red.

"Thank you so much." She says resting her chin on my shoulder. I get a happy, idiot look, and I hug her back.

_'Don't you think you're enjoying this a LITTLE TOO much?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'No.'_ I tell her.

A few minutes later...

I walk into the Fossil Center, and see Dr. Diggins talking to Wendy. "Woo Hoo!" Dr. Diggins says. "With all the disasters and doom taken care of, we can all get back to normal life again!"

"Indeed Doctor." Wendy says. "I'm almost afraid to ask, but will that include finally changing out of that outfit?"

"Funny you should ask." Dr. Diggins tells her. "I've actually enjoyed getting in touch with my 'inner caveman'. And... I'm thinking about making this the regular uniform for Fossil Center employees..." He jumps. "What?" He exclaims. "What did I just say?" Wendy sighs.

"Nothing 'Thog'." She tells him. "Will you also be trading your microscope and computer for a club made of bone?" Dr. Diggins stand there for a second, blinking.

"I-but-!" He face palms himself. "Ugh." Wendy smiles. She then reaches over the counter, grabs Dr. Diggins ear, pulls his head over the counter,

And kisses him right on the lips.

Dr. Diggins eyes get huge, and his face turns red. After a second, Wendy pulls back her head and looks at him. "I missed you." She tells him. Dr. Diggins stands there with huge eyes, and Wendy lets go of his ear. He stands there for a second,

Then faints.

Trying not to laugh, I walk over. "Do you want me to take him into his office?" I ask Wendy.

"Nah. He'll be fine." She tells me. She takes out a folder. "But could you please take this to Mr. Richmond?"

"Yes ma'am." I walk out of the Fossil Center and as I pass the stadium, I hear talking.

"So the runt saved us all from total annihilation, huh?" Saurhead asks. "He might finally be a worthy rival for me!"

"Big news!" The fan boy exclaims. "Saurhead just accepted that hero kid as an official rival!"

"Megaton!" The man says. "That make only two rivals for Saurhead: the hero kid and tyrannosaurus!"

_Saurhead needs to wake up from his dream. _I think _After all, I was a worthy opponent when I became Master Fighter. _I keep walking, and I walk into the Guild area.

"You haven't beaten me yet." I hear Bullwort say from his cell in the prison. "Just you wait and see! I built this place! I'll get out of here, and when I do, you'll all suffer the indignity! Oh, how you'll suffer! You'll all suffer... SO MUCH!"

"Hey, hey!" An officer says. "Quiet down in there, or you're back on carrot sandwiches for dinner!"

"No!" Bullwort says. "Not the sandwiches! Anything but the sandwiches! I'll be good!"

_Maybe they should force it down his throat. JUST like how I did with his bitterness. _I smirk, and walk into the Richmond Building. I ride up the elevator to Mr. Richmond's office, and as I step off, I hear him talking to himself.

"It took some time, but things are finally back to normal." He says cheerfully. "That young man DID turn out to be something special! I can't wait to see how he impresses us all next!" I walk into the second part of the office. "Hello Red!"

"Hello Mr. Richmond." I tell him as I hold out the folder. "Wendy asked me to give this to you."

"Ah! Thank you!" He tells me.

"You're welcome." I leave the Richmond Building, and ride out to Bottomsup Bay. I go to the pirate ship, and look at the door to Captain Woolbeard's room. He appears behind his desk.

"Yar! There ain't no life like one of diggin' and battlin'!" He says. "Who needs bones o' yer own when there're fossilized ones to be found?"

_Living people need both._ I think as I smile. I do some digging, then head out to Knotwood Forest to visit Nevada. I walk into the Digadig Village, and the inhabitants cheer. I wave to them, and I see the chieftain outside his teepee.

"Digadig!" He says. "Even I was surprised at the... impact of the hip-shaker dance, digadig." He gets an idea. "I believe it is a diga-dance that should be known throughout the world!" He starts doing the hip-shaker dance. "Hello world, digadig! This is one vigorous, passionate dance, digadig!" I hear a crack, and the chieftain freezes. "Oh! My... back, digadig!" I walk into the Digadigamid, and up to the treasure room where I see Nevada looking around. She uses her whip on the floor.

"There are still Digadig secrets to find here... I can smell them!" She says. She notices something, and walks over to the wall. "Hmmm... I wonder what this button does?" She pushes it, and a hole appears under her. "Ahhhhh... darn." She fall in. I stand there, then turn on my heel, and leave the Digadigamid.

_Maybe I'll visit Holt instead. _I leave Knotwood Forest, go to Rivet Ravine, and walk into the cavern where the tunnel entrances are. I see Holt and McJunker by the tunnel entrance that used to be boarded up, with a mine car on the track.

"Today's a big day Holt!" McJunker tells him. "Today, you'll be initiated as an official mine car repair specialist!"

"Yes sir!" Holt says with enthusiasm.

"First, let's talk about the single most important aspect of good mine car repair... love! Always remember that. You have to genuinely feel love for the mine cars. Feel it Holt?"

"Um... love?" Holt asks confused.

_This is going to be good. _I think with a smile.

"Repeat after me, Pretty little mine cars!" McJunker says. Holt looks at the mine car that McJunker is looking at.

"P-pretty little mine cars...?" Holt says. I try not to burst out laughing.

"I love you mine cars!" McJunker says.

"I... um... I love you mine cars!" Holt says.

_Oh man! _I think. _I wish I had a video camera! _It's taking all my effort not to laugh.

"Sweet little mine cars..." McJunker says. He then starts kissing the mine car.

"Er... McJunker...?" Holt asks. I lean against the wall with my hand over my mouth and my eyes closed. "Think that's funny?" I open my eyes and look at Holt, who has a grumpy look on his face.

"Yes..." I laugh. I look at him, and he just stands there. "If it was me, you'd be laughing."

"TRUE..." Holt says. "By the way, McJunker opened a pay-to-dig site at Greenhorn plains. You should check it out."

"Okay, thank for the tip!" I tell him with a smile. I turn to leave, but stop. "Holt?"

"Yeah?"

"A piece of advice: Don't ask your uncle for dating tips." Holt laughs, and I head out to Greenhorn Plains. I walk to the site, pay to get in, and walk up the path. I do some digging, and I hear three familiar voices talking.

"Remind me Vivian..." Snivels says. "How exactly did we get stuck on garbage-pickup duty? Why didn't we skip town?"

"Because it's not a town, it's an island you twit!" Vivian says. "They took our boat, so it was this or jail time." Rex barks. "Hey slacker, you missed one!" Vivian says.

"Man, I HATE repaying my debt to society!" Snivels says. I smile and finish digging. I head back to the Fighter Area, go into the Fossil Center and clean my fossils, then head back to the hotel.

"Monsieur Red!" I hear Nick Nack say.

"Hello Mr. Nack." I say as he walks up to me. "How's your collection coming along?"

"My collection of treasures is coming along verrrrrrrry nicely!" He tells me. "But I can't stop here! I want to fill my room 'til it's thirsting at the beams! Any help you provide is much depreciated!" He does his dance, and I walk out of the hotel. I walk into the park, and stroll around casually. I see Duna walking over to two towns men. One of them is P.B. Jay, and the other one I don't recognize.

"H-hello..." Duna says. "I am Duna... a Dinaurian visitor to your world." The two men look at her.

"..." They just stand there. Duna takes a few steps back.

"I assume you are taken back by my alien appearance." She says.

"No, no!" The man says taking a step forward. "Don't get the wrong idea! It's just that... you're so cute we couldn't help but stare!"

"It doesn't to us if you're an alien!" P.B. Jay says taking a step forward. "Personally, I would TOTALLY be your boyfriend!"

"I appreciate your accepting gratitude, but the boyfriend thing is a bit... sudden." Duna says blushing.

"You made Duna blush!" The man says.

"She's even CUTER when she blushes!" P.B. Jay says.

"G-good-bye!" Duna turns and runs.

"Wait, come back!" The man yells.

"Duna, you want to get coffee sometime?" P.B. Jay calls.

"DUNAAAAAAAAAA!" They both yell running after her.

_... I better tell Raptin. _I walk to the Fossil Center, go down into the Underground Warehouse, teleport to the Starship, and walk to the idolcomp room.

"I have been speaking with the humans, and it's been proposed we live on Earth with them." Dynal says. He turns and looks at Raptin. "What do you say?"

"Do you think that... we could?" Raptin asks. "After all, we look so different from them..." Dynal raises and eyebrow. "I-I mean... I would be honored to take my place among them." Dynal smiles, and Raptin faintly smiles.

"By the way..." Dynal says. "When you heard that Red had defeated Guhnash... you hugged Duna, and when you realized you were, you jumped back and your face turned red... What was that all about?"

"Nothing!" Raptin says, his face red.

"Speaking of Duna," I say. They look at me. "Two towns men are chasing her around the park, and they think she's... cute." Raptin bolts past me. I look at the door he just ran out, then back at King Dynal. "He likes her, doesn't he?"

"As you would say..." Dynal says. "Big time." I smile, and he smiles. I leave the Starship, and go up to my hotel room.

_'What are we going to do now?' _Cloud cover asks excitedly. I take out her, Flamethrower, and Air Strike's medals, go out onto the balcony, put them on the table next to the lawn chair, and stretch out on the lawn chair. A tree branch keeps the sun off me, and a cool, tropical breeze tugs at my hair.

_'Something I haven't been able to do in a while.' _I fold my arms behind my head and prop up my left leg. _'Relax.'_

_'Sounds good to me.' _Air Strike says. We all sit there, relaxing. After a few minutes, I get an idea. I get up, go into the hotel room, take off my boots and socks, go into the kitchen, make myself a fruit drink, consisting of mangos, pineapples, peaches, strawberries, and ice crushed into snow. I put a straw in it, go back onto the balcony, lay back down on the lawn chair, fold my left arm behind my head, prop up my left leg, and drink my icy through the straw with my eyes closed and my face calm. A few minutes later, someone somewhere starts playing a soft song on a guitar.

_Oh man... The only thing that could make this better is a massage. _I think. I lay there, listening to the song, perfectly relaxed. My mind drifts to Rosie, and I wish she was here.

A few hours later...

I go into my hotel room, the calmest I've felt ever since I came here. I put my Dino Medals in the side pocket of my backpack and look outside to see the sun is starting to set, and I make myself supper, and eat it. Afterwards, I shower, change into a clean pair of boxers, and watch some TV. At 8:30, I turn it off, pull the covers over my bare chest, and roll on my side.

One hour later...

I lie there in bed, wide awake. _I can't sleep, so there's no use in trying. _I push the covers off, put on a pair of cargo shorts, a regular shirt, a pair of socks, my boots, pull on my jacket and zip it up three fourths of the way. I pull on my gloves, put on my crown, pull on my backpack, and walk out the door. I walk out of the hotel, and someone steps out of the shadows. "Duna?" I ask.

"Yes..." She says. "I... don't understand."

"What?"

"You took Rosie. Not me... why?"

"Well..."

"I... I thought you..."

"I DO... but not that way..."

"What?"

"I like you as a friend."

"Then... you are in love with Rosie?"

"NO!"

"..."

"Uh... no, no. We're... we're just friends."

"Then... we could be together?"

"Um... Duna? I'm... I'm sorry, but... I don't like you that way. I like you as a friend."

"... Is... Is there another reason? Is it that you don't find me cute?"

"It's not that, it's... well... you're older than me. I'm ten and you're fourteen. I'm still just a kid. By the time I became a teenager like you, you'd be a young adult. And... besides... Raptin..."

"Raptin?"

"Yes."

"...He...?"

"Yes! Didn't you see the hurt in his eyes when you didn't go back with him? He wanted you to come back. He wanted you to be safe. He likes you..."

"..." Duna stands there, then walks away into the night.

_Okay... got that off my chest. _I think with a sigh of relief. _Now I just have to tell Rosie about the weird feeling I get around her. _I walk into the park, and breath in the cool, clean, night air. I go into the dock area, and stand next to the lamp post, which for some reason is off along with all the others, on the side without the dock. I stand there, looking out to sea, listening to the water lap against the shore, feel the breeze tug at my hair and smell the ocean it carries on it.

"Hey Red." I jump and look to see Rosie walking through the break, wearing her usual outfit and her pure white hoodie. "Everything's been so crazy lately, with one crisis stacked on top of the other..." She says as she walks over to me. Shyness fills me. "But you saved Earth and made us friends with an alien species! It's a lot to be proud of, actually."

"Y-y-yeah..." I stammer looking into her eyes, which the stars reflect off of.

"You worked really hard Red." Rosie tells me. "Every step of the way, no matter what was thrown at you. So with all my heart, I wanted to tell you..." My face gets hot. She stands there for a second, and we stare into each other's eyes. "Good job."

"Uh... T-thanks... That... that means a lot to me... c-coming from... you..." I say shyly. It's true, and the shyness in me makes me wonder why I always get this way around her. She smiles.

"But just because all that stuff is behind us now doesn't mean you should sit around loafing all day." She tells me. "There are still a lot of fossils to be found on Vivosaur Island... And every day, your competition is only getting stronger. You've got to keep on working to be the best!"

"I will..." I tell her. "I... I won't let you down..." I'm completely lost in her eyes. I can't look away. "Just... don't let yourself get hurt... o... okay?"

"Don't worry." She says taking a couple of steps forward. "I'll be right here with you..." She winks, and my face gets fiery hot. "As if you could get rid of me!" I gulp, and take a shaky breath.

"I... I... I wouldn't have it any other way." I tell her. She smiles and blushes. We both then turn out to sea, and look at the ocean of stars. I gulp. _I can't BELIEVE I'm about to do this... _

I take her right hand in my left.

She looks at our hands, then at me. I stand there, looking at the clear, night sky, she takes a step closer to me, and rests her head on my shoulder. My face turns deep red, and feels burning hot. I stand there for a second,

Then rest my head on top of hers.

We stand there, lost in the black sky filled with glittering diamonds. A shooting star flies through the sky, and I look at her, and she looks at me. We stare deep into each other's eyes, and the unfamiliar instinct pops into me. I start to lean my head towards hers, and she does the same. My eyes close, my head tilts to the side and...

"Rosie!"

Someone calls her name. I open my eyes to see our lips are only one inch apart. She looks at the break, the back at me. "That was a security guard from the Richmond Building." Rosie tells me.

"Oh... uh... y-you... um... I..." I stand there, overwhelmed by shyness so much, I can barely talk. She hugs me.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She says. I hug her back.

"... I... I'll be waiting..." We stand there a second, and the guard calls Rosie's name again. We separate.

"Good-bye..." Rosie tells me. She turns and slowly walks out the break. I stand there, and stare at the break, then turn and look back at the night sky.

_Why did that instinct make me do that...? _I wonder. I watch the night sky for a few minutes, then go back to the hotel, go up to my hotel room, strip down to my boxers, and climb into bed. I stare into the dark, starlight coming through the sliding door, and wonder about what I've been feeling until I fall asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-I'm going to be perfectly honest with you. I THINK THE ENDING OF THE GAME IS <strong>**SO CUTE!**** And I thought about ending the chapter right before the security guard called Rosie's name, but then I thought: Nah. But don't go away!**

**The adventure ain't over yet!**


	20. Awards

Chapter Twenty-Awards

"Red!" I hear someone yell. I open an eye lazily, and look at my alarm clock. It's seven o' clock in the morning.

_I turned off the alarm so I could sleep as long as I needed... _I think. I roll out of bed onto the floor. _Ugh... I need some rest after saving the world. _I push myself up, and sleepily walk over the door in my boxers and with bed head. I look through the peep hole on the door.

My eyes get big.

Holt and Rosie are standing out in the hallway in their usual outfits. I run over to the bed, open the draws on the bottom part that has all my clothes, throw on my usual outfit, run into the bathroom, quickly comb my hair, put on my crown, pull on my backpack, grab an apple from the kitchen, and start eating it as I open the door casually. "Hey guys." I say.

"C'mon! No time to stand around!" Holt says.

"What?" I ask.

"We need to... aren't you suppose to have a boot on BOTH feet?" Rosie asks. I look at my feet to see I only have a sock and boot on my right foot, while my left one is bare.

"Yes...?" I go over to the foot of my bed, grab my other boot and get another sock.

"C'mon!" Holt says as I pull them on. "We need to get to the Guild Area!"

"Why?" I ask. Instead of telling me, Holt grabs my right hand and Rosie grabs my left. They speed walk out of the room excitedly, dragging me to the elevator. They run out of the hotel, into the Guild Area, and over to a stage that has been set up on the grassy area with a large crowd in front of it. They see me and cheer, while some fan girls squeal, and run over to me.

_OH MAN! _I cover my face with my arms, and after a few seconds, I lower them to see that some guards from the Richmond Building have made a wall around me. "Thank you." I tell them. They escort me to the stage, and I walk up onto it to see King Dynal, Mr. Richmond, Dr. Diggins, Raptin, Duna, Rosie, and Holt. I sit down in a folding chair like everyone else is, and a guard walks over to the podium. The crowd gets quiet, and the guard begins speaking. I sit there and listen as he introduces Mr. Richmond to the crowd, then steps out of the way and Mr. Richmond walks up to the podium. The crowd cheers.

"Thank you everyone." Mr. Richmond says. "As you know, the world was recently at risk of being eaten by a giant monster known as Guhnash. We would all not be here today if it hadn't been for this heroic young man right here, Red. I know that we all cannot thank him enough for the heroic..." I start to tune out, and my eyes drift over to Rosie. She's sitting in the chair next to the one Mr. Richmond was in, sitting up straight, hands folded in her lap. I sit there and look at her pink eyes.

I never noticed... but they're absolutely beautiful.

I sit there and watch her, and the crowd suddenly bursts out into a loud cheer that makes me jump. I notice everyone on stage is looking at me, and Mr. Richmond motions for me to come over. I get up from my chair and walk over to him. Rosie walks over beside Mr. Richmond with a red velvet pillow outlined with gold thread. On it, are four medals. The first one has blue cloth, is made of gold, and has a broken BB Bandit symbol on it. The second one has yellow cloth, is made of silver, and has Igno as a ruby and Frigi as a sapphire on it. The third one has red cloth, is made of silver, and has human and Dinaurian hands shaking. The fourth one has purple cloth, is made of platinum, and has an Earth made of sapphires and emeralds on it. Mr. Richmond picks up the first one and turns to me.

"For saving my granddaughter, taking out the entire BB Bandit army, and for catching the leader, therefore destroying the entire BB Bandit force, I hereby award you with this medal." He pins it on my shirt, and the crowd cheers. He picks up the second medal. "For reviving the legendary vivosaur Ignosaurus, defeating the legendary vivosaur Frigisaurus, and saving the world from an evil tyrant's iron fist, I hear by award you with this medal." He pins it on my shirt next to the first one. The crowd cheers. He sits down in his chair, King Dynal walks up to the podium, and picks up the third medal.

"For showing the Dinaurian race that humans are an incredible species with determination, justice, and intellect, and for forming a friendship and alliance with the Dinaurians and humans, I hereby award you with this medal." He pins it on my shirt, and the crowd cheers. He picks up the fourth medal. "For going above and beyond the call of duty, for saving Earth and everything on it, for ridding the galaxy of a terrible monstrosity, and for proving that even the in the most hopeless of situations, you will do whatever it takes to protect the people of Earth, it is my honor to award you with this medal." He pins it on my shirt, and the crowd goes wild. He and Rosie sit down in their chairs, and a guard nudges my toward the podium. I stand behind it, and look at the crowd full of excited people.

_Uh... okay! _"... Well... I don't know where to start, but first off, I just want to say that when I first arrived here, the only thing I expected to get was fossils." The crowd laughs. "I never imagined that I would be standing here with medals for the deeds I have done since I had arrived, and I just want to say, that no matter what happens, or what it is, I will keep this world and its inhabitants safe from anything that dares try to harm it." The crowd cheers. Someone from the crowd hands me a bouquet of yellow roses, and Dr. Diggins puts a medal around my neck. I look at it, and it has black cloth, is made of a blue metal, and has a fortress made of gray metal on it.

"For promising to protect the Earth." He tells me. I smile.

A few minutes later...

Me, Rosie and Holt sit on the front of the stage, watching some people take down the decorations. I'm in the middle with Holt on my right, and Rosie on my left with roses between us. "So... what should we do now?" Holt asks. I sit there, nervous. I look at Rosie out of the corner of my eye, and I get an idea.

"Here you go." I tell Holt as I put the roses in his lap.

"Wha... WHAT?" He exclaims looking at me.

"What?" I ask. "Yellow's YOUR color!" Rosie laughs. I look at her, and her laugh sounds like a chorus of angels. I sit there and stare at her, until Holt elbows me. I look at him and he has an eyebrow raised and a playful smile. I glare at him.

"What are you guys doing?" Rosie asks.

"Nothing." We both tell her. We sit there, having no idea what to do.

"Hey!" We look up to see Dr. Diggins waving to us. He walks over to us. "I have a favor to ask."

A few minutes later...

"So this with make your teeth indestructible?" I ask pointing at the small white tablet on Dr. Diggins desk.

"Well... almost." He tells me. "It will keep them chipping, scratching, breaking, denting... okay, yes, it will."

"And you want us to help you test it?" Holt asks.

"That is correct!" Dr. Diggins tells him. "It will have no side effects, and you'll be able to bite through a lot of stuff."

"How?" I ask.

"Don't ya know?" Rosie asks me. "The jaw muscle is the strongest muscle in the human body. If a person's teeth were able to stand it, you could bite through rubber tires and steel chains."

"COOL!" I exclaim. "I'll test it!" Dr. Diggins hands me a cup of water, and I put the tablet in my mouth then swallow it with some of the water. I stand there. "I feel exactly the same."

"Try biting through this." Dr. Diggins says holding out a thick metal chain. I take it, and bite down on it.

It breaks.

I spit the metal out of my mouth and into a trashcan that Dr. Diggins is holding out. "Don't need THAT much iron in my diet." I say. Everyone laughs.

"Now try this." Dr. Diggins says holding out a brand-new rubber tire. I bite it, and tear it to pieces with my teeth.

"Cool." I say. Dr. Diggins writes something down on a clipboard.

"Thank you!" He tells me.

"You're welcome." I tell him with a smile. We leave the Fossil Center, and the second we step outside, we hear high-pitched squeals.

"There he is! It's Red!" I look and see a group of fan girls standing outside the hotel.

"GET HIM!" Another one yells.

"Oh man!" I say. "Sorry guys, but I gotta RUN FOR MY LIFE!" I run, and the fan girls chase after me. _I'm going to get a ticket for disturbing the peace! _I think. I run as fast as my legs can carry me. I run into the housing area of the island, and into the woods. I run around to the back of the houses, and pop out into a random clearing. _Wait a minute! I know this place! _It's the trial dig site. _'Hey Cloud Cover, this place look familiar?'_

_'You BET it does!' _She tells me. I smile, then hear the fan girls coming towards me. I run up the path to the park, only to be ambushed by the fan girls.

_I'm dead. _I think. They all jump on me, and I try to drag myself out of the mob, only to be dragged back in. _'WHAT DO I DO?'_

_'Try to keep your mouth covered.' _Air Strike tells me. I clamp my hands over my mouth, and I get dragged into the center of the mob.

A few (incredibly terrible) minutes later...

I walk into the park. I'm holding my backpack by its straps, and walking bare foot. I managed to get my boots, gloves and crown into it, along with the medals I was given earlier today. I have a miserable look on my face, which is red from embarrassment and streaked with lipstick. My head hurts in several places where the fan girls had pulled at my hair, the sleeves and most of my shirt have been torn off to reveal muscle, my socks had been taken, and my cargo shorts had one of the side pockets torn off. After my socks and boots had been taken off my feet, two of the fan girls had started to tickle the bottom of my feet in an attempt to get me to take my hands of my mouth.

_'I... hate... fan girls.' _I tell my team.

_'I don't blame you.' _Flamethrower says. I walk over to a bench, and plop down on it.

"What HAPPENED?" I hear Holt exclaim.

"I got mauled by fan girls. That's what happened." I tell him.

"Are you okay?" I hear Rosie ask. I open my eyes and look at her. She's sitting next to me with her hand on my shoulder and concern in her eyes and on her face.

"Uh..." I sit there, and look into her eyes, causing shyness to flood me. "I... um... I-I'll be okay! I just..." I look at my feet. "need to watch out for fan girls is all."

"They didn't get you on the mouth... right?" Rosie asks worried.

"They... they didn't." I tell her. "I kept my hands clamped over my mouth." I'm very glad I listened to Air Strike.

"Good." She says. Me and Holt look at her. "What?" She asks. "Red shouldn't have his first kiss stolen by some fan girl."

"True..." Holt says. I nod. She's right. I've never kissed a girl on the lips, or on the face. Actually, I've never kissed a girl. Ever. One time though, when I was five, my Uncle Mark asked my parents if I would be the ring bearer for his wedding. They said yes, and got me a suit to where for it.

I have to admit, I did look pretty adorable in it.

My Uncle Mark is the police captain of my home town, and that's how he met my Aunt Sue. She joined the police force and he helped her train. Her brother, Jeff, is the deputy and his best friend is Officer Herald. They all make a good team. They're not the only police officers though.

At the wedding, her niece was the flower girl and, for some stupid reason, the ring bearer and flower girl have to dance afterwards. I was really unhappy about it, but my parents somehow got me to do it. While we were dancing, she tried to kiss me. I ran away.

Okay, it turned out to be not such a good idea.

She chased me, and when she chased me past the table that had all the food on it, she tripped, grabbed the table cloth to try to keep herself from falling, but instead caused some punch to splash out onto a man, causing him to fall onto the table, making food fly across the room. It hit some people, hit the walls, hit the floor, and everyone found out what happened. The all gave me that 'guilt' glare, and I just stood behind my mom holding onto the skirt of her lavender dress while her hand rested on the side of my face. I buried my face against her leg, and it made everyone feel bad.

My parents told me that when I was little, I was either too young to distinguish what to do and what not to do, or I was too cute to be mad at. I rarely got in trouble, and I didn't get in trouble for the accident. But the flower girl still wanted to kiss me. My parents took me straight home to avoid that from happening, and I was glad they did.

"Soooo... What should we do now?" I ask.

"Well how about you get changed?" Holt suggests. I nod, and go back the hotel. I walk in and the manager looks at me.

"Fan girls?" He asks.

"Yes sir." I say nodding.

"They were looking for you." He tells me. I drag myself over to the elevator, and ride up it. I walk into the hallway, down to my room, walk in shut the door, and change. I put my boots, crown and gloves on, and wash the lipstick off my face. I then fall face down on the bed.

_'What's the matter?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'I going to have to deal with fan girls until I get a girlfriend.' _I moan.

_'Why don't you just ask out Rosie?'_

_'WE. ARE. JUST. FRIENDS.'_

_'And your boots are made of pure gold.'_

_'Ha ha.' _I lie there, then push myself up. I take the award medals out of my backpack, pin them on my shirt and put the one Dr. Diggins gave me around my neck. I pull on my backpack and walk back to the park.

"You look better." Holt tells me. I nod.

"So now what do we do?" Rosie asks.

"..." We all stand there for a second.

"I know!" Holt exclaims. Me and Rosie look at him.

A minute later...

We walk up to a house in the Living Area of the island labeled "105". We walk up on to the porch, and through the white door. We enter a wood floor foyer, that has three archways. The one on the right goes into a kitchen, the one the left goes into a living room, and the one n front of us goes to a stair way. The walls have a white upper half and a blue lower half with white base boards. Holt leads us up the stairs, and into a hall way with some pictures hanging on the walls, a window at the far wall, and some white doors on the walls. He takes us down to the second one on the left, and opens it into a bed room.

The room has the same kind of walls and floors, a sandy colored rug that covers most of the floor, a bed with white sheets, pillow, and green comforter in front of us pushed against the wall under a window. Next to it is a wooden nightstand with a book shelf built into it, and next to it is another archway that leads into a bathroom. In the right corner is a wooden desk with a rolling chair and a computer, and in the upper left corner is a recliner next to a window. In between the door and the desk is a dresser with some photos on it, and the entire room has posters of vivosaurs on the walls. On the middle of the far wall are some shelves with medals, trophies, and pictures on them. "You guys like my room?" Holt asks.

"Homey." I say smiling. He goes over to the bed and stretches out on it. Me and Rosie walk over to the shelves and look at the stuff on them. The pictures show Holt in a track and field uniform with medals around his neck, or a trophy in hand. I look at the trophies and medals to see they're from track and field competitions.

"Holt 'Lightning' Boltomore?" Rosie asks.

"I told you, I'm a fast runner." Holt says walking over. "I was on the track and field team at my school before I came here to be a Fossil Fighter. It turns out, I'm glad I was. I was already a speedster, but I got really fast when I joined, so now I can out run any fan girls that come after me."

"Lucky." I tell him. "But then again, they ambushed me." He smiles. He leads us back down stairs, through the living room which has a fire place with cream colored tiles in front of it, a green carpet in the middle of the room, a TV above the mantle of the fireplace, a coffee table with a green sofa across from the TV, two plush chairs on the left and right of it, a door going outside, and another door that goes under the stairs. The living room has large, clean windows, allowing the rays of sunlight to give the room a welcoming glow, and Holt takes out on to the back deck, which has some lawn chairs, and white wicker chairs under an outdoor table with a red parasol sticking out of it.

"You guys like my house?" Holt asks us.

"You're lucky." I tell him. "I always wished my house had a porch and deck, but it wasn't designed like that."

"Really?"

"Yep." We all look at the back yard, which has a picnic table under a tree, a hammock between two others, and a small pond. Holt looks at me and Rosie.

"Wait here." He tells us before going into the house. I gulp.

Me and Rosie are together.

Alone.

I look at her and see her looking at me. I stand there for a second, and we look each other straight in the eye. The weird feeling gets an extraordinarily strong grip on me, and I look at my feet. I then quickly walk down the steps into the yard, and sit down on the picnic table. I sit there, and Rosie walks over and sits down next to me. Shyness fills me, and I feel my face get hot. I sit there, looking at the grass between my boots, and the palms of my hands resting on the bench.

_What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?_ I think, my mind racing. I scoot down a bit, and Rosie scoots closer to me. I keep moving down, and Rosie keeps coming closer.

"Why are you doing that?" She asks. I get a DERP look on my face, and point my toes inward nervously.

"Uh..." My mind races. I look at her. "Well... with all the attacks that have been going on, I'm worried that... someone's going to try to... snipe me! And... I don't you getting hurt, so if we're not sitting right next to each other, there's less chance of that happening!" I keep on moving down the bench.

"Uh... Red?" Rosie asks.

"Look, I just want to keep you safe is al- OOF!" I fall off the end of the bench and onto the cool, soft grass. "Uh..." I say pushing myself up. I look at Rosie, to see she has a hand over her mouth trying to hide her smile, and is giggling.

"I'm baaaaaaaack!" Holt calls. He comes out side with a tray that has some sandwiches, chips, soda, and a bowl of fruit. "What'd I miss?" He asks as he walks over to the picnic table and puts down the tray.

"Nothing." I tell him as I stand up. I look at him, and notice his feet are bare. "Why...?" I ask pointing at his feet.

"The grass feels really good on bare feet." He tells me. I stand there for a second, then take off my boots and socks, and notice Rosie is doing the same.

A few minutes later...

"That was good." I say as I sit down under a tree. I fold my arms behind my head, lean against the tree, cross my right ankle over my left knee, and close my eyes.

"Yep." I hear Holt say as he sits down on the other side of the tree. I sit there peacefully, enjoying a cool breeze. I feel something lay down against the joining part of my right arm and shoulder, and I open my eyes to see it's Rosie. I get a DERP look, my face gets hot, and I sit there nervously. I can smell the sweet scent of strawberries coming from her hair. She just sits there, hugging her knees, and leaning against me.

_Oh man... _I think nervously. The worst part is that I'm stuck like this. Until something happens. I keep looking forward, and Rosie looks at me, a light blush on her face. I look at her, and we stare deep into each other's eyes.

_'Need a map?' _Flamethrower asks me.

_'What?' _I ask confused.

_'You're lost in her eyes.'_

_'I-! You-! ARGH! I DO NOT AND I AM NOT!' _I tell him enraged. _What is WITH everyone? Why do they think I like her when I don't? I mean, I really getting sick... and tired... of... Her eyes look beautiful... WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?_ I quickly look away. Her hand cups the left side of my face, and turns it back towards her face. My face is a fiery red color, and is burning hot. We look each other in the eye, and the instinct pops into me. _NO! GO AWAY! _I think. I try to push it away, but it keeps coming back. _What do I do?_

"So what should we do now guys?" Holt asks. Something pops into my mind.

"Master Status!" I exclaim.

"What?" Rosie asks confused.

"Don't you remember?" I ask her. "With all the crazy stuff out of the way, you can get Master Fighter status now!"

"Oh yeah..." She says.

"Yeah!" Holt says. "And we'll help you to train!"

"Okay." Rosie says. "Let's do it!" We all jump up, pull on our socks and shoes, and run to Fossil Stadium. We run into the Battle Area, and call out our teams.

A few hours later...

"ROSIE WINS!" The announcer says. The crowd goes wild, but me and Holt are the loudest of all. Rosie jumps for joy, and we met up with her in the lobby.

"I did it!" Rosie says triumphantly. "I got Master Status!" She hold up her license and smiles.

"HIGH FIVE!" I say. We all jump in the air and high five.

"Tomorrow's gonna be AWESOME!" Holt says. "We're gonna get to go to two new dig sites! Coldfeet Glacier and Parchment Desert!"

"I shall see both of you tomorrow!" I tell them. "But be ready to have FUN!"

"I'm always ready to have fun." Rosie tells me.

"Well... that's true." I tell her. We look at each other for a second. I blink, look down at my feet, then back at my friends. "So I'll see you guys tomorrow?"

"Yep." Holt tells me.

"Yeah!" Rosie tells me excitedly. I never noticed, but it's... cute... when she gets excited. We leave the stadium, and I head to my hotel room, Holt heads to his house, and Rosie heads back to the Richmond Building. I have supper, watch TV, browse the web, shower, put on a clean pair of boxers, and go to bed at nine. I put my award medals on the shelf above my pillow with my alarm clock, and stare into the night, thinking of Rosie and the weird feeling until I drift into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-That's what I want to do. Go to bed. But I have to post this, THEN go to bed.<strong>

**Red: Ugh. I'm going to have to deal with fan girls a lot aren't I?**

**Me: Oh yeah.**

**Red: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! WHY?**


	21. Coldfeet Glacier

**AN-Spoiler: Holt's gonna do something that'll REALLY make some of you guys angry at him in this chapter. If you want to find out what it is, THEN STOP READING THE AUTHOR'S NOTES AND READ THE CHAPTER!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Twenty-one- Coldfeet Glacier<p>

I open my eyes to see the morning light pouring into my room. I look at the alarm clock to see it's almost eight. I get up and get dressed, then make myself some Flapjack McSmacks. When I finish eating, I go over to the phone, dial a number and wait.

"Hello?" Holt asks.

"Hey Holt." I say. "Which site we going to today? Coldfeet Glacier or Parchment Desert?"

"Coldfeet Glacier." He tells me.

"Okay. I call Rosie and-"

"You're gonna call a girl?" Holt exclaims. "ON THA PHONE?"

"And tell her we're going to Coldfeet Glacier."

"Is that the ONLY reason?"

"Grow up dude."

"Not until you tell Rosie you have a crush on her!"

"I'm not going to tell her I have something that I don't."

"But you do."

"Nu-uh!"

"Yea-huh!"

"Nu-uh!"

"Yea-huh!"

"We've already had this discussion... twice."

"And we'll keep having it until you admit it!"

"There's nothing to admit."

"Yes there is!"

"Nu-uh!"

"Yea-huh!"

"Nu- Hey, DON'T START THAT AGAIN!"

"I did though!"

"Ugh. What am I going to do with you?"

"Agree with me?"

"No."

"Ah, well, I'll see ya later!"

"Okay. Bye." I push the off button and dial Rosie's number.

"Hello? This is the Richmond Building how may I be of service?" A person asks. I get a DERP look on my face.

_Oh MAN! _I think. _If I ask to speak to Rosie, they're gonna think I got a crush on her!_

"Hello?" The person asks.

"May... may I speak to Rosie Richmond?"

"Hold on, I'll put you right through." They tell me. I wait a second.

"Hello?" I hear Rosie ask.

"Hey, it's me."

"Who's me?"

"Red."

"..."

"Rosie?"

"Yeah?"

"You still there?"

"Yep."

"Okay..."

"So... what'cha call for?"

"I just got done talking to Holt. We're going to go digging at Coldfeet Glacier."

"Okay. I'll meet you guys at the dock."

"Okay..." Nervousness fills me. "I'll... see you later."

"Bye." She hangs up. I release my pent-up breath, and hang up the phone. I go into the bedroom, open up a drawer on the bottom part of the bed, and pull out some snow gear. I pull on some thick ski socks, black cargo pants, a long sleeved shirt the same style as my regular one, a gray turtleneck, thick, black trousers, and pull on black snow pants and gray parka. I wrap a black and blue scarf around my neck, pull on thick, light gray water-proof gloves, and pull on my backpack. I pull on my boots, which are thick enough to keep out the snow and cold, and tuck the ends of my snow pants into them. I leave the hotel and walk over to the dock.

_'I hope this isn't a long wait.' _I think.

_'Don't worry, I'm sure it won't be.' _Cloud Cover tells me. I stand there, and sweat begins to appear on my forehead.

"Hey Red!" I hear someone call. I look to see Holt running over to me in snow gear as well. He has on his helmet, a red, yellow and black scarf around his neck with his bandanna sticking out from under it, a parka with a black torso and yellow sleeves, thick water-proof red gloves, black and yellow snow pants with the ends tucked into his boots. "Hot enough for you?"

"Yep." I tell him. He laughs.

"Hey guys!" We look to see Rosie walking over to us. She has her helmet on, her hair in its usual style, a turquoise scarf around her neck, a light pink parka, thick water-proof white gloves, a pink skirt over her pink snow pants, and thick turquoise and pink boots with the ends of her pants tucked into them. "Ready to go?"

A few minutes later...

"There it is!" I exclaim point out the window of the boat. Me, Holt and Rosie all look out the window at the white island north of Vivosaur Island. The boat pulls up to a dock with ice around it, and we hop off the boat and walk up a pass made of ice. After a few steps, we see the two pillars marking the entrance to the dig site. They're made of ice and have three parts that look much like crystals.

"Let's get digging!" Holt says running into the dig site, pick axe in hand.

A few minutes later...

"Okay! Let's see what we'll find in this area!" Rosie says. We spread out at the north eastern part of the dig site. I throw down my pick, the tip smashes through the ice, and a crack appears.

"Guys..." I say. They look at me, and I pull my pick out of the hole. The crack spreads all around us, and the ground caves in. We yell with terror as we fall. I angle myself towards Rosie, get my right arm around her, and she buries her face in the crook of my neck. I angle us towards Holt, and get my left arm around him. Rosie and Holt are hugging me for dear life, and we hit a giant snow drift at the bottom. I manage to get out of it onto the solid ice floor, then dig through the drift. "Rosie! Holt!" I yell. Rosie pops up out of the drift with snow on top of her helmet. I scramble up to her, and hug her. "Are you okay?"

"... I'm great..." She brushes the snow off her helmet, and brushes the snow out of my hair. She then hugs me back, and we just sit there, with our eyes closed and smiling.

"Thanks for looking for me." Holt says. Me and Rosie open our eyes, and look at Holt to see him brushing the snow off his helmet.

"Uh... You're welcome?" I ask sheepishly. Holt looks around the cavern we're in, then up.

"So... how we gonna get out of here?" He asks.

"No idea." I tell him.

"We could use our flying vivosaurs." Rosie says.

"Not a bad idea." I tell her. She looks at me. We sit there, arms around each other, looking into each other's eyes.

"Why don't we look around first?" Holt suggests. "There could be some extremely rare fossils down here." Me and Rosie don't hear him. We just sit there and stare each other in the eye. "... Guys...?" Me and Rosie sit there. "Say Red, don't you have something to tell Rosie?" I whip my head around to look at Holt, my eyes big. "You know, the-" Before he can finish, I lunge over to him, and smack my hand over his mouth.

"The what?" Rosie asks.

"Nothing!" I tell her, my face red. She sits there and looks at me for a second before shrugging and climbing off the snow drift. We all walk down a tunnel and keep our eyes on our sonars.

"Ugh." Holt says after awhile. "There's nothing here so we might as well- AGH!" We all slip on an icy slope, and slide down the tunnel at a surprisingly fast speed. We slide through tubes, fly over gaps, get separated a few times, and basically go on a rollercoaster of ice. We come back together, and slide down indentions in the ice. We race down the ice, and suddenly, we fly up into the air, fly through it yelling, and I get my arms back around my friends as they hug me for dear life. We land in another snow drift. I sit up in the cold snow and shake my head to get the snow off of it. I look at Rosie to see that she's sitting there with snow piled on top of her helmet.

"Holt?" I ask looking around. He suddenly sits up in the snow.

"WHOO! YEAH!" He yells clapping his hands together once. He then punches me on the shoulder playfully. "Who's up for round TWO?" He has a huge smile on his face, and me and Rosie look at him. "Right... We... we better get out of here."

A few minutes later...

We walk around the dig site, unsure of what to do next. "So... what should we do now?" I ask Holt.

"I'm not su-" He gets cut off as a snowball hits him in the back of the head and he falls face down in the snow.

"Bulls eye!" I hear Rosie yell. I turn to see she's hiding behind a bolder made of ice. Her hand appears, with another snowball in it. She throws it at me, and I jump out of the way.

"Oh, IT IS ON!" I call to her. I run behind a large pile of snow, and make a stack of snowballs. I look out from behind it, and a snowball flies right past me. I look at the direction it came from, to see Holt has made a snow fort. I throw some snowballs at him, and he ducks into his fort. I look at where Rosie is, and duck just in time to dodge a snowball. I pop back up, and right when Holt's head appears from the lip of his snow fort, I release rapid fire on him.

He gets creamed.

I run and jump into his fort. "I get this now." I tell him. He leans against the inside, hunches his shoulders, crosses his arms, and gets a grumpy look on his face. "Don't worry, I'll get Rosie back for getting you in the back of the head." He sits there for a second, then quickly makes some snowballs.

"I'll keep you stocked." He tells me.

"Thanks man." I tell him. I get an arm full and one in my hand, then sneak over to the ice bolder Rosie is hiding behind. I edge around, then jump out at throw the snowballs I have at rapid fire. _Wait..._ I stop throwing the snowballs, and see Rosie isn't here. _What... WHAT? where'd she- _

"YARGH!" I look up to see Rosie tackle me and stuff snow in my face. We roll down a hill, and I stop and lay there for a second. I start to push myself up, but then Rosie suddenly flies through the air and lands on top of me.

"OOF!" I exclaim as she lands on me. She pushes herself up, and we look at each other straight in the eye. We lie there in the snow, with Rosie in top of me with her arms on my chest and me on the bottom holding her upper arms. We sit there and stare deep into each other's eyes, and the weird feeling gets an extremely strong grip on me. Rosie starts to lean her head towards mine, and my face gets hot. The unfamiliar instinct pops into me, and I close my eyes, lean my head towards hers, tilt my head to the side and...

"LOOK OUT!" Holt yells. I open my eyes to see mine and Rosie's lips are only a half inch apart, and Holt suddenly slams into us from out of nowhere. Rosie flies off me, and lands in the snow a few feet away, while I slide a few feet, and Holt stops right where I was.

"Ow..." I moan. Rosie shoots up, anger on her face and looking straight at Holt.

"You okay?" I ask her.

"Not really." She tells me. She pushes herself to her feet and storms away. I jump to my feet and run after her.

"Rosie!" I yell. She keeps walking, and I stop as she walks out of the dig site. _Did... did I do something...? _I sigh and my shoulders slump. _What's wrong with me? _I feel terrible about having to see her angry. I just want her to be happy.

"Where'd she go?" Holt asks as he runs up to me.

"She left... I don't know why though." He puts a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry. You still got me!"

"Yes, I still have Mr. Slip-and-fall-in-snow-and-ice."

"Ha ha. You're hilarious."

"I know." I look back at the entrance to the dig site, and I feel an odd emptiness inside me now that Rosie's not here.

"Dude, you have a crush on her, and you need to tell her." Holt tells me. I snap my head towards him.

"How many times do I have to tell you I don't have a crush on her?" I ask him enraged. "We've had this discussion three times now and I'm tired of it! I don't have a crush! We're just friends! What is it going to take to get that through your thick skull?"

"Don't you take that tone of voice with me!"

"I just did!"

"Well stop it!"

"Oh yeah? What'cha going to do about it speedy?" I ask him. We stand there and look at each other with deadly glares. Holt tackles me, and we roll through the snow wrestling. We stuff snow in each other's faces, and try to stay on top. After a bit, we lay there in the snow on our backs panting. After a moment, Holt looks at me.

"Red?" He pants. I look at him. "I'm sorry. I just like to play around with people... but it always just explodes in my face as a fail."

"It's not your fault." I pant. "I over reacted. I shouldn't have talked to you that way..."

"I know... but still, that wouldn't of happened if I had just kept my mouth shut." He tells me. I nod and we both look up at the sky.

_I wonder why she left though... _I wonder.

Rosie finished putting away her snow gear, and fell down on her bed, and looked at the ceiling with anger edged into her face.

_'ARGH! Just...! ARGH! I was SO CLOSE! But then Mr. Lightning had to slam into us and RUIN IT! UGH! WHY DID HE HAVE TO DO THAT?'_ Rosie grabs her pillow out from under her head, presses it against her face, and screams with irritation. She then puts it back under her head and crosses her arms.

_'Don't worry.' _Maia tells her. _'You'll get him some day.' _Maia was built like a Lambeosaurus, had turquoise eyes, was pink with white music notes on her sides, white under side, white ring around her elbows and knees, and a crown of gold with a small sapphire on top of her head.

_'HOW?' _Rosie asks her. _'Some day isn't a day. And every time we get close to kissing, SOMETHING or SOMEONE, decides to interrupt us! I'm sick of it!'_

_'Girl, listen. Maia's got a point. You is smart, sweet as sugar and as beautiful as a rose. I bet that boy is CRAZY about you!' _M-Raptor tells her. _'He's probably just too shy to admit it!'_

_'Yeah right.' _Rosie says. _'I bet he hasn't even noticed me...'_

_'What YOU talkin' 'bout?' _M-Raptor asks her. _'Haven't you ever SEEN the look in his eye when he looks into yours? He's got confusion in them! Besides, if he hadn't noticed you, would he have been helpin' you out all those times and come running like a bolt of lightning to save you from those BB Bandits?'_

_'Well...'_

_'EXACTLY! Don't you see? He's madly in love with you! And don't you remember how he reacted when you kissed him that night? I bet as soon as you left, he fainted!'_

_'But...' _Rosie sighs. _'He's brave. Wouldn't he have told me by now?'_

_'He probably hasn't gotten the chance with all of the crazy stuff that's been going on.' _Maia tells her. _'He'll tell you how he feels.'_

_'But what if that's it?' _Rosie asks. _'What if he doesn't feel anything for me?'_

_'If he didn't, would he have checked to make sure you were okay after he made that nightmare?' _Maia asks her.

_'Well... He might only like me as a friend...' _Rosie tells them.

_'Girl, you got to get some assurance!' _M-Raptor tells her. _'I bet that boy would drop everything and come runnin' when you call his name! After all, ain't that's what happened these past few days?'_

_'Well... I kinda dragged him into some of those... Literally...' _Rosie says.

_'Don't worry about that!' _M-Raptor tells her. _'That boy's got a heart as big as outer space, and the rare ability to forgive and forget! He probably don't even mind you did that! I bet a lotta girls did that to him before he came here.'_

_'...' _Rosie sighs.

_'Rosie... Don't worry. Red likes you. He's just shy is all.' _Maia tells her. _'Don't you remember how he turned red and fumbled with his words when you told him it was sweet he came to make sure you were okay?'_

_'Yeah, I remember... but...'_

_'Don't worry. Just because you two haven't kissed doesn't mean that he doesn't feel the same way.'_

_'...'_

_'Think about it this way, you know that when you're about to kiss him, notice that he has never stopped you, and nothing interrupts that time, it will make the kiss feel so much better than you thought it would.'_

_'She' got a point' _M-Raptor says.

_'You guys are right... Red DOES like me back! That's what I see in his eyes when he looks at me! ... His eyes... His soft, caring, happy, warm, deep blue eyes...' _Rosie's eyes blink lazily, and she sighs swoon fully.

_'Yeah... you just want to get lost in them an' NEVER come out, don't ya?' _M-Raptor asks.

_'Yeah...' _Rosie says. _'The only thing is... How do I get him to confess?'_

_'...' _Maia and M-Raptor both think.

_'I know!' _M-Raptor exclaims. _'You already have a beautiful face, now we just need to make it an IRRESISTABLE face!'_

_'I don't like where this is going.' _Maia tells her.

_'You never do.' _M-Raptor tells her.

Me and Holt are sitting in my kitchen eating sandwiches. "Seriously, Where did you learn all these recipes?" Holt asks me.

"I always helped my mom prepare meals. I just picked them up after awhile." I tell him.

"Well I'm glad you did." Holt tells me.

"Thanks I-" The phone rings, and I put down my sandwich, walk over to it and pick it up. "Hello?"

"Hi Red." Rosie says. I get a DERP look on my face, cover the mouth piece with my hand a pull the phone away from my face.

"Who is it?" Holt asks. I ignore him, and take a deep breath.

_Okay... You got this... Keep it cool... _I tell myself. I take my hand off the mouth piece, and put the phone back against the side of my head. "Hey Rosie."

"Hey... uh... I just wanted to apologize about leaving. I just got angry at Holt for slamming into us."

"Don't worry. It's okay."

"Okay... So... what'cha doing?"

"Eating sandwiches." I tell her. I notice Holt is standing right next to me, and giving me the Spanish inquisition look. I look at him, and put my hand over the mouth piece. "What?" I ask Holt.

"You're talking to a girl! You're talking to a girl! You're talking to a girl!" He chants as he dances around me like a five-year-old. I close my eyes with irritation, and keep talking to Rosie.

One minute later...

_Holt is REALLY starting to get on my nerves. _I think. _I gotta make him stop. _"Uh... Rosie?"

"Yes?" She asks.

"Could you please excuse me for a second? I need to do something real quick."

"Sure."

"Thank you." I put the phone on the table turn to Holt, and crack my knuckles. Holt freezes, and looks at me.

One more minute later...

"Okay. See ya around." I tell Rosie. She hangs up, and I hang up, then go into the bed room. Holt is sitting there on the bed, tied up and gagged with a grumpy look on his face. "If only you hadn't of done that." I tell him. He looks at me, and I untie and take the gag off him.

"So what did Rosie want?" He asks me.

"She wanted to apologize for leaving and ask if she could still come with us to Parchment Desert." I tell him.

"The only reason she wants to go is because you're going." Holt tells me.

"It is not!"

"Is too!"

"Okay, you can believe what you want, and I'll believe the truth."

"I DO believe the truth!"

"Yeeeeah right."

"So... what should we do now?" We sit there and think.

"We could clean the fossils we got." I tell him.

"Sounds good." We leave the hotel, go to the Fossil Center, and clean the fossils we got. Then when we leave, we get chased by rabid fan girls. We scramble onto Holt's Coatlus, and fly out to Rivet Ravine. I look behind us.

"Oh no..." I say.

"Oh no what?" Holt asks looking over his shoulder at me.

"Oh no THAT!" I say pointing. He looks, and he sees that the fan girls had gotten onto flying vivosaurs of their own.

"COME ON COATLUS!" Holt yells. His Coatlus picks up speed, and lands outside the mines. We jump off it, Holt stuffs the Dino Medal in his pocket, and we run into the tunnels. "This way!" Holt says grabbing me by my shirt and pulling me towards tunnel #4. We run into it, but the fan girls are right behind us. We run throughout the large tunnel, and come to a dead end.

"OH MAN! What do we do?" I ask panicking.

"We're gonna die!"

"No we're not! We just need to- GAH!" The floor under us suddenly disappears, and we fall into a tunnel. The hole we fell through then closes, and we sit there in complete darkness. "Okay... I think we're dead now."

"No you're not!" A man's voice says. "I opened the door so those girls wouldn't get you!" Flood light suddenly come on, and we see what appears to be a giant orange mole in a light orange miner's out fit with a turquoise bandanna around his neck, black shoes, and a pointy hat that looks like a drill. He has black around his eyes in the shape of a mask, and a small black mustache. "The names Lemo."

_Cool! He's a giant talking mole! _I think. "My name's Red and this is my friend Holt."

"I don't think McJunker's gonna believe me when I tell him there's giant moles down here." Holt says.

"Hey," Lemo asks. "can I ask you two somethin'?" Me and Holt look at each other then back at him.

"Yes sir?" I ask.

"My brother O'Mel and I were digging a hole to get away from some big, funny-looking birds... Then we found this old tunnel and started pokin' around. Before I knew it, O'Mel was gone! He got lost somewhere in these tunnels... Sorry to bug ya, but could you look around for O'Mel? I sprained my ankle and I can't walk to far without fallin' down. Please?"

"We'll find your brother. Don't worry." Holt tells him. We get up, and start walking down the tunnel and come to another one.

"O'MEL!" I call. "Where are you?" Me and Holt continue down tunnel, and we see a slate on the ground. We look at each other, then back at the slate to see what's written on it.

**The path is revealed to the pure of heart.**

Me and Holt look at each other with confusion. "What?" we both ask each other. We take a few steps down the tunnel, then see a fork in it. The two tunnels that branch off have signs at their entrances. The one the right has a circle on it, and the one on the left has an X on it.

"I'm going right." I tell Holt.

"Sounds good." We walk down the tunnel, come to a new one, and see a slate on the ground. We walk over to it, and read it.

**The path is revealed to the pure of heart.**

We look at each other in confusion, then look around to see we're in the tunnel we just came out of.

"WHAT THE WHAT?" I exclaim. We run down the right tunnel, and come into a tunnel with a slate on the ground.

The exact same slate.

"THIS MAKES NO SENSE!" Holt yells we run, panicking, down the right tunnel into another tunnel. We keep running, and come to a fork. We run into the left tunnel to see it's blocked off by boulders. I notice another slate on the ground, go over to it, and read it.

**Greed is its own reward... and loss.**

_So true. _I think. Holt takes a look at it, and we walk back to the fork, then go down the right tunnel. We stop in front of a treasure chest, and look at it. Holt reaches his hand out towards it, and I grab his wrist. "Don't"

"Why?"

"'Greed is its own reward... and loss.' Loss meaning the second you open that, something will jump out and try to eat your face."

"Okay!" Holt says pushing me down the tunnel. "Let's move on!" We come to another tunnel, to find out it's the one we just left, and walk past the chest.

_Did it get... bigger? _I wonder. We come back to the tunnel and walk by the chest again, and I realize it has gotten bigger. We come to a new tunnel, and we run down it.

"O'MEL!" Holt calls.

"Yes?" We hear a voice say. We come around a corner and see a mole that looks just like Lemo, except he has a blue bandanna. "Some rare fossils to be found about in here, eh boys?" He asks us in a friendly tone.

"Yes sir." Holt says

"Yep. Never seen fossil rocks like this, I don't mind tellin' ya!" O'Mel says.

"Uh... Sir?" I ask.

"Yes?" O'Mel asks me.

"Your brother's worried about you. He's waiting at the entrance to these tunnels and sent us looking for you since he sprained his ankle."

"Thank ya lads! I'll head right back to him." We all walk back down the tunnels to the first one. Lemo sees us walking over to him, and a smile lights up his face.

"O'Mel!" He says. O'Mel runs over to his brother and they hug. "I was worried about you!"

"Yep... these lads here told me, and I had no idea I was by myself!" O'Mel tells his brother.

"Here ya go lads. It ain't much, but you two should have it." Lemo says. He hands me a mask that resembles their heads. "Thanks for finding my brother. He's a little... different, but family got to stick together, right?"

"Thank you for reuniting me with my brother." O'Mel says. "I'll never make a mistake like that again!" I smile, and me and Holt climb up a ladder after saying good-bye. We walk out of the tunnels, and out onto the dig site, to see the sun is setting.

"Wow. We were under there a LONG time!" Holt says.

"Yep." I say. "Mind giving me a lift to my hotel room?"

"No problem!" Holt says taking out his Coatlus. We climb onto it, and fly back to the hotel. We land outside, and I climb off.

"Thanks for the lift!" I call to Holt.

"Like I said, no problem!" He tells me. Hic Coatlus takes off, and I go up to my hotel room. I eat supper, shower, pull on a clean pair of boxers, dance to some music, then climb in bed at nine.

_'Whelp, you survived your second fan girl attack.' _Air Strike says.

_'And it turned out much better that the first one.' _Cloud Cover tells me.

_'You can say that again.' _I think.

_'But today could've been better.' _Flamethrower says.

_'How?'_

_'Holt couldn't have slammed into you and Rosie.' _My face gets hot, and they all laugh.

_'What am I going to do with you guys?'_ I ask them.

_'Admit you have a crush on her!' _Cloud Cover says.

_'... How many times are we going to have this discussion?' _I ask.

_'As many as it takes.' _Air Strike says. I let out an irritated sigh, roll over, and fall asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Lawlz. I was sittin' there, eating a pop-tart and I thought: I wonder what it would look like if in the Super Fossil Fighters comic if Dino, Todd, and Rupert were all chased by rabid fan girls. Then I thought: LAWLZ! Though I kinda wish they had used Dina rather than Dino in the comic so that Todd could get Pauleen and Rupert could get Dina.<strong>


	22. Parchment Desert

**AN-Okay, I'm going to be doing a truth or dare show with Red, Rosie, Holt, Dr. Diggins, Mr. Richmond, Nick Nack, Duna, Raptin, Dynal, Vivian, Snivels, Rex, Nevada, and... um... well if you have a truth or dare for a person or multiple people, leave their name and the truth or dare in a review or PM me.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Twenty-two- Parchment Desert<p>

_I'm standing on a mountain, looking at the valley below. I jump from the top and ride down a crystal waterfall to a beautiful blue lake surrounded by a forest. I climb out of the lake, call out my vivosaurs, and we all run around and play. I roll around on the soft, cool, green grass, when I get the feeling I'm being watched. I sit up and look around. I freeze when I see I am being watched. Standing in the shadows under a tree, is a person my age wearing a pitch black cloak made of mystery, has pure black hair that looks like the pure essence of black was used to color it, and beautiful deep brown eyes._

_That also have an eerie look to them._

_They're my age, yet their eyes look ancient. They have a profound sadness in them, as if they have no ties to their life, yet still decide to live for no reason. They seemed to hold back an entire ocean of knowledge, that is so huge that if you tried to fill outer space with it, you would run out of room. Their eyes also have some sort of... anger... in them. As if they trust no one and nothing, and that they've had no peace in their life._

_They even looked as if they had gone mad at one point._

_The person's eyes looked as if they had been in extreme pain, and that they should have died a long time ago, and look worn. As if they had seen everything and been everywhere. The odd eyes they had made me want to give them a hug that you would give a person who was having a bad day. I stand up and look at them. The only thing I can make out about them is their eyes, which look like they were in the sun, while the rest of them looks like they were in complete darkness._

_"Who are you?" I ask. They blink._

_"That is not of your concern." The saw in a quiet whisper, that sounds like a hollow wind. Their eyes close, they take a step back, and meld into the shadows._

I open my eyes to see sun streaming in through the sliding door, giving the room a welcoming glow. _That was... a weird dream... _I get up and get dressed, have some scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast, pull on my backpack and head out the door. I walk out of the hotel and to the dock, and I see Holt standing there, waiting.

"Hey Holt!" I say as I walk up to him.

"Hey Red!" Holt tells me. "You ready to dig?"

"You BET I-"

"Hey guys!" We hear Rosie call. I freeze, and nervousness fills me. I slowly turn and see her walking over to us. She looks just how she always does, but I somehow just noticed,

She looks indescribably beautiful.

The feeling gets an overly strong grip on me, as if it'll squeeze the life out of me. "Hey Rosie!" Holt calls.

"Hey Holt!" Rosie says. She looks at me. "How're you doing Red?"

"Uh... Good?" I ask. _'What's WITH me? I... I never got nervous this fast before... Eh. Maybe I'm getting sick.'_

_'Yeah.' _Air Strike says. _'LOVE sick!'_

_'Oh be quiet.' _I tell him as they all burst out laughing.

_'Come ON Red! You need to wake up and smell the realization!' _Cloud Cover tells me.

_'Yes. Then after that, you'll need to feel her lips pressing against yours.' _Flame thrower says. My face turns red, and my eyes get big. They all laugh harder, and as we board the boat, I hit the side pocket against the cabin.

_'OW!' _They all yell.

_'Oops...' _I tell them with a smirk. I walk over to sit down on one of the two benches, but Holt sit down on one, and stretches out on it, making the only available seat right next to Rosie. _... WHY HOLT? WHY? Why are you EVIL? _I timidly walk over to the empty seat, and sit down.

Right... next... to Rosie.

A few minutes later...

We climb off the boat onto the dock for Parchment Desert, and walk down the sandy path to the dig site. After a bit, we see the two pillars marking the entrance to the dig site. They look like very strange palm trees. We wander out on to the dig site.

One hour later...

I plop down in the shade of a boulder, pull out my gray canteen, and drink some water. "Oh man..." Holt says. He drags himself and his pick axe over the boulder, and plops down. "It's so hot..." I nod.

"Where's an oasis when you need on?" Rosie asks as she sits down right next to me. I wipe the sweat off my forehead, and I realize she's leaning on me.

_Thank goodness my face is red from this heat... _I think as I blush.

"Hey," We hear someone say. We all look right, and we see an old, lanky man walking over to us. He has a big nose, gray mustache, a green hat with a very wide brim to ward off the sun, a sleeveless light green shirt, a purple belt, blue pants, black boots that lace up to his knees, and off-white gloves that come up to the middle of his lower arm. "Sorry 'bout the diggin' conditions."

"It's okay Mr. ... uh..." I tell him. "What's your name sir?"

"I'll bet none of ya have found a single fossil rock, have ya?" He asks. "You won't neither. No one finds fossils here."

"WHAT?" We all exclaim.

"WHY?" Rosie asks.

"Why?" The man asks. "Well, it's HOT out here. So hot that those sonar what sits of ya'lls won't work! If there was some moisture out here, like an oasis or somethin', that'd cool things down I bet! ... Sorry, I'm Laurence. Mr. Richmond hired me to spruce this place up a bit."

"Nice to meet you Mr. Laurence." Rosie says.

"Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Well..." Laurence says. "I'm a-hankerin' to get my hands on some of them Oasis Seeds, but they're... out o' my price range."

"How many do you need?" Holt asks.

"'Bout three." He tells Holt. We all look at each other, then head back to the dock, ride the boat back, and go to the Fossil Guild.

"Excuse me," I tell the man behind the counter for fighter supplies. "do you have any Oasis Seeds?" He smiles.

"I sure do!" He says. He takes out some ovals about the size of my fist, that are blue with small palm trees sticking out of the top. "Only twenty thousand a piece!"

"WHAT?" We all exclaim.

"That's OUTRAGOUS!" Rosie says.

"Yeah! Where we gonna get sixty thousand G?" Holt asks him.

"... I don't know." The man says with a shrug.

"Let's go find some jewel rocks." I say.

Three hours later...

"Thank you very much!" The man behind the counter says after we give him the money for the Oasis Seeds. We each bought one. We ride the boat out to Parchment Desert, and give the seeds to Mr. Laurence.

"Yep." He says. "These'll do. Come back in awhile and you'll see some oases." He walks off, and we walk back to the boat.

"So... what should we do while we're waiting?" Holt asks.

"I know!" Rosie exclaims. We look at her.

A few minutes later...

Me and Holt follow Rosie down a path into the woods behind the Richmond Building. Holt has on a black and yellow swimming shorts, and had a white short sleeved shirt on. I have blue swimming trunks and a white short sleeved shirt, and Rosie has on a pink one piece with straps that connect in the back, white flip-flops, and a short sleeved, white cotton hoodie that stretches down to midway between her thighs, with her hair in her usual style. After a bit, we come into a clearing.

"Here it is!" Rosie says.

"Whoa!" Holt exclaims. I look at the crystal lake, and squint where the sun reflects off of it.

"Wow..." I say. Rosie pulls off her flip-flops and the hoodie, then puts her pink beach towel down next to them.

"C'mon!" She says running towards the water. Holt drops his black, yellow and red towel, pulls off his shirt and helmet, and runs then jumps into the water. I drop my blue towel, and run into the water. I dive under the cool water, and spin around.

_It feels good to be in water again... _I think. Something suddenly grabs my shirt and I get pulled up out of the water. I look to see a Elasmo has the collar of my shirt between its jaws, and Holt sitting on its back.

"What's with the shirt?" He calls.

"Nothing!" Tell him. _I don't want some random person to come in here and see the muscle I have!_

"Okay." Holt says with a shrug. His Elasmo lets go, and I fall back into the water. I swim up to the surface, and shake my hair and crown.

"Poseidon, come on out!" I throw a Dino Medal in the air, and my Futadi splashes into the water. Rosie calls out her Plesio, and we all shoot around the surface of the lake. Our vivosaurs dive under, and we hold onto them as they glide through the crystal water. I look at Rosie, and she looks at me. We sit there and stare into each other's eyes. Our vivosaurs resurface, and start jumping out of the water, then going under, just to do it all over again. They then swim incredibly fast in a circle, causing a whirl pool to form. They jump over it, through it, and the entire time, we laugh and shriek with glee.

Four hours later...

I walk out of the hotel in my usual outfit, and walk over to the dock. After swimming for a hour, we went back to the Richmond Building, ate lunch, then swam for three more hours. Rosie walks over to me, wearing her usual outfit.

"Hey Red! Looks like I beat Holt." She says.

"Yep..." I stand there nervous.

"So, did you have fun?"

"Y-yeah... I haven't been swimming in awhile."

"I'm here!" Holt calls as he runs over to us, wearing his usual outfit. We board the boat, ride out to Parchment Desert, and see three oases. The air is noticeably cooler, and we start digging.

Two hours later...

We walk out of the Fossil Center, having just cleaned the fossils we got and reviving some vivosaurs.

"Okay, today was FUN!" Holt says.

"I know. I especially liked going swimming." I say in agreement.

"We can go back there again sometime if you guys want." Rosie says.

"Sounds good!" Holt says. "Whelp, I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

"I will be waiting in the park." I say.

"I'll be there!" Rosie says with a smile. Rosie goes back to the Richmond Building, Holt goes back to his house, and I go back to my hotel room. I eat supper, watch TV, listen to some music, shower, pull on a clean pair of boxers, brush my teeth, and go to bed at nine. As I drift to sleep, I think of Rosie.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Okay, I'm REALLY sorry about how long it took me to type this. I had a writer's block. I HATE WRITER'S BLOCKS!<strong>

**Red: YES! I didn't have to deal with any fan girls.**

**Me: *smiles mischievously***

**Red:... Me and my big mouth... :(**

**Me: Yep! :D**

**Red: Argh... }:[**


	23. Spaced Out

Chapter Twenty-three- Spaced Out

* * *

><p><em>'Psst... Red... Red... Wake up... Red...' <em>I hear one of my vivosaurs tell me. I open my eyes to see my Hypsi, Golden Jade, an inch away from my face. She has a small yellow beak, big blue eyes, is built like an Hypsilophpdon, is jade green with gold on her shoulder, hip, tail, and in between her eyes and beak. Her underside and around her beak is a light aqua, and she has four leaf-shaped spines coming out of the back of her head that have gold at the tips.

"GAH!" I exclaim throwing myself against the wall.

_'Ha ha!' _She laughs.

"DON'T... do that." I tell her.

_'But it's fun...' _She says.

_'Only to the person doing it.' _I tell her. She goes into her medal, and I put her in the side pocket of my backpack. I reach into the other side pocket, and pull out the pendant I got. I put it around my neck, and it activates, making me look like a Dinaurian. _... I know we're gonna do today... _I think slyly. I take off the necklace, put it in the pocket, get dressed, eat breakfast, pull on my backpack, and walk out of the hotel and to the park. I sit down on a bench, and wait.

"Red!" I hear someone call. I look up, and see Zoey running over to me. "Is it true that you're friends with the Dinaurians?" She sits down on the bench, right next to me, and puts her face an inch away from mine.

"Uh... yes. And you know, there's such a thing as personal space?"

"Yeah, I know." She scoots a little closer, and I scoot away.

_Oh MAN! She has a crush on me! ARGH! This isn't helping me. _I think.

"Can you get me a ride on one if their starships? That would be AMAZING!" She scoots closer, and I have no room to move.

_Okay. It's official. My life has been messed up by love... AND I DO NOT LIKE WHERE THIS IS GOING! _I think.

"We could cruise through the galaxy, and it would be totally beautiful and..." Zoey wraps her arms around my neck, rests her head on my shoulder, and blushes. "...romantic!"

"...No thanks!" I tell her put my hand on the side of her head and pushing her away. She looks at me sadly. "Look, I can get you on one of the starships if you want. Me and-"

"YES!" She exclaims jumping up. "Just let me know when we can do our date- TOUR! I mean TOUR! On the starship!"

_... Oh man... _I think miserably. "Look, I-"

"Red!" I look and see Holt running over. "What we gonna do today?" He asks me.

"Okay, I got an idea," I tell him standing up. "But wait 'til Rosie gets here."

"What about me?" Rosie asks walking over. Nervousness and the strange feeling get an iron strong hold on me.

"Red's got an idea of what we're going to do today." Holt explains.

"Cool!" Rosie says. "What is it?" I take out my pendant.

"We're gonna prank Dynal, Raptin, and Duna." I tell them. "What we're gonna do is I'm going to put this on and it will make me look like a Dinaurian. Then we'll tell them that I somehow changed into on, and I can't change back!"

"Brilliant!" Rosie says.

"C'mon! Let's go!" Holt says. We, with Zoey tagging along, go to the Fossil Center, down to the ware house, and teleport to the Dinaurian starship after I put on my pendant. We walk over to the window and I point out Earth.

"To think just a few seconds ago, we were somewhere on there." Rosie says.

"Yep." I say.

"RED?" We hear some people exclaim. We all turn and see Duna, Raptin and Dynal gawking at me.

"What happened to you?" King Dynal asks me.

"I have NO idea." I tell them. "I just woke up like this."

"So... so you are a Dinaurian now...?" Duna asks.

"That's right. Dr. Diggins can't change me back." I tell her. She stands there for a second, then runs over and hugs me.

"YOU'RE A DINAURIAN!" She says gleefully.

_WHAT THE __**WHAT?**_ I think. I have an embarrassed and uncomfortable look on my face. I look at every one, and I see Raptin, Rosie, and Zoey angry, while Holt and Dynal stand there, not knowing what to do.

"She's not going to be happy when we tell her the truth... Is she?" Holt asks.

"I don't think so." I tell him.

"What?" Duna asks. I pull the pendant off, and I turn back to normal. She stand there,

Then gets mad.

"RUN!" Holt yells. We run for our lives as Duna chases us throughout the giant ship. We run up stairs, down stairs, through rooms, down hallways, through doorways, and eventually hit a dead end.

"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Zoey screams. She's completely freaking out. Duna runs down the hallway towards us, and I step in front of Rosie to protect her. Duna skids to stop, looks at all of us, the bursts out laughing. We all look at each other, then back at Duna, who is holding her sides laughing.

"THAT is why you never trick a Dinaurian." She tells us. Dynal and Raptin come running down the hallway with some other Dinaurians.

"What happened?" One of them asks.

"They playfully tricked us." Dynal says. "No harm done. Duna scared them, but still, no harm."

"I trust you will not do that again." Raptin says.

"We won't." I tell him. The crowd diffuses.

"Would all of you like to see the ship?" Dynal asks.

"Yes sir!" Rosie says excited. Oddly, I like it when she gets excited. We follow Dynal, Raptin and Duna around the ship, and they show us stuff I've never seen before. We see plants and animals native to their home world, which name is Lacertos, learn about how the ships work, learn about historical events that happened, and several other thing of interest.

"... And that is how the kingdom of Rubrum was created." Dynal tells us.

"Cool..." I say with awe.

"Yes. You see, it was made because-"

"Sire!" A Dinaurian says running up to Dynal. "I'm sorry to interfere but..." He hesitates for a second. "... Sinauria ..." Dynal's eyes widen.

"I'm sorry, but I must be going." He tells us. He quickly strides out of the room. We look at Duna and Raptin, who have concern on their faces.

"Whose...?" Holt asks.

"..." Duna and Raptin look at each other, and back at us.

"The treasure of the Dinaurians..." Duna says.

"Treasure?" Rosie asks confused.

"Yes..." Raptin says. They put their hands over their hearts and close their eyes. "We all hold her close to our hearts, for no can help but love her."

"... Love...?" Zoey asks.

"Yes..." Duna says. "As concern, worry, and loyalty towards."

"She is the most important person on this ship. To everyone." Raptin says.

"Wow. She sound pretty important." I say. "Do you always put your hands over your hearts when you speak of her?"

"Yes..." Raptin says.

"It is a sign of worry." Duna says. "She saw Guhnash eat our planet. We managed to get her off the planet right before it was consumed, but she saw Guhnash in the sky. It was horrifying. She has not been the same. She is now scared often, and of anything she does not know about or understand. We keep her well guarded at all times, but she feels much safer when Dynal is with her."

"..." We all stand there.

"...That... that's terrible..." Holt says.

"It is a horrible thing that Guhnash has done to her." Raptin says. We all stand there, and after a bit, Duna and Raptin show us another room.

It's completely empty.

"What does this room-" Rosie starts. Raptin activates something with a holographic control panel, and the room changes.

"WHOA!" We all exclaim. The entire room is now invisible, allowing us to be surrounded by stars and planets.

"Cool..." I sigh. We all stand there, surrounded by stars in the vast darkness of space. It feels weird to be standing on an invisible surface actually. I keep thinking I'm going to fall through. I look at outer space, and I feel some one grab my hand. I look, and see it's Rosie. My face gets hot, and she looks at me. We look deep into each other's eyes, and I then feel someone hug my arm. I look to see it's Zoey. _... Oh man... This isn't going to end well. _I pull my arm away from her, and look back at Rosie, whose looking at Zoey with a ticked off expression. Zoey looks at Rosie with jealousy.

_'CAT FIGHT!' _Cloud Cover yells. And sure enough, they tackle each other, and start fighting.

_'Cat fight is an understatement!' _Flamethrower says. _'It's World War Three!' _

_Oh man... _I think. Everyone looks to see them fighting, and I grad them by the collars of their shirts, and pull them apart. "That's enough!" I say. They glare at each other, and I let them go. "Are you all right?" I ask Rosie putting my hands on her shoulders.

"Yeah... I-I'm fine..." She tells me. We leave the room, and Duna and Raptin take us to the Mess Hall. We all have lunch, and then teleport back down to Earth.

"So now what do we do?" Holt asks. Me, Holt, Rosie, Duna and Raptin are all in the park, wondering what to do.

"Hey, can we go back to the lake?" I ask Rosie.

"Sure!" Rosie says. We walk out of the park, through the Fighter Area, into the Guild Area, and behind the Richmond Building. We walk down the path into the woods, and eventually come to the lake.

"Amazing..." Duna says. We all stand there, and look out at the lake. Suddenly, Holt runs into the water barefoot and with his pants legs rolled up to his knees. Me and Rosie start taking off our socks and shoes, while Duna and Raptin start running around in the shallow water. Me and Rosie join them, and we run through the water, splash each other, and have fun.

"WAIT..." Holt suddenly says holding up a hand and looking around. "... Where's Duna and Raptin?" Me and Rosie look around, and I realize that Duna and Raptin aren't anywhere in sight.

"... Let's go find them." I say. We walk back on shore, let our legs dry off, and pull our socks and shoes back on.

"I'll look around the lake." Rosie says. "Red, you search east of here, and Holt, you search west of here. Meet back here in forty-five minutes."

"Sounds good." I tell her. We all split up, and I get worried.

_What if something happens to Rosie? _I wonder. _I won't be there to help her... _After walking for a few minutes, I hear something. I look around, then climb up in a tree. When I'm about twenty feet above the ground, I make my way out on to a sturdy branch and continue looking around. I freeze.

There they are, sitting on a rock, arms around each other, kissing.

_'...Oh... GROSS!' _I think. _'That-! UGH! I did NOT... need to see that!'_

_'You would want to be watching if it was you and Rosie rather than them.' _Air Strike tells me.

_'I would NOT! Kissing is... is... BLECH!' _I tell him.

_'Then why did you enjoy it so much when Rosie kissed you those two times?' _

_'... I never said I did!'_

_'But you felt it.'_

_'So?'_

_'So you enjoyed it.'_

_'I did not!'_

_'Oh really?'_

_'Yes!'_

_'You would enjoy it more if it was on the lips.'_

_'I would not!'_

_'Stop denying it.'_

_'Denying WHAT?'_

_'That you LIKE Rosie.'_

_'I DO NOT! Only as a friend.'_

_'Says you.'_

_'What?'_

_'What?'_

_'What?'_

_'Exactly.' _

_'Exactly WHAT?'_

_'Exactly this.'_

_'THIS CONVERSATION NO LONGER MAKES SENSE!'_

_'Exactly.'_

_'ARGH!'_

_'This is fun.'_

_'How?'_

_'You're confused and freaking out. It's always fun to watch you do both.'_

_'It is not!'_

_'Not to you.'_

_'UGH!'_

_'...'_

_'...'_

_'You like Rosie!'_

_'I DO NOT LI-' _I hear a snap, and the branch under me bends. I look back at the tree, and see the branch is breaking off. _... I'm dead._ The branch snaps off, and I fall into a bush.

"RED?" Duna and Raptin both exclaim. I look at them, to see they both still have their arms around each other and are looking at me with shock.

"... Hi...?" I ask.

Ten seconds later...

"HELP!" I yell. I run to the lake, being chased by Raptin and Duna. "Look, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to see ANY of that! We didn't know where you guys went, so we were looking for you guys, and I climbed up the tree to get a better view, and then I saw you guys and... PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" I tell them with my back against a tree.

"Kill you?" Raptin asks. "We don't kill. Just scare so they'll learn their lesson." I let out a sigh of relief.

"Red!" I hear Rosie yell. I turn my head, and I see her running towards me. She runs up to me and hugs me, making my face get hot. "Are you okay?" She asks.

"Y... Y... Yeah... I-I'm fine..." I tell her. She sighs with relief and stands, there hugging me with her head tucked under my chin. I hug her back, and she rests her arms on my chest. We stand there, eyes closed, with the sweet scent of strawberries filling my nose.

"You're both enjoying that a BIT too much... Don't ya think?" I hear Holt ask. I open my eyes, and see Holt, Duna and Raptin giving me and Rosie the Spanish inquisition look.

"NO!" Me and Rosie both say jumping away from each other.

"I was just... glad Red is okay is all!" Rosie says.

"Yeah that's it!" I say in agreement. There's and awkward silence.

"..." We all stand there.

"Whelp, let's go find something else to do." Holt says walking back towards the path. We all follow him, and walk in front of the Richmond Building.

"Red!" I hear someone call. We all turn, and see Vivian, Snivels, and Rex walking over to us.

"Hey guys!" I say. "What'cha been up to?"

"Well, I was wondering..." Vivian says. "Could I see the Doglish Translator? I want to see if Rex really does have a British accent."

"Sure!" I tell her. "Wait..." I put my hand over my right ear. "I NEVER TOOK IT OUT!" Everyone looks at me with surprise.

"Do you think you still have it?" Rex asks.

"Yes... I still have it." I tell him relieved. "I can still under-" I freeze. I feel around the inside of my ear, and I can't find it. "IT'S NOT IN MY EAR!"

Thirty minutes later...

"It. Did. **WHAT?**" I ask Dr. Diggins.

"It attached itself to your brain." He says. I'm sitting on one of the sofas in his office, with Rosie sitting next to me, Duna and Raptin sitting on the other one, and Vivian, Snivels, and Rex standing by Dr. Diggins desk. "It's now part of your nervous system." He pushes back the chair he's sitting in, and points at the screen of the computer on his desk. "See?" I get up and look at the screen.

Sure enough, there it is.

Stuck in my brain.

"YOU GOTTA GET IT OUTTA THERE!" I yell grabbing the front of his cheetah skin.

"I can't!" He says.

"Why?" Rosie demands. "Won't it hurt him if it stays in there?"

"It won't hurt him." Dr. Diggins tells her. He pries my hands off his cheetah skin. "And I can't remove it because it's too dangerous. It's now part of your brain."

"..." I stand there for a second. "That's crazy." I tell him.

"I know." He says.

"Sorry about taking up your time Dr. Diggins." Holt says.

"That's quite alright." He tells Holt with a reassuring smile. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to continue some important research."

"Of course." Rosie says. We all leave, and Me, Rosie, Holt, Duna, and Raptin all walk out into the park.

"So NOW what do we do?" I ask sitting down on a bench.

"I don't know." Holt says. We all sit there for a few minutes, thinking of what we could do."

"It's getting late." Duna says. "Me and Raptin should be getting back to the ship."

"Yes." Raptin says. "We will see you later." They walk out if the park into the Fighter Area. It's about four, so we have another hour.

"Hey wait!" I exclaim. I reach into my backpack and pull out a dark fossil rock. "I've meaning to clean this."

"I wonder what's inside..." Rosie says looking at it.

"Well, c'mon!" Holt says. "Let's go find out!"

Two minutes later...

"What... the... WHAT?" I exclaim. I hold up a pinkish-purple fossil that looks like a swirl of cream. "What IS this?"

"I don't know." Holt says.

"Dr. Diggins might... but he's doing that research..." Rosie says.

"Don't worry." I tell her. "I'm sure he won't mind a quick question." We walk out of the cleaning room, over to Dr. Diggins office, enter, then freeze. _... Important research?_

There he is, sitting on one of the sofas, Wendy in his lap with their arms around each other, kissing.

"..." We all stand there for a second, then silently turn on our heels, and walk out of the room into the lobby. We walk over to the counter and stand there.

"Okay... I did NOT need to see THAT!" Holt says.

"I know!" I say in agreement. "That was just... BLECH!"

"I know!" Holt says, disgusted.

"I mean kissing is just..." I shiver. Rosie looks at both of us then leave the Fossil Center. _... Did... did I do something...?_

* * *

><p>Rosie sighs. She walks into the Guild Area, and towards the Richmond Building. <em>'What's the matter Rosie?' <em>Maia asks worried.

_'Red doesn't like... kissing... He thinks it's gross.' _Rosie tells her. _'How am I going to kiss him when he thinks it's gross?'_

_'Don't worry!' _M-Raptor tells her. _'He WILL like it right after you kiss him!'_

_'I already have...'_

_'No, no the lips!'_

_'Ah...'_ Rosie rides the elevator up to her room, and sits down on the dinosaur cushion. _'I REALLY hope your plan works...'_

_'Don't worry! It's bound to!' _M-Raptor tells her.

_'Yes. And it's not as bad as I thought it would be.'_ Maia says. _'But remember, timing is everything. If this isn't timed right, it may take longer to get Red to kiss you.'_

_'Right...' _Rosie says determined. _'Timing... Got it.' _The phone in a wall indention next to her bed rings. She walks over to her bed, sits down on it, and pick up the phone. "Hello?"

"Uh... R-Rosie?" She hears Red ask. _... I don't believe it... HE'S CALLING ME! _She thinks excitedly.

* * *

><p>"Rosie?" I ask. "Y-you there...?"<p>

"Yeah I'm here."

"O... Okay... um... you... you're not mad or anything... right?"

"Of course not. Why?"

"Well... you just left the Fossil Center without says good-bye or anything... so..."

"Sorry."

"It... It's okay! I was j-just... Uh... was just wondering is all..."

"Okay. So I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Uh..." I can't think straight. I'm fine when someone else is around, but when I'm talking to Rosie alone, I get filled with nervousness and the weird feeling. "Y-yeah... I... I hope we'll be able to find something to do!"

"Ha ha! Yeah..."

"... So... I-I'll see you... later... I guess?"

"Yep."

"Um... right! I... um... uh... Bye!" I quickly hang up, and let out my pent-up breath. _What is with me?_ I wonder. _I always get nervous and the weird feeling doesn't help! What IS that anyways? ARGH! I don't know what to do, act, or think anymore! It's turned my world upside down! I don't know anything anymore! _I go into the bed room and plop down on my bed. _What am I going to do...? This makes NO sense... ARGH! I need to tell her about the feeling I get, but I haven't had a chance, and every time I DO have one, I get shy and can't tell her! _I sit there and think about for an hour, then have supper, shower, pull on a clean pair of boxers, and watch TV until 9:30. I click it off with the remote, put it on the shelf above my pillow, and pull the covers over my bare chest. I lie there in the dark, and think of Rosie and the feeling as I fall asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- YES! Okay, to make up for the last chapter being shorter than usual, I did this long one! Also, I have an idea for another Fossil Fighters fan fiction. It's about Joe when he was eighteen and in high school. If you want me to write it, TELL ME IN A REVIEW!<strong>


	24. Diamonds, Rubies, Dances

Chapter Twenty-four- Diamonds, Rubies, Dances

I wake up and look at the clock to see it's 6:30 a.m. I roll out of bed, do my exercises, get dressed, have breakfast, pull on my backpack, and walk down to the lobby. I ride up the left elevator, step off, and knock on Nick Nack's door. He opens it, and smiles.

"Bonjour Monsieur Red!" He tells me cheerfully. "What can I do for you on this beautiful may?"

"... Uh... Right." I say confused. "Well, I did some fossil cleaning yesterday, and I got a fossil I don't recognize, and I thought you might recognize it." I pull out the cream-shaped fossil, and his eyes brighten.

"OoooooooOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!" He says taking it. "A dropping fossil!"

"... A what?" I ask him dumbfounded.

"These are VERRRRRRRY rare fossils Monsieur Red!" He tells me. "I have been looking for these! Please, if you let me have it, I will give you a handsome reward!"

"... Well... I don't really have a use for it..." I tell him. "You can have it."

"THANK YOU! Grassy us! Mercy bee comb! Donkey shakes!"

_What?_

"I'll be right back!" He disappears into his hotel room, then reappears holding a dark fossil rock. "Inside this is a luscious, red ruby. Clean it well, and a well price it will bring!" He hands it to my, does his weird dance, then shuts the door.

_'... Talking to him is always...'_

_'Weird?' _Air Strike asks.

_'Different?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'Unexpected?'_ Flamethrower asks.

_'All of the above.' _I tell them. I leave the hotel, walk into the Fossil Center, and clean the fossil to reveal a red ruby. I get an idea...

"Hey Red!" I hear Holt say. I look over my shoulder to see Holt walking over to me. "What'cha cleaning?"

"I'm not cleaning, I'm carving." I tell him holding up the ruby.

"Into a heart?" Holt asks giving me the Spanish inquisition look.

"Yeah," I tell him. "My mom's birthday is coming up, and ruby is her favorite stone."

"Or is it for another person?" Holt asks.

"Do we REALLY need to have this conversation again?" I ask looking at him flatly.

"Yes." He says smiling. I face palm, and continue carving. When I finish, I take it to the Fossil Guild and have it turned into a pin.

_Perfect! _I think happily. It's not actually for my mom, I just made for no real reason. I put it back in the small white box, put it in the desk drawer of my desk in my hotel room, and I meet up with Holt outside. "So... now what?" We both just stand there for a second.

"Do some digging?" Holt asks.

A few hours later...

I finish cleaning the dark fossil rock that Nick Nack gave me for some more dropping fossils. "WHOA." Holt says. I stand there and gawk at the diamond that was in the fossil rock.

It's bigger than my head.

"Now THIS," I say pointing at it. "is gonna get me some money."

"C'mon! Let's go!" Holt says. I grab the diamond, and we go back to the Fossil Guild. A minute later, I walk out with 30,000 G for it.

_This is good. _I think. _If I'm stuck in a situation, I'll have a LOT of money in case I need it. _I've practically gotten rich since I've come here. I've gotten more money in a week and a half here than six months back home. Me and Holt spend the rest of the day digging, get chased by fan girls who we narrowly avoid, and the entire time,

I wish Rosie was with us.

I don't mention it to Holt, because I know he'll just start up the conversation again. At sun down, I go back to my hotel room, and Holt goes back to his house. I eat supper, shower, pull on a clean pair of boxers, and go to bed at 8:30 out of exhaustion of today.

The next morning, I get up, exercise, get dressed, have breakfast, meet up with Holt in the Cleaning Room, and we clean fossils for the remainder of the morning. At noon, we go to his house for lunch, do some more digging, and at three, we go into the Guild Area, to see people setting something up on the grassy area. Me and Holt look at each other, then walk over. We look around and notice they're putting up decorations and hanging lanterns.

"Hello boys!" We turn, and see Mr. Richmond walking over to us.

"Hello Mr. Richmond!" I say cheerfully.

"What's all this for?" Holt asks.

"Well, we decide to have a formal party for the population of the island. Everyone is invited, but you need to wear something nice." He explains.

"Like a tuxedo?" I ask.

"That's perfect actually." He tells me with a smile.

"You would look nice in a tux." Holt tells me.

"Really?" I ask him.

"Yeah."

"How so?"

"I don't know. You're just one of those people who would look nice in a tux.

"Well you would look nice in a tux."

"I guess..." We stand there for a second, then look at Mr. Richmond.

"So what's Rosie been doing?" I ask.

"Well, I told her about this yesterday morning, and she's been working on the dress she going to wear to it." He tells me.

"Ah..." I say.

"Yes. I told her that a soon as she finished it, I wanted to see it. She looks lovely in a dress actually. It reminds me of-

"Grandpa!" We hear Rosie call, we all turn, and I freeze. The weird feeling and shyness gets an unbreakable grip on me, my face gets hot, and my eyes big.

There she stands, in a sleeveless pink dress with a skirt that brushes against the ground and turquoise ribbons going around the middle of the skirt, and a turquoise sweater with short sleeves and that stops at the middle of her rib cage. Her helmet is still on her head, but her pigtails are curled, and her bangs remain the same.

_Uh... _I think as a drop of sweat rolls down the back of my neck. My mind has completely turned to mush, and the shyness in me increases as she walks over to us. Mr. Richmond is right though, she looks absolutely gorgeous in a dress.

"What do you think Grandpa?" She asks.

"You look just like your Grandmother." He says happily, admiring the dress.

"Thanks Grandpa!" Rosie says happily. "I actually styled it off of one of her dresses."

"Mr. Richmond!" A man calls.

"Hold on," Mr. Richmond tells us. "I'll be right back." He turns, and walks over to the man who called him.

"What do you guys think?" Rosie asks us.

"Looks like something you would wear." Holt says with a smile.

"Thanks!" Rosie says. She looks at me, causing the shyness and weird feeling to increase more. "What do you think Red?"

_What did she say? _I wonder. I just stand there, stiff as a board and staring like an idiot.

"...Red...?" Rosie asks.

"Uhhhhhhhhh..." I have no idea what to say or do.

_'What's the matter?' _Flamethrower asks. _'Just talk to her!'_

_'I CAN'T!'_

_'Why?'_

_'I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SPEAK TO AN ANGEL!... Did... did I just... call her an... an... an angel?'_

_'Yes. Yes you did.'_

_... Um..._

"Red?" Rosie asks again.

"Uh... y-y-y-y-yeah...?"

"Are you okay?"

"Y-y-yeah. I-I-I-I'm f-fine." I stammer. I've gotten so nervous that I'm jittery.

"Okay..." Rosie says. "So, what do you think."

"Um... Uh... Y-y-y-y-y-you l-l-look... uh..." She stands there smiling, and I stand there, stiff, slightly shaking, and jittery with my face feeling like it's on fire.

The next thing I know, I'm braced up against a door, my right hand clutching my heart, panting for breath while my left arm is against the door. I pant, then I look around and realize I'm in my hotel room.

_'... WHEN DID I GET HERE?' _I ask my vivosaurs with bewilderment.

_'Right after you ran here like a sugar-high manic hopped-up on espresso with his pants on fire.' _Cloud Cover tells me.

_'... What's wrong with me?' _I ask slumping against the door.

_'You panicked and got shy is what happened.' _Air Strike tells me.

_'... I'm an idiot.' _I tell them.

_'YOU ARE NOT!' _Flamethrower tells me. _'You're just a love-sick puppy is all.' _

_'No. I'm an idiot.' _I tell him. I drag myself over to the desk, sit down in the chair, and slam my head on the desk. _I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. _I sit there for over an hour telling myself I'm an idiot, when out of nowhere, there's a loud knock at the door. "Gah!" I exclaim surprised as I fall out of the chair. I scramble up, and look around. _... Nobody saw that. _I go over to the door, open it, and see Rosie standing there in her usual outfit. I freeze.

"Why did you run?" She asks me.

"Uh..." I say.

"Well?"

"I... I... I..." I sigh. "I don't know..."

"... You don't know...?" She asks confused. I nod. "Oh... uh..."

"Look, I'm really sorry about running. I... I don't know what happened!" I tell her.

"It's okay." She tells me.

"O-okay... But... you did look... r-really nice in that dress." I tell her as my face gets hot. She smiles and blushes.

"Thanks..." We stand there, and look at each other in the eye. "Uh... so... you going to the party?"

"Uh... yeah, yeah! I... just need to get a tux is all." She smiles.

"Okay... It's tomorrow night. See you then." She walks down the hallway towards the elevator, and I look at the back of her head as she walks away. Then, before I can stop myself,

"Will you go with me to it?" I blurt out taking a step forward. She stops, and I smack my hand over my mouth and feel my face get hot and my eyes wide. She turns around and looks at me.

"...W... Wh... What...?" She asks.

"... Uh..." I say lowering my hand. "I... um... uh..."

"Well of course I'll go with you!" She says. Oddly, I get filled with joy when she says that.

"R-r-really?"

"Of course!"

"Oh... well... I'll see you then?" I ask with a smile.

"Yep!"

"Okay!" She steps onto the elevator, and I go back into my hotel room.

_I don't believe it... I just asked a girl to a dance!_ I think happily. _Now I just need a tux!_

* * *

><p>Rosie hurries up to her room, and as soon as she gets in it, she jumps in the air and let out a squeal of joy. <em>'YES! YES, YES, YES, YES, <em>_**YES!**__' _She thinks. _'Red just asked me to the party!'_

_'Hallelujah!' _M-Raptor says. _'It wasn't in the plan, but still! This is great!'_

_'Yes.' _Maia says. _'I just hope everything else goes according to plan.'_

_'Don't worry!' _Rosie says as she continues to jump up and down. _'What could go wrong?'_

* * *

><p>I spin around with odd happiness at the fact that I just asked Rosie to go with me to a party.<p>

I'm so happy, I think I'm going to pop.

I eat supper, shower, pull on a clean pair of boxers, jump around until nine, then go to bed, excited about tomorrow.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Well it's about time ain't it? LEAVE A REVIEW!<strong>

**Red: *Happy face***

**Me: You're a bit TOO happy, don't ya think?**

**Red: NOPE.**


	25. Tonight

**AN-WOO! Okay! You guys are gonna LOVE this chapter! Also, in FFC, WHERE DO YOU FIND A SHANSHAN? I've looked EVERYWHERE, and can't find one!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Twenty-five- Tonight<p>

I crack open an eye, and look out the sliding door to see friendly, welcoming rays of sunshine streaming through. Rosie and what's happening tonight pop into my head. "Oh man! I need to get started!" I throw the covers off, throw on my clothes, pull on my backpack, and grab an apple. I leave the hotel and go into the Guild Area, then the Fossil Guild. I go up to the third floor, get a tuxedo, go down to the second floor, get some groceries, and go back to my hotel room.

I put the groceries away, have a real breakfast, go into the bed room, and turn on the stereo. I practice ballroom dancing for two hours, then go out onto the balcony, and stretch out on the lawn chair. Rosie enters my mind, and with it comes the weird feeling. _Why do I do that? I just want the confusion to go away. I want to know what this feeling is. I want to know why I get this way around her. I think... I'm not sure. Then again, what AM I sure of now days? I've lost my view of the world... I've been thrown on some crazy ride that won't stop until I find out why I'm like this... there's only one way though._

_Tonight, I don't care how shy I get, I'm telling Rosie about the feeling I get._

I sit there for awhile, then go into the hotel room and have lunch. I wander around the island, remembering the good times I've had ever since coming here. I do some digging at all of the dig sites, then clean the fossil rocks. I go to the Fossil Guild, sell some jewels, then go back to my hotel room.

_'When does it start?' _Cloud Cover asks me.

_'At eight. I have three more hours.' _I tell her. I practice ballroom dancing some more, then start to get ready. I shower, dry my hair, put on a clean pair of boxers and my tuxedo. I comb my hair into place then put on my crown. My tux is pitch black with a pure white shirt, black tie, and gray vest. I fix my collar, then go out onto the balcony, and get a red rose off a climbing rose bush. I get all of the thorns off, and stick it in the slit where you put the rose. I look at another rose bush, and get one from it. These however, have pink roses.

_'Getting a rose for Rosie, eh?' _Air Strike asks.

_'NO!... Maybe...' _I tell him. My vivosaurs laugh, and I put the rose inside my coat. As I pull on my backpack, there's a knock at the door. I open it, and see Holt standing there in a tux with a lightning blue vest, yellow rose, and his helmet on his head.

"Hey Red." He says. "Ready to go?"

"You BET I am!" I tell him. "And, I was right... You do look good in a tux."

"Oh, I know, right?" Holt says in a stuck-up fashion designer voice. I laugh. "But I must say, you look fabulous."

"Oh, thank you," I say in the same tone. "We both look absolutely fabulous."

"I know, everyone is going to be so jealous of how fabulous we look."

"I know right?" We laugh and walk down the hall to the elevator. We ride down to the lobby, and walk out of the hotel smiling.

"So, you going with anyone?" Holt asks.

"... Maybe..." I tell him.

"Does her name start with 'R' and is short for Rosetta?"

"...Yes..."

"... You... you asked her to go with you?"

"Yep."

"... Wow... I thought you were going to get mad when I asked you."

"Eh, don't worry about it. So, you going with anyone?"

"Nope."

"Huh. I thought you were going to go with one of McJunker's mine cars."

"Ha ha. You're hilarious."

"I know." We walk over to the grassy area that is now full of people in tuxedos and dresses. We walk into the crowd, and I look around for Rosie.

"Hey guys!" We hear her call. We turn, and she walks through the crowd, in the dress with her helmet on her head, and her pigtails curled.

"Hey Rosie..." I say shyly.

"You both look nice."

"I know, we look fabulous don't we?" Holt asks in the stuck-up fashion designer voice. Me and Rosie laugh.

"But I must say, you look amazing in that dress." I tell Rosie in the same voice. She laughs harder.

"Well you both look absolutely stunning in those tuxedos." She says in the same voice. We all laugh. Some elegant music starts playing, and people get in couples to dance.

"You... you want to... to dance...?" I ask Rosie. She looks at me, and there's a light blush on her face.

"...I... I'd love to..." She says. Holt looks at me with surprise.

"Uh... Right! Let's... let's go!" I take her hand and gulp. We go out to the area where everyone is dancing, then I remember something. "Oh, uh... Rosie?"

"Yeah...?" She asks. I take out the pink rose.

"I... I got this for you." My face gets hot, and she takes it, and puts it in a slit in her sweater. She looks at me, and the blush on her face has deepened.

"Thanks Red..." She says. I smile shyly, and we start gracefully dancing to the song.

I was in the dark,

But when I met you,

I stepped into the light.

Now I feel complete.

I've never felt this before.

I stepped into the light,

And I want you to be in it with me.

I just want to tell you how I feel.

I just want to hand you my heart.

I just never want to never let you out of my arms.

I never thought I would,

I never thought I could,

Want someone to love.

It's all because of you,

That I know I need,

To have you by my side,

Forever.

The song is ten minutes long, and the entire time, me and Rosie stare into each other's eyes. When the song ends, we stand there, looking into each other's eyes. We hear applause, and I notice that me and Rosie are the only two people left dancing and everyone is watching us. _'Did you guys know?' _I ask.

_'Yep.' _Flamethrower tells me.

_'Then why didn't you tell me?' _

_'You seemed so happy.'_

_'... Thanks...?' _The dance is wonderful actually. I talk to Dynal, Duna, Raptin and some other Dinaurians to see how they're enjoying earth, me and Rosie dance some more, and each time at the end of the song, we're the only one's still dancing and everyone has stopped to watch us. I get a bit embarrassed by it, but I don't show it. During one song, while we're dancing, Rosie tucks her head under my chin, making my face get hot. After that one, we just stand there. I can't leave since Rosie has her head under my chin. I look around and notice that everyone is giving me the Spanish inquisition look.

"Uh... Rosie?" I ask she looks at me, then notices everyone.

"Sorry!" She says taking a step back. Everyone resumes normal activity, and I walk out of the Guild Area to get some air.

_Oh man... _I mentally sigh. _I can't tell her while everyone is watching! ARGH! Why? I want, no, NEED to tell her, BUT NOBODY IS HELPING BY WATCHING US! _I walk through the Fighter Area as I think this, then walk into the park and go into the thicket of trees. The lamp posts are off for some reason, but I don't mind. I can always see the sky better when they're off. I walk over to the lamp post on the side without the dock, and put my hands on the railing. I look at the ocean, and a cool, tropical breeze tugs at my hair. I listen to the ocean waves and the crickets chirping, and look up at the sea of diamonds.

"Red...?" I hear someone ask. I turn my head, and see Rosie walking through the break.

"H-hey Rosie." I say. She walks over next to me, and rests her hands on the railing. I stand there and look at her, the stars reflecting off her eyes. The weird feeling gets the strongest hold on me ever.

"So, how have you been enjoying the dance?" Rosie asks me.

"It's really fun actually. I've never been to one." I tell her as I look out to sea.

"Really?" She asks looking at me.

"Yep."

"... Huh... I thought you would've been to one." She look back out to sea. "After all, I don't see how anyone couldn't like you. You're brave, smart, amazing, kind, caring, helpful, and handsome." I quickly look at her, and she keeps looking out to sea.

_'... What...? Why does she think I'm all that?' _I wonder.

_'Because it's true.' _Air Strike tells me.

_'So... she... l-likes... ME?'_

_'Yep.'_

_'... I don't believe it. She's too wonderful, sweet, amazing, beautiful and... WAIT.' _

It hits me.

I know what this weird feeling is.

I know why I always get so shy around her.

I don't believe it.

I have a...

crush.

On her.

_'...I... I... have... a crush... I have a crush... on her...' _I think. The realization makes me blush.

_'__**YES!'**_ All my vivosaurs yell.

_'It's about time you realized it!' _Air Strike tells me.

_'NOW will you admit that you LIKE her?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'... I... I don't like her.' _I tell them.

_'... Oh, COME ON!' _Air strike yells. _'You admitted tha-'_

_'I love her.' _I say cutting him off.

_'...' _He says nothing, but I feel shock coming from them.

_'Well then, what'cha waiting for?' _Flamethrower asks.

_'Yeah!' _Cloud Cover says. _'Go get your girl!'_

_'Okay!' _I say with determination. _Now how am I going to do this? _An idea pops in my head. _... Okay... Little corny... but it's all I've got. _I gulp, and take a deep breath. "R-Rosie...?" She looks at me.

"Yeah...?"

"Uh..." I take another deep breath. "I... I need to tell you something... It... It's kinda corny how, but..." I take her hands, and start to sing.

"When I first came here,

I knew I would find adventure,

I never thought I would feel this way,

I had never opened my heart.

But tonight, being here with you,

Seeing the stars shining in your eyes,

I feel like I'm walking on air.

Tonight, being here with you,

The moon illuminates the world like never before,

And being with you in it, makes me feel like flying.

When I first came here,

I knew I would find adventure,

I never thought I would feel this way,

But then I met you.

And Tonight, being here with you,

I feel like time has stopped,

And that nothing can hurt us.

And now, seeing the stars in your eyes,

Seeing the moonlight swirl around us,

I have to admit, I have never felt like this.

And to be honest with you,

I never thought I could,

I never thought I would,

Open my heart,"

Then I softly sing:

"But then I met you."

We stand there, looking into each other's eyes. "That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever told me." Rosie tells me.

"Well... I... I'm just trying to say that... well... I... I like you... and... and not just as a friend, but... well... as something more." I tell her. "I've being feeling like this for awhile now, and I've been trying to tell you, but I always got so shy that-" She puts her hand over my mouth, cutting me off. Our faces are an inch away, and she pulls down her hand to reveal my blush.

"It's okay..." She says softly. Her slender arms wrap around my neck, and I wrap my arms around her. She looks at me with lazy eyes and a faint smile, I look at her with a shy smile. The instinct pops into me,

And I know what it's telling me.

It's tell me to kiss her.

Our heads lean in, our eyes close, I tilt my head to the left, and

"Red!"

Someone calls my name. I open my eyes to see that our lips are literally a fourth of an inch apart.

"Red!" The person calls my name again. We pull our heads apart and I sigh with irritation.

"Hold on." I tell her. We separate, and I walk over to the break and look through. I see a police officer looking around.

"Red!" He calls. I sigh again, and look at Rosie.

"They've had some kind of trouble at the station." I tell her. "I'll be right back."

"Okay..." She says sadly. "I-I'll be waiting." I smile faintly, and she smiles back. I turn and walk out the break to the officer.

"What's the matter sir?" I ask politely.

"You're needed down at the station. Follow me." He says. He turns and I follow him out of the park and into the Fighter Area.

_ARGH! JUST...! __**ARGH**__! I was SO CLOSE! Ugh. Now I have to help resolve whatever's happened and THEN kiss Rosie._ I think. I don't touch him, but I act like I'm smacking the officer upside the head. _He couldn't have waited ten more seconds, could he? _We walk into the police station, and ride down the elevator to the Captain's Office, walk down the short hallway, and turn into the Captain's Office.

I freeze.

Standing there are three police officers wearing dark blue pants, black shoes, black belts, light blue collared shirts with blue ties, black coats with officer's insignias on them, and black and gold police caps on their heads. The lead one, a captain, had brown hair, brown eyes, and a mustache. The one standing next to him, a deputy, has blue eyes brown hair and another one, a regular officer, has blonde hair and blue eyes.

They're officers from my home town.

The captain in my Uncle Mark,

And the deputy is my Uncle Jeff.

They all know me.

Captain Mark looks at me. "Yep. That's him. He looks a bit different, but his parents will recognize him." He says. "Come on Red."

"We're taking you home."

* * *

><p><strong>AN-<strong>**OH NOSE!**** RED'S BEEN FOUND! D8**


	26. Escape

**AN-**AN-Okay, first of all, for the month of April, this fan fiction received 1,151 hits. I don't know about you guys, BUT THAT'S CRAZY! And I would like to thank all of you guys for getting this story that many hits. Second of all, in celebration of school getting out, NEW CHAPTERS EVERYDAY FOR THE NEXT WEEK! but for now,** IT'S HERE! THE CHAPTER YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR! **_**NOW READ IT!**_

* * *

><p>Chapter Twenty-six- Escape<p>

"..." I say nothing. Captain Mark takes one step towards me, and I bolt. I charge up the stair way, into the main office out of the station, and into the wood behind it. I crash through bushes and other foliage, but I don't stop, and my mind is racing _'OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, OH MAN, __**OH MAN!**__ WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO? __**WHAT DO I DO?**__' _I'm in complete panic.

_'STAY. CALM. Panicking isn't going to help!' _Flamethrower tells me.

_'So I just keep running like a maniac?' _I yell.

_'Well it's working.' _Air Strike says.

_'THIS IS NO TIME TO BE FUNNY!' _I tell him.

_'I know, I know! You need to get off the island.' _He says.

_'... But... Rosie...' _I think of her. The idea of leaving makes my heart feel like it weighs a ton. I can't leave her. I love her. I love her more than anything and anyone.

_'Getting caught won't help!' _Cloud Cover tells me. _'THINK about it! If you escape, you can hide out until you're a legal adult, but if you get caught, you'll never be allowed ANYWHERE EVER AGAIN! So that means you won't be a Fossil Fighter, you won't see Rosie again, and a bunch of other stuff!' _I sigh.

_'I know... but... It... it feels wrong to run...' _I slow down and sit on a rock, my heart pounding and adrenaline pumping from my brain into my blood. I pant, and try to think, but all I can think of is how I can't leave Rosie. I don't want to hurt someone like that again.

"Gottcha!" A man exclaims as he tackles me. It's my Uncle Jeff.

"Let me go!" I tell him. We roll around on the forest floor.

"No!" He tells me. "We're taking you home where you belong!"

"Uncle Jeff, I love you and respect you, BUT I AM NOT GOING HOME!" I yell.

"Yes you are!"

"ARGH!" I manage to get to my feet, and grab the collar of his coat, then yank him off my back. I drop him, run, and then hear a gunshot and feel something hit my shoulder. I fall to the ground.

_**'HE JUST SHOT YOU?'**_ My vivosaurs yell with shock and worry.

_'No... He used the knock-out guns they use... I'm fine...' _I tell them. Uncle Jeff's shoes enter my vision, it blurs,

And I black out.

"Oh..." I moan. My head is spinning. _Is this what it feels like to be DRUNK? _I wonder. I crack open my eyes, and see I'm lying on my bed in my hotel room and handcuffs around my wrists. I take a deep breath through my nose, push myself up, and look at the clock to see it's 10:30 p.m.

"Good to see you awake." I look, and see my Uncle Mark sitting in the desk chair with his legs crossed. My Uncle Jeff is standing by the wooden shelves, and Officer Herald is standing at the door. "Now," I look back at my Uncle Mark. "why? That's what I want to know. Why did you run away?"

"..." I say nothing.

"Red."

"I have the right to remain silent." I tell him.

"... Yes... You do... But I'm not asking much." He tells me. "You have a loving family, friends, a good education, a nice house, why would you run away and leave all of that?"

"... I'm sorry. I didn't want to run away or make the ones who love me suffer, but I had to, and the reason that I give you will not satisfy you."

"What is your reason?"

"So Conner and Collin wouldn't be able to bully me every day."

"Red, your cousins aren't bullies."

"Yes they are. Nobody ever believes me." My Uncle Mark sighs.

"...We'll take you home first thing in the morning. No arguments." He gets up, and He, Uncle Jeff and Officer Herald leave the room, locking the door from the outside. I sit there and stare at the floor between my feet.

...

I've been caught.

...

Defeat has me in its grasp,

I'm looking it in the eye.

...

And I still have determination.

I'm not giving up hope.

I WILL escape.

I chomp the handcuffs off, and spit the metal out. I change out of my tux and into the outfit I wore when I ran away. I grab my backpack, go into the kitchen, take out some jerky, dried fruits and vegetables, fill up my canteen with water, put some water bottles in my backpack, and go back into the bedroom. I put my backpack on the bed, and take out the photo album that's been hidden at the back of a drawer this entire time. I take it over to the desk, and take out a devise that fits on my head.

A few minutes later...

I put the photo album into my backpack and put the devise back into the desk drawer. The devise makes anything you picture in your mind into a photo, but you still have whatever you pictured in your mind. I had made a picture of everything that had happened here since my arrival, and put it in the album. I sit down in the desk chair, take out some paper, a pencil and some envelops. I write letters to my mom, dad, Mary, Zeke, some other relatives, Holt, McJunker, Duna, Dynal, Dr. Diggins, Mr. Richmond, The BB Bandit trio, and Rosie. I write her name in my neatest handwriting on the envelope, and look at it. I stare at it. Tears pour from my eyes, and my heart grows heavy. Something worms its way to the front of my mind...

A minute later...

I walk out onto the balcony and close the door behind me with a coil of rope in my hand. I turn my back to the door, and stare out at the woods behind the hotel. _'Are you guys ready?' _I ask my vivosaurs.

_'We were born ready.'_ They tell me. I nod, tie the rope around the railing, and slide down to the ground. I quickly and quietly bolt into the woods.

With my heart an aching void.

Sometime later...

I come to a cave and go into it. I look at my watch to see it's midnight, and I come to a pond in the cave that goes out to sea. In the pond, it the BB Bandit's boat. I climb aboard, start it up, ease it out of the pond, then fly over the ocean at full speed ahead. I look back at Vivosaur Island.

My friends are there.

Along with the one who stole my heart.

Tears flood my eyes, and I look away.

_I'm sorry..._

A few hours later...

I sit there in the captain's seat, steering the boat while the first rays of dawn streak across the sky. My chest feels like it's chained to a ten ton block of lead. I see a sliver of land appear on the horizon, and I keep heading towards it. At six, I reach it, and stop the boat next it. I check the GPS, and see it's mainland. I fill the gas tank, hit the auto pilot button, and jump off the boat. I turn and watch it speed back towards Vivosaur Island. I watch it until it disappears then go farther onto the mainland.

I'm going to have a LONG walk.

* * *

><p>Rosie sat on her bed in her room, silently crying. She remembered last night how she went to the Police Station to see what had happened, only to find out Red was a run away and that they were taking him home. She begged them to let her see him,<p>

But they refused.

She had ran back to the Richmond Building and straight to her room, then fell on her bed and sobbed. Her Grandpa came up to see what was the matter, and she told him what the police told her. Despite his attempts to soothe her, she continued to cry. She had gotten up and dressed that morning to see Red off, but an officer came and told her that they found Red gone and a rope tied to his balcony.

"I'm sorry." The officer tells her. He pats her on the shoulder. "Everything will be okay."

_Liar... Only Red could say that I knew one hundred percent it would be. _Rosie thought.

"We... found this." The officer says. Rosie looks up to see an envelope, note and small box tied together. The envelope has her name written on it very neatly, and she takes it. The officer leaves, and Rosie reads the note.

**Read the letter then open the box. It'll make more sense.**

_What? _Rosie wonders. She then opens envelope, pulls out the letter, and reads it.

**Dearest Rosie,**

**I'm sorry. More than anything, I'm sorry. I have no idea how to tell you, or make it up to you. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you how I feel about you earlier, that I have to leave, that I can't tell you this face-to-face, and that we never got to... well... kiss...**

**I just want you to know that I'll never be the same until I'm with you again, and that I'll never love anyone like how I love you. I'm sorry. It's all I can say. I love you more than anything or anyone. And I have to leave.**

**But I promise you, I will see you again.**

**We will have that kiss.**

**Even if it's the last thing I do.**

**Love,**

**Red**

**P.S. Keep it safe.**

_Keep it safe? _Rosie wonders. She picks up the small box and starts to open it. _Keep what-_ She stops. Sitting there in the box, is a red ruby carved into the shape of a heart. She carefully picks it up, and looks at it. She then take off her turquoise rock pin on her collar, and puts the ruby heart one in its place. She gingerly brushes her fingers against it.

_I will Red._

_I will keep your heart safe._

* * *

><p><strong>AN- :*( *sniff* I feel bad now... :*( I need to listen to some sad music... If you think what Red did for Rosie is sweet, leave a review... :*(<strong>


	27. Travels

**AN-... I still feel bad... :*(**

**Red: How do you think I feel? *sad face***

**Me: {:*( *hugs* I'm sorry man...**

**Red: Just type the fan fiction... :*(**

* * *

><p>Chapter Twenty-seven- Travels<p>

I wander aimlessly. The only thing I can think of is Rosie, and the only thing I can feel is the painful, aching void that is now my heart. I walk all day, then eat some jerky and water for supper. I sit there under a tree curled up into a ball. I'm cold. I miss my soft, warm bed. I remember when I was little, when my parents woke me up, the sunlight would be streaming through my window, the side of my head on a pillow as soft as a cloud, the fluffy, warm blankets pulled up to my chin, and my mom or dad would gently run their hand through my hair to wake me up. I miss it. I miss my parents.

I feel something warm hug me, and I open my eyes to see all of my fire type vivosaurs huddled around me to keep me warm. "Thanks..." I say with a small smile. My T-Rex, Flaming Lava, nudges me with his snout. He's built like a T-Rex, is black with fire patterns all over him and fire colored hair-like spines coming out of the back of his head and his back. I curl up against him, and I drift to sleep.

The next morning, I eat some dried fruit and water for breakfast. I call all of my vivosaurs back into their medals, put them in the side pocket, and try to get my Dimorph, Fire Wing, back into his medal, but he refuses. He's built like a Dimorphodon, has a red beak and orange face, short red spines sticking out of the back of his head, sandy-gold and brown patterns on his back and wings, teal underside, leaf shaped tail tip that has a red center, white around it, blue around that, then black on the very outside. On the middle of his wings are leaf shaped red dots surrounded by dark blue, and he has teeth that stick out from his beak.

After a bit of arguing, I finally agree to ride on him rather than walk. He flies throughout the morning, and lands at noon for a rest and I eat a lunch of dried vegetables and water. He flies for the rest of the day, and lands at sundown. I eat jerky and water for supper, and my fire types keep me warm. The next day, it rains. Fire Wing flies through it, while I lay on his back to keep warm. That night, I sleep in a cave while my fire types keep me warm.

The next few days are all the same. Landing, taking off, flying, sleeping, eating, and the terrible pain inside of me. All day every day, I only think of Rosie. I think of how I helped her, the feeling I always had around her, hugging her, saving her from Bullwort, almost kissing her about four times, the sweet smell of strawberries that her hair had, dancing with her, singing her the song, and her head being tucked under my chin with her arms resting in my chest while I held her in my arms.

I miss her more than anything.

The days meld together. I have no idea how long or how far I've traveled. The only thing I know is the aching void that fills me. I've heard of the term 'heartbroken', but I didn't it was something you actually felt.

* * *

><p>A few days earlier...<p>

Bullwort sat on the bed in his cell. _So the hero was really a runaway... Should've seen that one coming. _He had just found out that morning.

"Bullwort?" An officer asks coming into hallway outside Bullwort's cell. Bullwort looks at him. "This is for you." He holds a letter out through the cell bars, and Bullwort takes it. The officer leaves, and Bullwort takes the letter out, and reads it.

**Bullwort,**

**You're evil. I'm a run away. No one's perfect. I know that you'll probably never change and become good, but, I have something to tell you:**

**1. You insulted me.**

**2. You tried to take over the world.**

**3. You frozen me and my best friends.**

**4. You tried to kill me and my best friends.**

**5. You kidnapped my crush.**

**6. You're evil.**

**And I forgive you for all of it. **

**-Red**

_... What...?_

* * *

><p>I jump off of Fire Wing and to the ground. It's been days since I left Vivosaur Island. My hair has gotten longer, I've gotten skinnier, and I've gotten a healthy tan. I plop down under a tree with my backpack beside me. <em>Ugh... another long day...<em> I sit there, and think of Rosie. I'm not hungry, as always, but I know I need to eat. I open my backpack, pull out a half empty water bottle, and a package of jerky. I open the package to see it's empty. I take out another one and see it's empty.

A few minutes later...

I swallow the water, and put the empty bottle away. I have no more jerky, and I'm running low on dried fruits and vegetables, and I have two more water bottles. _'I need to go into a town and get some food...'_

_'Do what you must, but be careful... and you'll have to get some other outfit first, since you've been wearing that black outfit this entire time.' _Fire Wing tells me. He goes into his medal, and I put it in the side pocket. I lay down to take a nap, since I'll need the rest for tonight.

I wake up to a pitch black night with a sky of glittering stars. I sit up, take out my flashlight, wind it, and turn it on. Before Fire Wing landed, I saw a town not too far from here. I get up, and start walking in that direction.

A few minutes later...

I sneak into a clothing store after picking the lock to the back door. I carefully shine my flash light around, get an armful of clothes, leave money for it on the counter, and leave. I stuff all of the clothes into my backpack, get out Fire Wing, climb on, and he takes off, then flies away from the town.

The first thing I'm a wear of is the sound of wings beating. I crack open an eye to see a clear blue sky and Fire Wing's wings flapping. I sit up, rub my head, and feel hunger in my stomach. _What time is it...? _I look up at the sky to see it's somewhere around noon. _Ugh... I need a map. All I know is that I'm heading AWAY from home... _I look around, and see a small town on the horizon.

A few minutes later...

Fire Wing lands outside a two story cabin with a dirt road that leads from the town to it. I hop off him, call him into his medal, put him in the side pocket, and walk up onto the porch of the small cabin. I knock on the door. No answer. I knock again. Still no answer. I try the knob, and it's locked. There's no garage, and no vehicles parked in the dirt drive way. I walk off the porch, and around the house. There's an overgrown vegetable garden in the back, suggesting no one's lived here for awhile.

Good.

I walk up onto the back porch, and look under the mat in front of the door. _Of course there's a key. _I think as I pick up the metal key and stand up. I insert the key into the lock, unlock the door, open it, and step into a kitchen. Sunlight pours through the windows, and there's a counter with stools in the middle of the room, stove, sink, refrigerator, cabinets, and more counters on the right wall. They're made of white wood, with black on the counter tops, and black knobs on the cabinets. The walls are pure white, and the floor has black and white floor tiles. I walk in, close the door behind me, and go through an archway to the main room. It's opened up to the top floor, with stairs that go above the archway, sandy carpet, white walls, a flat screen TV on a case against the left wall with a glass coffee table three feet in front of it, and a white sofa two feet away from that with an end table that has a phone on top of it. Light pours through the windows and front door, giving the entire place a friendly, welcoming glow. Against the right wall, is a table with a small stereo on it, and other than that, the room is bare. I go up the stairs, and to a hallway open to the main room. I look in the last door on the right end, to see it's empty. I look in the next one to see a nice, white bathroom with blue accents, a vanity, shower, toilet, and a high placed window on the far wall. I look in the next room to see it's a bathroom just like the last, then I look the last room to see it's empty as well. I look in the closet of the room, and see two rolled up hammocks.

A few minutes later...

I lay down on the hammock I hung up in the room. I found a closet downstairs that had some pillows and blankets in it, and put them on the hammock for when I sleep. I wish I could stay here actually. The house has electricity, air conditioning, satellite TV, hooked-up phone, and is outside if the town. I lay there for a bit, then get up, grab some of the clothes I just got along with a clean pair of navy blue boxers, and go into the closet to change. After I change, I look in the mirror on the back of the door.

_...I...look...so...so...SO...__**COOL**__!_ My hair is now standing straight up and angled back some while some of it just hangs down, I have blue goggles on my head, my bangs hang down covering my forehead, the body suit that I'm wearing has a large black zipper on the front at the bottom of my chest, the shoulders are black, the top part of my collar is black, the inside and outside of my bellbottom pants legs that come to my knees are black, the ends of the short sleeves and the pants legs are white with a black stripe in the middle, two light gray pockets with blue flaps and outlined with black are on the chest, two light gray pockets with blue on the upper half are on the outside part of the pants legs, and the rest of the suit is gray. Under it, I have on a blue and black striped shirt that go down to the upper one forth of my lower arms, and my boxers. I have black cut off gloves with blue and white cuffs, black socks, and boots that have a folded over top that covers the part above my ankles with black on the front outer half, and blue on the front inner half. The toes point upward some, the front and bottoms of the boots are gray, have black on the top, and a black vein that splits into four at the heel, in between the heel and arch, the arch, and the front of the feet. On my hip is a removable pouch that fastens securely to the suit, and as I turn, I see a large yellow star on the upper back.

I take a small wire from my backpack, and put it into the pouch. It's the same kind that I have in my backpack. I take all of my Dino Medals, put them into the pouch, and pull on my backpack. I walk out of the cabin and towards the town to get some food.

A few minutes later...

I walk down the sidewalk of the small town, my eyes darting from person to person, and my face hard. I have no idea why my face is hard, it just is.

"Hello." A man in a suit says tipping his fedora as he walks past me. I watch him walk, and I notice as people walk by others, they say 'Hello' or 'How are you?'. As others pass me, they say hello, and welcome me to town. My face softens, and a smile spreads across my face. I start returning the hellos, and I look around the small shops.

_This place isn't so bad... I like it here. Friendly people, clean street, nice shops, and its quiet. _Few cars smoothly drive down the street. I look around, and everyone is smiling. This is the nicest town I've ever been to.

"HELP!" Someone yells with fear.


	28. A New Friend

**AN- To Graywing44: OH YES I DID! And yes, I'm a sly, evil genius... AND I'M PROUD OF IT! WOO! Spoiler: Somebody's gonna be romantically tortured... WORSE than Red.(and when I mean worse, you're gonna be laughing so hard you'll be surprised that you'll still be able to breathe.) *laughs evilly***

**Red: Oh man...**

**Me: Yup. Oooooh boy. HERE we go. But when we get to that part.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Twenty-eight- A New Friend<p>

I stop, and everyone on the street freezes. "HELP!" The person yells again.

"GET BACK HERE! I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU!" A deep, threatening voice booms. An eleven-year-old kid runs around the corner and runs down the same sidewalk I'm on. He has a tan archeologists helmet, shaggy, sandy-brown hair, brown eyes that are huge with fear, a light orange short sleeved shirt with a jagged black line around the collar, a short sleeve shirt-coat over that that has green on the shoulders, green belt, green on the outside and inside of the bellbottom pants that come to his knees, while the rest of his pants and shirt-coat are light green. His shirt-coat has a white collar out lined with black, white at the ends of the sleeves with a black stripe in the middle, and a big red pin with a yellow dinosaur footprint on his shirt-coat. The outside part of his pants have light green pockets outlined with black, light green boots on his feet with white soles, a thick green stripe going down the front, white around the top edge of the boots, and black socks and is probably an inch or two shorter than me.

"HELP!" He yells with terror. He keeps running down the side walk for his life when a towering, ripped fifteen-year-old runs around the corner after him. He has a black, flat top baseball hat turned sideways with the bill covering the side of his head that doesn't have any shaggy, sandy colored hair. He has a sleeveless black shirt, evil green eyes, a angry face, baggy blue jeans, and thick black biker boots.

"GET BACK HERE!" The teen yells. The kid he's chasing jumps behind me, and holds my shoulders, trembling with fear. The teen skids to a stop in front of me, and I notice that everyone he ran by cowered with fear. I look the six foot seven teen in the eye. "Get out of the way." He tells me.

"Why?" I ask him.

"So I can beat up that kid!"

"Why should I let you do that? Has he done anything?"

"No."

"Then why should I let you hurt an innocent kid?"

"Because if you don't, I'll hurt you!"

"..."

I burst out laughing.

Everyone's face go pale, and they stand there and stare at me with eyes full of fear. "YOU think... That can beat ME?" I laugh. "AH HA HA!" I laugh holding my sides. "I laughed this hard in awhile, but you REALLY think that you're going to beat the snot out of me? Because you're some huge dude? HA HA!" He stares down at me, and he gets angrier.

"Do you know who you're talking to?"

"Nope."

"I'm Chucky Anderson, and I OWN this town!"

"If you're trying to scare me, you get an epic fail. You're just a punk." Everyone gasps as I say this.

"What... did you just say?"

"You're. Just. A. Punk. I'm not afraid of punks." I say with a smug smile.

"I'm not going to let you take to me that way."

"What'cha going to do? Beat me up? Try to hurt and scare people that can't fight like you? The innocents? The helpless? You're a coward. You fight people who can't defend themselves against you. If you had to fight someone like you physically, you wouldn't do it because you're a coward."

"... THAT TORE IT!" Chucky yells. He pulls back his fist, and tries to hit me, but I block it, and kick his shin. "OW!" He grabs his shin, and jumps back on one leg. I kick the back of that leg as he hops around, making him fall to the ground. He scrambles up, and I jump in the air and punch him in the jaw. He spins in a circle from the impact, and I round house him in the gut. He flies backward, lands, and skids a few feet. He sits there a few seconds, then props himself up on his elbows with his right leg propped up as well. I stand there in a victorious stance, with a hard smile on my face.

"Don't you EVER... EVER... hurt another person again. Or I'll have to fight you again." I tell him. His eyes get big with fear, and his face pales. He jumps up, and runs away. Everyone watches him run, then look back at me with shock.

"You... just fought... Chucky Anderson... AND WON." The kid who hid behind me says. I turn to look at him.

"Yep. That's right. You're safe now." I tell him. Everyone stands there for a second, then burst out into cheers. People pat me on the back, shake my hand, hug me, and some men lift me up into the air.

"Hey kid!" A person says. "What's your name?" Everyone gets quiet and waits for my response.

"...Red..." I say. _Come on! Middle and last! _"...Hart Broke." The cheer and chant my name for a bit then put me down and the kid grabs my hand.

"Thank you so much for helping me!" He says shaking it furiously. "Do you want to come my house for supper?"

"Well I-"

"Great! C'mon!" He runs down the sidewalk, dragging me.

A couple minutes later...

"Mom! I'm home!" The kid calls as we walk into a nice living room. It has wooden floor boards, white rug, white sofa, two arm chairs, flat screen TV, a large archway on the left side of the far wall, and some stairs next it. Along the walls are pictures and windows that let in the evening light.

"Nice house..." I tell him.

"Thanks!"

"Hello- ... Who's this?" A woman's voice asks. I look at the archway to see a woman with blue eyes, brown hair, a light green shirt, a green shirt-coat, green skirt that comes to her knees, and black dress shoes standing there looking at me.

"This is Red Hart Broke!" The kid says enthusiastically. "He stopped Chucky Anderson from beating me up!" His mother looks at me with surprise, then hurries over and shakes my hand.

"Anyone who can teach that boy a lesson is welcome in this house." She tells me with a smile.

"Thank you... I... I can't let people who haven't done anything wrong get hurt." I tell her.

"The world need people like that." She tells me. She looks at her son. "Did you drag him here, or introduce yourself first?"

"..." The kid face palms himself. "Sorry... got excited."

"It's okay. It's not the first time it's happened." I tell him with a smile.

"I'm Todd Monte, and this is my mom." Todd tells me.

"It's nice to meet you Todd and Mrs. Monte." I say.

"Please, please! Come into the kitchen! Supper's ready, and you look like you need a good meal!" Mrs. Monte says taking me into the kitchen. It has a white tiled floor, brown cabinets and counters, a window in front of the sink, a door to the backyard, and a kitchen table for four. On it is a white table cloth and some bowls of spaghetti. On the wall behind it is a door that must lead to the garage. Todd and Mrs. Monte eagerly hurry me over the table, and I sit down the chair facing away from the door to the garage. Todd sits across from me, and Mrs. Monte sits at the head of the table. I eat some spaghetti, and think about what's just happened.

"So where you from?" Todd asks after eating his spaghetti.

"My mother." I tell him. Him and his mom both laugh.

"No, geographically." Mrs. Monte says.

"Just a small town... By the way, what's today?" I ask.

"It's the third week of May. I'm getting out of school this Friday." Todd tells me.

_...The third week of May... My birthday was last week... I'm eleven... _I think.

"When's your birthday?" Todd asks.

"It was last week..." I tell him. "When's yours?"

"Three days ago, last Thursday."

"Mine was last Monday... A week ago..."

"I'm home!" A man's voice says as the door to the garage opens.

"Dad!" Todd exclaims. I turn around in my chair to see a man with sandy hair, brown eyes, a business suit and brief case standing in the doorway with a wide smile. Todd jumps up, runs over to him and hugs him.

"Hey Todd! How's your day been?" His dad asks hugging him.

"I almost got beat up by Chucky Anderson, but Red here beat the snot out of HIM!" Todd tells his dad. He looks at me with surprise.

"You beat Chucky Anderson?" He asks.

"Yes sir..." I tell him.

"Anyone who stands up for my son and teaches that juvenile a lesson is welcome here!" He tells me with another wide smile.

"Thank you." I tell with a smile.

"By the way..." We all look at Mrs. Monte. "Are your eyes and hair their natural color?" Todd and his dad look at me.

"Yes ma'am. My hair was red when I was born, then turned this color a few day later." I tell her.

"Interesting." Mr. Monte says as he sits down in the empty chair and Todd sits back down in his chair. "So what brings you here?"

"I just like to travel, see the world, do stuff." I tell him.

"And your parents are okay with this?" Mr. Monte asks.

"Yes sir. My parents are rich and busy. They let me do what I want so long as I stay out of trouble." I tell him.

"..." They all sit there for a second and continue eating.

"So where all have you been?" Todd asks after finishing his second helping. It's weird. He's eating like there's no tomorrow, yet he's surprisingly thin. I look at his to see a spark of excitement in his eyes.

_..._ The sight reminds me of Rosie. How she always got excited, and you see it in her eyes. _Rosie... _"...A few places... But this is the nicest town I've ever seen. Besides Chucky, but still."

"Thanks." Mr. Monte says. "The town council does its best to keep this town looking it's best. That Anderson kid doesn't help though."

"His parents never disciplined that boy." Mrs. Monte tells me. "And to make it worse, they think it's GOOD that he scares everyone in town."

"That's horrible..." I tell them.

"Yeah." Todd says as he finishes a third helping. I finish my first, and wipe my mouth with a napkin. "Hey, you want to see my room?"

"Well if you want to show me, okay."

"Great! Let's go!" He drags me out of the kitchen, up the stairs to a hallway, and goes in one of the doors. "Ta-dah!" I look around the room. There's a widow next to the bed which is pushed against the right wall, with a green comforter, white pillow, and plush Stego on it. At the foot of the bed is a laundry hamper, in the upper left corner is a desk with a rolling chair, next to it is an archway that goes into a bathroom, and there's a dresser right of the door. I look at the walls, which are white and covered with posters.

Of vivosaurs.

_... He wants to be a Fossil Fighter..._ I think. I look at the posters, and I see all different kinds of vivosaurs, especially Stegos. I look at one, and see there a two others a lot like it on either side of it. They all have pictures of a young man, somewhere in his mid-twenties. He has shaggy, dark strawberry blonde hair with two locks of hair that hang down on either side of his face that stop at his nose, a light brown cowboy hat that has two angry yellow eyes, black jagged mouth with two brown points that stick out at the ends of the mouth, and the rim of the edge of the hat is yellow with a red under side. He has light blue eyes, a light yellow bandana around his neck, a black vest with white at the edge, then red at the very edge and a collar that sticks up to cover the bottom half of his head, black pants, leather belt, black gloves with brown cuffs, a light coat with brown on the top of the arms and black on the bottom of the arms. The entire edge of the coat is light yellow, comes to his knees, is undone in the front, has black on the sides with brown in the corners. On his feet a cowboy boots with thick soles, and the part that covers the legs comes up to his knees and has three parts of shag. Across his back is a pickaxe with a light orange-yellow handle with a red zigzag line, a steel-colored head with small red spikes coming out of it.

Over all, he looks awesome.

And good-looking.

In the center picture, he's tipping his hat with a Ptera in the background, in the left on he's riding on the back of one, and in the right picture he's waving to a crowd with the Ptera next to him. The Ptera is yellow with white running down its beak and spine, a sky blue crest on its head, sky blue around its wings, on the front edge of its wings with white behind it, on the bottom of the wings is a white arch with sky blue filling it in and it's built like Pteranodon. I point at the posters.

"Who's he?" I ask. I look at Todd to see him gawking at me.

"You don't know... who Joe Wildwest is." He says with shock.

"That is correct."

"..." He blinks. "Where ARE you from? Pluto?" I blink. "Joe Wildwest, is the coolest, most amazing, incredibly legendary Fossil Fighter in the WORLD! He's the second best Fossil Fighter... EVER!"

"Second?"

"The kid who saved the world."

"Ah."

"I want to be a Fossil Fighter just like him one day." Todd says gazing at the poster. I look at him.

I a way, he kinda reminds me of Rosie.

My eyes get sad as I think of her. I sit down on the bed, and hang my head. I rest my elbows on my knees, and put the palms of my hands against my forehead. _I'm a terrible person. I could of visited her before I left. I could have given her the heart pin personally. Told her how sorry I am face-to-face..._

_Given her the kiss we both want more than anything._

I become aware that Todd's hugging me and tears are streaming out of my eyes. "What's the matter?" Todd asks.

"You remind me of my best friend..."

"...What happened to them...?"

"...I...I had to leave them behind..."

"..." He hands me a tissue and I wipe the tears away.

"Thanks."

"Everyone needs support." Todd says with a smile. I smile back, and look at the plush Stego.

"What's his name?"

"...He doesn't!" Todd says hugging the Stego. "Honestly! You think that just because he's on my bed, I have a name for him?" He sits there hugging it for a second staring at the far wall. "...His name's Stanly." He says looking at me only moving his eyes. He looks back at the wall. I smile and pat him on the shoulder.

"It's okay. A lot of kids, even teens, do the same thing."

"Really?"

"Yep." I know it's true, because Zeke has an older brother that's sixteen and STILL has a teddy bear that he sleeps with. Zeke also has an older sister that's in the military, but she just sleeps with a pillow.

"...Okay..." He says putting the plush Stego back on top of the pillow. We sit there a second, then Todd gets an idea. "C'mon! I just remembered! Joe Wildwest is going to do some Fossil Battles on Vivosaur Island and they're going to air them on TV!"

_'VIVOSAUR ISLAND?' _I yell in my mind.

_'Don't worry, it's just going to be showing the stadium. Just watch the battles, you'll be fine.' _Cloud Cover tells me.

_'Okay...' _I tell her. Todd drags me down the stairs and to the sofa. I sit down and he turns on the TV. He sits on the edge of the sofa, excited. The announcers appear, introduce Joe and Saurhead, and people file into the stands. I stare at the screen. The camera zooms in on a spot reserved for Mr. Richmond, and there he sits.

With Rosie right next him.

He looks at her sadly, and Rosie just stares blankly at the Battle Area. "She looks really sad, huh Slate?" One of the announcers asks.

"Wouldn't you be if you found out your best friend was a runaway then left P.A.?" Slate says.

"True, but I still have no idea where she got that heart pin." P.A. says. He right though, she has the heart shaped ruby pin I made her pinned to her collar. She gingerly brushes her fingers against it, and tears weld up in her eyes. She looks sad. Like her heart's shattered and blown away as dust, just like mine has. The ache in my chest gets incredibly stronger. I suddenly jump up, and run out of the house.

"Red!" Todd calls. I keep running down the sidewalk, through the town, out of it, down the dirt road, to the cabin, up the steps to the porch, burst in the house, slam the door, run up stairs, into the room with the hammock I hung up, and fall on the hammock. I curl up into a ball, hug my legs, bury my face against my knees, and sob.

_I'M SORRY, OKAY? _I yell in my mind. _I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE HER! I WANT NOTHING MORE THAN TO TELL HER THAT! I WANT TO SEE HER AGAIN! I WANT TO TAKE HER IN MY ARMS AND TELL HER I LOVE HER! I WANT TO TELL HER EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY!... I want to give her the kiss she wanted so bad... Rosie... I'm sorry... I'm so, so, so, so, so, so, sorry... I love you Rosie... I just want to see you again... even if it was just for a second... I wouldn't have missed everything we did together for the world and everything on it... I love you... More than anything... I just want to tell you that... I want to give you that kiss... I want you to be happy..._

_I love you Rosie._

_And I won't ever love anything else like how I love you._

_I'm sorry..._

_I just want to hold you in my arms._

_I just want to give you the kiss we both want._

_Please don't hate me._

I lay on the hammock sobbing, then go into a fitful sleep and dream of Rosie like I have every night since I left Vivosaur.


	29. Star Messages

Chapter Twenty-nine- Star Messages

A loud crash of thunder wakes me from my dream. I was sitting next to Rosie, but she didn't know I was there. It was horrible. Lightning lights up the room, and I get up. I notice I'm still in my clothes, and that I'm stiff from being curled up into a ball. I walk over to the window and look out it. For some odd reason, I can see the stars. I think of the nights me and Rosie were in the dock area in the park, watching the sky full of diamonds. The sky here is nothing compared to that sky. I look at the stars, and remember how they would reflect off Rosie's eyes. _I'm sorry... I'm so sorry Rosie..._

* * *

><p>Rosie shoots up in bed from a nightmare as thunder crashes. She had dreamed that she was running after Red, and he just kept getting farther away. She hugs herself, and lightning flashes. She goes over to the sliding door, and pulls back one of the curtains a bit. She looks up at the sky, and remembers the nights when they were in the park. Tears fill her eyes, and she looks down. She cries some, then looks back at the sky to see that there's a short sentence made from stars in the sky.<p>

**I'm so sorry Rosie**

She blinks, rubs her eyes, then looks back at the sky to see the message is still there.

_Red... I miss you... but I forgive you._

* * *

><p>I wipe the tears off my face and look up at the sky. I see a message made from stars.<p>

**I miss you... but I forgive you**

I rub my eyes, then look back at the sky to see the message is real.

_...I love you Rosie._

* * *

><p>Rosie looks back up at the sky to see a new message.<p>

**I love you Rosie**

_..._ Tears weld up in Rosie's eyes, and she smiles sadly.

_I love you too Red._

* * *

><p>I stare at the night sky, looking at the message made from stars. I blink, and there's a new one.<p>

**I love you too Red**

_...Rosie..._ I smile and stare at the sky for a few more minutes before stripping down to my boxers and getting in bed. I stare through the dark at the window where dim starlight shines through. _Good night Rosie... Sweet dreams._ I fall asleep, and dream of her.

_We're sitting under a tree on a picnic blanket with food spread out on it and a picnic basket. We sit leaning against the tree, legs stretched out and my arm around Rosie. The sky is a beautiful sky blue dotted with the occasional white, fluffy cloud. We look at each other with lazy eyes._

_"I love you." She tells me. She hugs me tenderly, and I hug her back the same way._

In my sleep, a tear of joy runs down my face, and I murmur: "I love you too Rosie."

I wake up to see sun streaming through the window. I reach down to my backpack which is lying on the floor next to the hammock and pickup my watch. 7:30 a.m. I roll off of the hammock on the other side onto the carpeted floor. I exercise, take a shower, get dressed, and eat the rest of my dried fruits and vegetables for breakfast. Afterwards, I pull on my backpack and head to town. I buy some groceries, and walk back to the cabin, put them away, then walk back to town.

I walk around and help people with whatever they need help with, whether it's yard work or just helping them do something. I don't accept the money they offer though. I have enough money. Around noon I walk by the school. I stop outside the fence that separates the playground and street. I look through the chain-link fence at the kids running around. It reminds me of the times me, Zeke and Mary all played on the playground at my school.

_I wonder what it's like back at home..._

* * *

><p>Zeke and Mary sat in the fort in the woods. They both stare at the ceiling blankly. "They found him... and let him get away." Zeke says. Mary nods. They sit there for a few seconds, and Zeke pulls out the letter he was given by the police.<p>

**Zeke,**

**I'm sorry. I didn't want to runaway, and I don't want to run now. But I have to. You know I left because of my cousins, and that I'll come back one day. I know this isn't much of a letter, but I had to write to you.**

**I don't want you sitting around missing me. I want you to enjoy your life. It'll be awhile before we can see each other again, but I want you to have fun, do what you want, enjoy your friendships, and if you fall in love, tell the girl.**

**-Red**

_...Tell the girl I like her... _Zeke thought. He looked at Mary to see she was reading her letter. She had let Zeke read it, and in it, Red told her he had let her go. She was now free to find someone else. "Mary..." She looks at him.

"Yeah...?" She asks.

"..." Zeke sit there a second, then leans forward and presses his lips against her lips.

* * *

><p>I shiver. <em>'What's the matter?' <em>Flame thrower asks.

_'...I feel like someone I know just kissed someone else that I know... weird.' _I tell him.

"Red!" I look, and Todd runs over to me, the fence separating us. "Why did you run yesterday?"

"I'm sorry... I just..." I sigh. "It happens... I think of my friend and... I just run."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll see them again." Todd tells me with a smile. I smile back.

"Thanks man..." I tell him. "So... what's your school like?"

"Well, we have a football team, basketball team, cheerleader squad, and a science club. Then there's the smart people, the pretty girl group, the guy all the girls want, the jocks, the snobs, the loners, the jerks, and the dorks... which I'm in..." Todd says sadly.

"You're not a dork!" I tell him. "You're too cool to be a dork!"

"No I'm not..."

"... Right... You're too awesome to be a dork!"

"Heh. You're too cool for school."

"No I'm not. Everyone need an edgemecation."

"Ha ha! You're hilarious!" Todd laughs happily.

"Thank you, thank you very much." A bell rings, and everyone starts hurrying inside.

"Sorry. I gotta go."

"It's okay. Wanna hang out after school?"

"Sure!"

"Okay. See you then!"

"Bye!" Todd turns and hurries into the school while I start walking down the sidewalk. I walk back to the cabin, eat lunch, and walk back to town. I go into the library, find a book on dinosaurs, find a comfortable chair next to a sunny window, and start reading. After I finish the book, I put on the end table next to the chair, and leave the library. I walk back to the school, and sit down on the front steps.

A few minutes later...

A bell rings, and I stand up. Several kids run out of the building past me, and Todd runs down the steps to me with a white, light green and green backpack on his back. "Hey Red!" Todd says cheerfully.

"Hey Todd." I say with a smile. "What do you want to do?"

"... I don't know." Todd says with a shrug.

_'JUST like back on Vivosaur.' _Air Strike says.

_'Yeah... Back in the good old days...' _I think sadly.

"We could... explore something..." Todd suggests.

"Wait..." I remember I saw an old abandon factory outside of town. "I know what we could explore! C'mon!"

A few minutes later...

"How 'bout this?" I ask Todd pointing at the factory.

"Yeah..." He says with excitement. "Let's go! You first... Please?"

"No problem." I tell him with a smile. I push myself through a gap in the chain link fence, followed by Todd, and walk up to the front of the factory. I push open the doors, and we carefully walk into the factory, which looks like it used to make shoes. We look around, but find nothing of interest. We walk up some flights of stairs, and come to the top of the factory, to see what looks like a workout room.

"What...?" Todd asks.

"I think someone hangs out here. Or something like that." I tell him looking at a bench press and punching bag.

"Yeah..."

"Okay, gonna teach that kid to mess with me!" We hear Chucky Anderson say. We jump and freeze. We then silently peek around a corner to see Chucky lifting two one hundred twenty pound barbells. "I'll show him what happens when you make a fool outta me!" He puts them down, turns towards the punching bag, and starts walking towards it. We hide behind some crates, and peek out from behind them. Chucky pulls on some boxing gloves, and starts hitting the punching bag with all his might. Me and Todd look at each other slowly, then back at Chucky.

"Ah..." Todd says quietly. I look at him to see he has the I'm-about-to-sneeze look on his face. "Ah... ah... AH..." I put my index finger under his nose, and he stops, and the look goes away.

"AH-CHOO!" I sneeze.

"WHA?" Chucky asks turning around. He sees us, and gets angry.

"YOU!" He says.

"ME!" I tell him.

"HIM!" Todd exclaims.

"WE!" I exclaim

"What?" Chucky asks.

"You said you, I said me, Todd said him, I said we, and We're all us." I explain.

"...What...?"

"We're us, you're you, he's him, and I'M OUTTA HERE!" Todd yells making a break for the door.

"I'M COMING WITH YOU!" I yell.

"GET BACK HERE!" Chucky yells. We run out the door, and down a hallway to a long flight of stairs.

"We can't run down that!" Todd says. "He'll catch up to us!"

"We don't have to!" I say grabbing a large mat. I put it down on the first few stairs, grab Todd, and get both of us on it. I sit down in front, with Todd behind me and his hands hanging onto my shoulders. The mat begins to slide forward.

"GET BACK HERE!" Chucky yells again. The mat begins to slide faster, and I pull my goggles over my eyes.

"AaaaaaaAAAAAAGH!" Me and Todd yell as the mat slides down the stairs so fast, everything's a blur.

"WE'RE CRAZY!" Todd yells.

"I KNOW! IT'S AWESOME!" I yell to him. We fly down the stairs, yelling, and when we get to the bottom, we don't stop. We shoot across the main room, and right out the front doors. We fly through the air for a few seconds, then hit the ground, fly off the mat, and roll down a hill of soft, cool green grass. About half way down, we start laughing at how much fun it is. I open my eyes, and watch the world spin around as I roll. We get to the bottom, stop rolling, and push ourselves up, laughing.

"That was fun!" Todd says.

"We should do that again!" I tell him as I push my goggles back onto my head.

"Yeah- wait. We can't." Todd says.

"Why- Oh yeah. Chucky." We sit there for a second, then jump up, and run as fast as our legs can carry us.

A few minutes (of running like crazy people) later...

I slam the front door, lock it, and we lean against it, our chests heaving. "We... are... CRAZY." I pant. Todd nods.

"You... can say that... again." He tells me. We stand there and pant for a bit. "So... this is where you're staying?"

"Yeah... I don't think anyone lives here."

"It's an old vacation house. The family that owns it hasn't used it in years."

"Okay..."

"Yeah..." We stand there for a second, and then I show Todd around. "It must be pretty cool to stay by yourself. No parents telling you what to do, no chores, sleep as late as you want, stay up as late as you want..."

_No really... _I think to myself. _I miss my old life. Sure, it was repetitive, but at least I didn't have to deal with fan girls, jerks, planet eating monsters, creatures trying to kill me, and the police chasing me to take me home._

"So what do you want to do now?" Todd asks.

A few minutes later...

"RAWRZ!" I yell as I jump from a rock to the ground five feet below with a stick in my hands.

"GAH!" Todd exclaims. He holds up the stick in his hands, and blocks my attack. We chase each other around sword fighting with the sticks, and at six, we go in to have supper. "You're a good cook." Todd tells me as he eats some baked chicken.

"Thanks. I helped my mom with the meals, so I learned how to make some stuff."

"Cool."

Later...

"GET 'EM JOE!" I yell.

"YEAH!" Todd yells. We continue to cheer Joe on in the living room of the cabin, standing up in front of the sofa.

"And Joe wins!" The announcer says.

"WHOO-HOO!" Me and Todd exclaim. "GO JOE, GO!" We yell. We then fall onto the sofa.

"Man... Joe Wildwest IS an amazing Fossil Fighter with legendary fighting skills..." I say.

"Yeah..." Todd says. "I wish we could meet him..."

"Maybe we will someday..." I tell him. "And when that day comes, we will be so excited, that we will look like idiots."

"Heh. Probably..." We both sit there for a minute. "I gotta get back home. See ya tomorrow?"

"See ya." I tell him. He gets up, and leaves. I sit there for a bit, then go up stairs, get a book I found in one of the closets, lie down on my hammock, and started reading it. It's on geography. Around eight, I put the book away, take a shower, pull on a clean pair of boxers, and go to bed. I lie there in the dark, listening to the crickets chirping. I think of Todd, and realize that even though we just met yesterday, I would consider him a good friend. He's a lot like the brother I never had. _...I promise, I WILL NOT let anything happen to Todd. _I think as I fall asleep into a dream of Rosie.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Okay, Red and Todd had their first misadventure! YAY! I've always viewed them as that misadventurous duo. XD And, if you have any questions for Red, leave them in a review or PM me, and I'll post the answer to the questions in a picture on Deviant ART. <strong>


	30. Misadventures

**AN-I STILL CAN'T FIND A SHANSHAN! WHAT AREA ARE THEY FOUND IN TREASURE LAKE? I NEED TO FIND ONE SOON!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Thirty- Misadventures<p>

I wake up and stare at the ceiling with a bored expression. _What are me and Todd gonna do today? _I wonder. I roll out of bed, do my exercises, get dressed, and have breakfast. I pack myself a sack lunch, put it in my backpack, and head out to town. I help some more people with work, then at lunch time I go to the school and stand where I talked to Todd yesterday.

"Hey!" I hear him yell. I look to see him running over to me with a green and light green lunch box with an orange zigzag line going around it and a picture of a Stego on the top.

"Hey Todd!" I call to him.

"How's your day been?" He asks.

"Eh, normal." I tell him. _For once._ I think. "How's your day been?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary." He tells me.

A few minutes later...

"So what should we do after school today?" Todd asks me.

"I dunno." I tell him. We're sitting back-to-back with the chain-link fence separating us, eating our lunches. "What's there to do 'round here?"

"Well... no one really pays attention to me, so I hear all the gossip." Todd tells me.

"I'm listening." I tell him. _Okay, so it's not the BEST thing in the world to do, but hey, when you're bored, you're bored. _I think.

"The leader of the cheer squad is throwing a party at her house to celebrate school getting out this Saturday night. Her parents are at her grandmothers."

"It's party time yo!" I say playfully. Todd laughs.

"But... there's something else..."

"Yeah?"

"Her name's Nancy and...well..."

"Well what?"

"She has a crush...on..."

"On who?"

"You."

"..." I let my head loll back. _'JUST. GREAT. The LAST thing I need is some rich girl having a crush on me!'_

_'It could be worse.' _Flamethrower tells me.

_'How?'_

_'It could be two.'_

_'Well... It kinda is... Rosie's rich... But I don't mind her... I love her back... I feel like I never really told her how much I love her...'_

_'Well, you sang her that song and gave her the heart pin.'_

_'Yeah... but still...' _I mentally sigh. I let my mind wander to her, and the feeling gets the strongest hold on me ever.

The best part, the confusion's gone.

"So what do you think?" Todd asks.

"..." I think of Rosie for a second, then I hear the question Todd asked. "It's not the first time."

"I knew it." Todd says. I smile.

"What's that suppose to mean?" I ask.

"Well, you just seem like one of those guys that all of the girls love." He explains.

"Eh." I say with a shrug. The bell rings.

"Well, I gotta go. See ya after school!"

"I'll be on the steps." I tell him. After I watch him go into the school, I head down to the library and find a book to read. I sit in the spot I did yesterday, and read it. It's by an unknown author, but it's about the human brain. It's really interesting.

**The human mind, though while it can make some of the most amazing thought and images, can also be worse that reality. When there is nothing for us to see while we are surrounded by the dark, our minds create horrifying images of our worse nightmares, just so we will have something to see.**

I finish reading it, then put it away. I walk back to the school, sit down on the front steps, and wait.

A few minutes later...

The bell rings, kids run out, I meet up with Todd, and we trying to think of something to do. "I know!" Todd says.

A few minutes later...

"This is gonna be awesome." Todd says as we venture into an abandon mine.

"Yeah dawg." I say. Todd looks at me. _...Did I just say 'yeah dawg'?_

"That sounds cool." Todd says with a smile. I smile, and shine my flashlight around. We wander around the mine shafts, and find nothing interesting.

"What do you think is down here?" I ask Todd. He shrugs.

"I dunno." He tells me. We walk a bit more, then come to a large cavern. We half walk half climb down to the bottom, and come to some underground rapids.

"Careful." I tell Todd as he edges closer to the rapids. He looks at them, then slips on the wet pebble shore.

"GAH!" He yells as he falls into the rapids

"HANG ON BRO!" I yell as I jump forward and grab him by his collar. The current is stronger than I thought, and I get pulled into the rapids as well.

"WE'RE DEAD!" Todd yells. I pull my goggles over my eyes, and Todd hangs onto his hat as I hang onto him as we get splashed under the water. We get thrown around by the rapids, then our heads splash above the surface.

"HANG ON!" I yell as I grab Todd's backpack. I hug him, and he holds onto me for dear life. We get pulled back underwater, and get splashed every-which-way. When the rapids finally calm, I let go of Todd, and we surface to find ourselves in an underground lake.

"..." Neither of us say anything.

"...Bro?" Todd asks me.

"Yeah dawg... ya know... bromance?" I ask him.

"...Bromance?"

"Yes..."

"...YES."

"Heh...Well... we survived."

"Yeah! We're livers!"

"AH HA HA HA!"

"What?"

"We're LIVERS!"

"...Oh... AH HA HA!"

"We're livers! We're livers!"

"We help destroy old red blood cells!"

"YEAH DAWG!"

"If THIS isn't bromance, I have no idea what is."

"In bromance, no matter how strange or crazy something is, you ALWAYS stick with your bro."

"YES."

"Heh..." We suddenly hear...music? Halloween music? _What the what? _I wonder. We swim over to the shore, and walk down a tunnel into another cavern. I shine my flashlight around, and me and Todd freeze.

We're in a cavern full of monsters and a DJ booth.

There's werewolves, vampires, ghosts, zombies, and some ghouls. They all look at us.

"..." No one says anything for a second.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Todd suddenly yells out of fear. I push him behind me, and get ready to fight these monsters in case they attack. They all look at each other, then at us, then at each other, then at us. They then all burst out laughing. I look at them in confusion.

"Relax!" A man dressed as a werewolf tells us. "We're not monsters! We just perform at Halloween parties, and we were practicing!"

"S-S-So y-you're n-n-not g-going to eat u-us?" Todd stammers peeking out from behind me.

"Of course not!" A woman dressed as a vampire tells us. "We wouldn't hurt two innocent kids!"

"Um... Could you please direct us to the exit?" I ask.

"Just go back down the tunnel you came from, look to the right, and you'll see another tunnel." A man dressed as a zombie tells us. "Just follow that tunnel and you'll re-enter the mine shafts."

"Thank you sir." I tell him. Me and Todd back track, then find the tunnel he was talking about. We walk through it, come to the mine shafts, then walk out of the mine and back to the cabin. We have supper, then go into the living room and watch some of Joe's matches on TV. We whoop and holler for him, and after every battle, we go crazy from his victory. After all the battles, we fall back on the sofa.

"Oh man..." Todd pants. "I always get excited when I watch one of his battles."

"Yeah dawg..." I tell him. "I wish I had found out about him sooner..." Todd nods.

"I think it's safe to say that we're officially hyper, excitable, fun-loving wingmen..."

"Yeah dawg!"

"Ha ha!"

"Heh... And remember: No matter the situation, the embarrassment it might bring, how much you don't want to do it, or what others think, you DO NOT leave your wingman."

"Yeah man..." We sit there for a bit, looking at the ceiling. "Well, I gotta get back home. See ya tomorrow?"

"Yeah dawg." I tell him he smiles, then heads out the door. I go up stairs, shower, pull on a clean pair of boxers, read the book on geography some more, then go to bed at nine.

_'So what do you guys think of Todd?' _I ask my vivosaurs.

_'He reminds me of Rosie in a way.' _Flamethrower tells me.

_'Yeah.' _Cloud Cover says in agreement. _'He gets excited a LOT though...'_

_'I don't mind that. Although, ever since I met him, I've noticed I've started to get excited a lot...' _I tell them.

_'Well either way, you two are best friends already.' _Air Strike tells me.

_'Yeah dawg.'_ I tell him. I roll on my side, and drift asleep into a dream of Rosie.

I wake up the next morning, do my exercises, get dressed, eat breakfast, then head into town and help some people. Around noon, I go over to the school, and go to the spot where me and Todd always meet up.

"Heeeey!" I hear Todd call. He runs over to me.

"Hey Todd." I tell him with a smile.

"So what've you been doing?" He asks.

"Being awesome." I tell him. "How about you?" Todd laughs.

"The same thing I guess..."

"Hello!" I hear an unfamiliar voice call. I look to see a girl my age with curly bleach-blonde hair pulled into a pony tail, light blue eyes, and a green and white cheer leader outfit walking over to us. Walking beside her is a girl with dark brown hair and eyes, and a green and white cheer leader outfit.

"Who are they?" I ask in confusion.

"They're two cheerleads! Nancy and Ashleigh!" Todd tells me.

_Oh man... Here we go... _I think miserably.

"Hi! I'm Nancy Lade. I'm the leader of the cheer squad, maybe you've heard of me?" Nancy says obviously trying to make a good impression.

"Nope." I say shaking my head.

"...O...K... Anyways, what's your name?"

"Red."

"Nice to meet you. This is my BBF Ashleigh." Nancy says.

"Hi!" Ashleigh says. Her voice is one of those voices that's too loud and hurts to listen to.

"Eh."

"..." They both just stand there for a second, then leave.

"Weird." I tell Todd.

"THEY JUST TALKED TO YOU." Todd says looking at me with wide eyes.

"Well didn't you say that Nancy has a crush on me?"

"...Yes..." We eat lunch, Todd tells me some more gossip, and heads in when the bell rings. I go to the library, find a book on physics, and read in the same spot I've been reading. After a while, I put the book away, and go back to the school. I sit on the steps for a few minutes, staring at the clouds and dreaming of Rosie...

_Her slender arms wrap around my neck, and I feel my face get fiery hot. "I don't see why you're being so shy Red..." She whispers in my ear, making my face get hotter. We're standing... somewhere. All I can make out is a fire to the left of us, while everything else is a soft dark red. I can smell the sweet scent of strawberries coming from her hair._

_"Uh... well... um..." I tell her. "I... err..." Her left hand holds my head, and she looks at me with lazy eyes and a faint smile._

_"You know you love me..." She murmurs._

_"I do! It's just... uh..." Her hand runs down my neck and onto my shirt, then stops over my heart._

_"Then why don't you surrender it to me?"_

_"I-I did..." My eyes become half lidded as if I were in some trance, which I might as well be since I'm completely lost in her eyes. Her fingers on her right hand tug at my left ear, and her face gets a fourth of an inch away from mine._

_"That's not what I'm talking about..." She murmurs. _

_"W-What?" I ask her._

_"I mean..." Her head moves even closer, and her lips are a sixteenth of an inch away from mine._

_"...your lips..."_

_"Okay..." I sigh swoonfully. My arms wrap around her waist, I pull her close, and her left arm wraps back around my neck._

_"Red... Red... Red..." Rosie says. My eyes close. "Red..."_

"RED!"

"GAH!" I shoot up, and realize that I fell asleep on the steps with my backpack as a pillow. "What-How-Where-?"

"You looked like you were having some dream." I look, and see Todd crouching next to me. "Sorry about waking you..."

"It... I... uh... I-It's okay..."

"Okay..."

"..." We both sit there for a second.

"So... what should we do today?" Todd asks.

"I dunno." I tell him.

"Oh! I just remembered!"

"What?"

"My parents need to go out of town, and I asked if I could stay with you for the weekend. They said that if it's okay with you, it's okay with them."

"It's okay with me!" I tell him with a smile.

"YES!" He says jumping up in the air. I smile at his happiness.

"So what shall we do today my wingman?"

"...I don't know..."

A few minutes later...

Me and Todd walk out of an ice cream shop with ice cream cones. As we walk to the cabin, we eat the ice cream and chat. We run around the cabin for awhile trying to catch each other, then climb some trees, dance to music inside the cabin, and at six we have supper.

A few minutes later...

"YES!" We both yell. We're both in the living room, standing up in front of the sofa watching some of Joe's battles.

"Come on Joe you can do it!"

"Left! Left! Hit him on his left!"

"WOO! GO PTERA!"

"NO! DON'T LET HIM BEAT THAT VIVOSAUR!"

"GO JOE GO!"

"WOOOOO YEAH!"

"JOE WINS!" The announcer says. Me and Todd go crazy, then fall back on the sofa.

"Oh man... If THIS isn't amazing, then I don't know what is." Todd tells me.

"Yeah dawg." I tell him. We sit there, and I switch off the TV.

"Well, I better be getting home." Todd says walking over to the door.

"Okay. You excited about this weekend?" I ask.

"OH YEAH!"

"Heh. Well, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye." He leaves, and I shower, pull on a clean pair of boxers, and get in bed. As I drift into a dream of Rosie, I think of her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Sorry about not having a misadventure. I got writers block. But, I'M SUPAH EXCITED ABOUT THE NEXT THREE CHAPTERS! And as for the dream Red had when he took that nap, sorry. I just couldn't help it. XD<strong>


	31. A CRAZY Night

**AN-To Corinster2, don't worry about the love situation. I have everything planned out and explained for that, and I'm happy to welcome you to and thanks for reading my story! :D I actually am writing a book that I hope to publish one day. Now if I could just work on it... By the way: I'm writing this at three in the morning. Yeah... can't sleep. **

**Red: So what's gonna happen?**

**Me: *excited***

**Red: ... This isn't good...**

**Me: OH YES IT IS!**

**Red: Yeah right.**

**Me: Oh just go back to dreaming of Rosie.**

**Red: *blushes***

**Me: Sorry 'bout the long AN. Now onto the story!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Thirty-one- A CRAZY night<p>

I wake up to hear birds happily chirping outside my window. I open my eyes to the rays of sun shine that warm my face, and smile. I roll out of bed, do my exercises, get dressed, eat some Flapjack McSmacks for breakfast, and head to town. I help some people out, then head to the school at noon to meet up with Todd.

"Heeey!" I hear him call. I look to see him running over to me.

"Hey Todd!" I call with a smile.

"So how's your day been?"

"Eh, normal. You?"

"Same old same old." He says. We start eating lunch, and after we finish, we keep talking.

"So what should we do this weekend?" I ask him.

"I have a suggestion..." We look to see Nancy and Ashleigh walking over to where we're standing. Nancy hands me a card through the fence, and Todd gawks at it. "You need this to get in. You need to wear some cool clothes though." She winks at me, then walks off with Ashleigh, while I just look at her with a mixture of disgust, confusion and looking at her like she's crazy. I look at Todd to see him staring at the card she just gave me. I open it, to see it's an invite to the party that she's having this Saturday night. I look at Todd, to see he's still gawking at it.

"What?" I ask.

"YOU. GOT. INVITED. TO. ONE. OF. HER. PARTIES." He says. "DUDE! I've hear that those are the best parties and that they're SUPER fun! I've always wanted to go to one..." I look at the invite.

"Red and guest..." I read. "Guest, meaning my wingman dash best bro." Todd looks at me with wide eyes.

"Really?" He asks.

"Eh, I don't really want to go, but you do and you NEVER let your wingman down..." I tell him. "So yeah. We're going to that party." Todd's face beams with joy and he gets excited.

"DUDE IF THIS FENCE WASN'T HERE RIGHT NOW I WOULD HUG YOU!" He tells me extremely happy.

"Hug me brother!" I say. We laugh.

"Where have I heard that before?" Todd asks. We stand there and think.

"Maybe it was in a TV show or something?" I ask.

"..." We both stand there for a second. "Nah."

"But still!" Todd says. "THANK. YOU."

"No problem man." I tell him. The bell rings. "See you after school."

"Okay. See ya! And be ready to have and  
>AWESOME weekend!" He tells me.<p>

"Oh, I'll be ready. But will YOU be?"

"Yeah I will!" We laugh, and Todd hurries inside the school. I head to the library, find a book on the Pox Romania, and read in my usual spot. After awhile, I put the book away, head back to the school, and sit in the steps for a few minutes before a stampede of kids run out of the school whooping and hollering about getting out for the summer. They run around me, and I find Todd.

"Excited much?" I ask him. He laughs, and we stop by his house, he gets his green and black duffle bag of stuff he'll need, and Stanly, his plush Stego. We go to the cabin, I get us some snacks, put them on the coffee table, and turn on the TV to show Todd what I found out earlier.

They were going to air A LOT of Joe Wildwest Fossil Battles.

Around eight...

"OH YEAH!"

"VICTORY!"

"GO JOE!"

"HIT 'EM HARD!"

"DON'T LET HIM REGAIN HIS FOOTING!"

"YES! GO PTERA!"

"LEFT! LEFT! GET HIM ON HIS LEFT!"

"JOE WINS!" The announcer says. Me and Todd go nuts, then fall back on the sofa, panting. My throat is sore from cheering him on, but he's just too awesome to not cheer for.

"Joe Wildwest is so awesome." Todd says.

"Yeah dawg... but I like his hat." I tell him.

"I know. If I could, I'd take his hat and wear it everywhere I went."

"Yeah dawg. Ya gotta RESPECT the hat. If you don't respect the hat, I don't see how you can respect him."

"RESPECT MY EPIC HAT."

"YES." We laugh.

"Having a random conversation about Joe's epic hat."

"Yeah dawg. Ya gotta love randomness." We laugh, and the phone rings. I pick it up. "Hello?" I ask.

"Hi." I hear Chucky Anderson say flatly.

"What do you want? I'm in the middle of watching Joe Wildwest be awesome and hanging out with my best friend." I tell him.

"So you're a fan of Joe Wildwest? Good. I thought you might like to know."

"...Know what?"

"He's coming to the street mall in a town not too far from here. He'll be there by four a.m."

"..." My jaw drops, and I almost drop the phone. I slam it down then whirl around to face Todd. "DO YOU KNOW HOW TO SKATEBOARD?"

"...Uh... yes?" He tells me confused.

"COME ON!" I yell. I grab his hand, run over to a closet, open it, hand him some elbow and knee pads and a green skateboard. I put on a helmet that has the top broken off so my hair sticks through, and I grab a blue skateboard.

"What are we doing?" Todd asks me.

"WE'RE GOING TO GO MEET JOE WILDWEST!" I yell with so much excitement, I think I'm going to explode. He gets a mixture of excitement and shock on his face, his jaw drops and his eyes get huge.

"**WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR? LET'S ****GO!**" He yells. We run out of the house, I take out my flash light, wind it, and turn it on. We throw down the skateboards, jump on them and skate off as fast as possible.

Thirty minutes later...

We put the skateboards and gear into my backpack, and peak out from behind a building. The street mall has stores on both sides, large, spacious walkways between them, and a large fountain.

"Okay." I whisper to Todd. "Joe's not going to be here until four so-"

"Oh NO!" He angrily whispers. "ARGH! I forgot!"

"Forgot what?"

"This place has a curfew! If you're under thirteen, after nine you have to have an adult with you, or else you're in trouble!"

"Oh great... NOW how are we going to meet Joe?" I ask. We stand there, trying to find out what to do. I notice that the building we're standing next to is a clothing store. "I got an idea." Todd looks at me.

A few minutes later...

We walk out of the store, now looking like we're older from what we're wearing. I now have on a gray fedora with thin black stripes, a black band, and the top cut off so my hair can stick through. I have on a plain blue tie, short sleeve white dress shirt, a gray short sleeve shirt-coat, gray pants that are torn at the knees, and black shoes. Mine and Todd's regular clothes are in my backpack.

Todd's wearing a white flat top baseball hat, a black t-shirt, blue jacket zipped up three fourths of the way with white inside the hood, dark blue pants and blue sneakers. We stand outside the store and look around at all the people who take no notice of us.

"Okay Todd." I tell him. We look at each other, and take out those 'Respect' sunglasses that are pure black and one-way. I start to put mine on when Todd stops me.

"What are you doing?" He asks me.

"Putting them on." I tell him.

"If you're going to put these kind of sunglasses on, you have to do it the right way." He tells me. I blink in confusion. He stands up straight, and gets a flat look on his face. He then slowly puts them on only using his left hand. "RESPECT." He says in a deep voice. I laugh, making him laugh. I put the glasses on the same way.

"RESPECT MY SUNGLASSES." I say. Todd laughs. "Now, while we're waiting for Joe, what should we do?" We stand there for a second, then run towards a movie theatre and buy tickets to see and action adventure movie. It's about a collage professor that tries to stop Russian commies from using some kind of diamond skull with a magnetic field. It's amazing. When we leave the theatre, it's 11:00 p.m., yet we're wide awake.

"What should we do now?" Todd asks.

"I dunno... Something fun? With music?" I ask as I look at an area where a concert is being held. We rush over to it, buy our tickets, then head in. The band that's playing are all dressed alike with black pants, sneakers, sleeveless shirts with the British flag print on them, and red head bands tied around their heads. They all have bleach blond hair with the bangs combed upward and with a black lightning bolt. They keep performing and me, Todd and everyone around us are dancing like crazy. After a bit, a space has been cleared around me and Todd so everyone can watch us dance.

Some have looks of jealousy, some are smiling, some are clapping their hands and the rest cheer us on. A stage light suddenly shines on us, and we stop, then look at the stage to see the band looking at us. The lead singer, a woman points at us.

"Well what are you two waiting for? Come on up on the stage!" She says waving. Me and Todd look at each other, then run up to the stage then onto it. We hurry over to the lead singer, whose standing there with her microphone in hand. "Hey boys, what are your names?" She angles the mic at us.

"We can't tell you." Todd says.

"Why not?" The lead singer asks.

"Because you're a stranger." I tell her. She, the band and the crowd all laugh.

"Can either of you play an instrument?" She asks.

"I can play a keytair." Todd says. I look at him.

"You never told me you could play one of those." I tell him.

"You never asked." He says. Everyone laughs.

"Good point..." I look back at the lead singer. "I can play the drums."

"You never told me that." Todd says.

"You never asked." I tell him. Everyone laughs.

"Good point..." He says.

"Well, how would you two like to play for us?" The lead singer asks. We look at her.

"Really?" I ask in bewilderment.

"Yup. Just grab the interments and start playing!" She says with a smile.

"C'mon let's go!" Todd says jumping with excitement, then running over to a keytair while I run over to the drum kit. We get ready, then start playing with the rest of the band, and the lead singer begins to sing.

I don't see why you fight it,

When deep down in your heart,

You just want to surrender.

I know that you can't resist,

My kiss.

So why don't you step out of the dark,

And into the moonlight.

So just surrender,

And let me,

Into your arms.

Because I know you can't resist,

My kiss.

So just surrender.

Because you fight it,

When deep down in your heart,

You want to surrender.

So just surrender.

Why don't you step out of the dark,

And into the moonlight.

And let me into your heart.

Because I know that if there's one thing you can't resist,

It's my kiss.

So just surrender your heart to me.

Step out of the dark,

Into the moonlight,

and let me in your arms,

Because I know,

You just can't resist,

My kiss.

After the song's over, the crowd goes wild, and the lead singer asks us if we would like to sing something. Me and Todd look at each other, then hurry to the area of the stage where you sing.

_'What should we sing?' _I ask my vivosaurs.

_'I KNOW!' _Air Strike tells me.

_'Me too!'_ Cloud Cover exclaims

_'I think we already have one...' _Flamethrower says.

_'What is it?' _I ask. They start telling me the lyrics, I tell them to Todd, and we start singing and dancing to it.

I came here to win, win, win, win.

I use my team 'cause that's my way, way, way, way.

I'm gonna use you to mop the floor, floor, floor, floor.

Let me hear all my fans cheer, cheer, cheer, cheer.

Yeah, yeah!

So let's win and win and win...

And we're gonna win and win and win...

YEAH!

I throw my medals in the air sometimes,

Saying HEY-O! Time to win yo!

I'm gonna win and bask in my Victory,

Saying HEY-O! Time to win yo!

'Cause we're gonna win this fight,

We're gonna go all day,

We're gonna win this,

Like a Champion!

'Cause I've done this once,

Now I've done it twice,

We're gonna win this,

Like a Champion!

I came to win, win, win, win.

Cheer for me and my team, team, team, team.

I'm in the battle, and I'm gonna win, win, win, win.

And that's what I came to do, do, do, do.

Yeah, yeah!

So let's win and win and win...

And we're gonna win and win and win...

Yeah!

I throw my medals in the air sometimes,

Saying HEY-O! Time to win yo!

I'm gonna win and bask in my Victory,

Saying HEY-O! Time to win yo!

'Cause we're gonna win this fight,

We're gonna go all day,

We're gonna win this,

Like a Champion!

'Cause I've done this once,

Now I've done it twice,

We're gonna win this,

Like a Champion!

I'm gonna own it all, I,

I'm gonna be the only victor.

Winner over all, I,

I'm gonna owe it all to my vivosaurs

'Cause I, I, I, ... couldn't do it without them,

And I, I, I... just won it all,

I just won it all...

I'm gonna throw my medals in the air!

WOO!

Medals, medals in the air!

WOO!

Throw my medals in the air!

I throw my medals in the air sometimes,

Saying HEY-O! Time to win yo!

I'm gonna win and bask in my Victory,

Saying HEY-O! Time to win yo!

'Cause we're gonna win this fight,

We're gonna go all day,

We're gonna win this,

Like a Champion!

'Cause I've done this once,

Now I've done it twice,

We're gonna win this,

Like a Champion!

When we finish, we're standing side-by-side with our hands without the mics in them up in the air as fists. The crowd goes wild and we start waving to them. Suddenly, I hear something that I dread more than anything.

The wild screams of fan girls.

A bunch of them jump up onto the stage and charge at us.

"I'M OUTTA HERE!" Todd yells.

"I'M COMING WITH YOU!" I yell as we make a break for it. They chase after us as we run through the street mall like maniacs.

"What do we do?" Todd yells to me.

"Okay!" I yell back to him. "The best thing to do in this situation is that when we come to a four way lane, to split up then hide!"

"How do you know this?"

"It's a long story!" I tell him. It's the same thing that me and Holt did back on Vivosaur Island. We come to a four way lane.

"SPLIT UP!" We both yell as I turn left and Todd turns right. The group of fan girls splits 50-50, and one half goes after Todd while the other half goes after me. I run around corners and down walkways, then stop outside a clothing store with a mannequin in the window with the exact same outfit that I have on. I run into the store, put the mannequin under the table it's on, get in its place, tip one foot and tip my fedora. The group of fan girls run by me, and don't stop. I watch them run by, then jump down off the table. I stand up to see an employee watching me.

"...Fan girls." I tell him. He nods.

"That was a good idea." He tells me. I put the mannequin back.

"Thank you." I tell him.

"It's all good man." He tells me. I nod, then rush out the store and back to the fountain we saw. I see Todd sitting on a bench right in front of it, and I go over and sit on the bench.

"My feet hurt..." Todd tells me.

"Oh yeah... but, it's good exercise. " I tell him.

"I guess... What should we do now? I look at my watch to see it's three a.m. We sit there trying to think of something to do, when Todd points at something. I look at what he's pointing at, and I see an arcade. We run into it, and start playing games.

One hour and thirty minutes later...

"Ugh! Where IS he?" I ask. Me and Todd are wandering around the street mall, looking for where ever Joe may be.

"I don't know." Todd says. "Maybe his flight was delayed?"

"No, he travels on Ptera."

"Good point." We walk by an electronics store and see some TVs in the window we go over to them, and see one of them is showing a re-play of an interview with Joe that was held at nine.

In it, Joe says he'll be on Vivosaur for a few more days.

Me and Todd stand there, then slowly look at each other. "I CAN'T BELIVE THIS!" Todd yells. "I can't believe we did all this and now we can't meet Joe?"

"Well..." I say. "We DID have a lot of fun..."

"True... but still... I was so excited..."

"Yes... yes we were..."

"There they are!" We hear a man's voice yell. We whirl around to see police officers looking at us.

"That phone call was right! You two kids are too young to be here alone!" A woman officer says.

"I'M OUTTA HERE!" Todd yells.

"I'M COMING WITH YOU!" I yell as we make a break for it.

"Stop!" An officer yells. I pull the skateboard out of my backpack, we throw them down and skate. We start heading back to the cabin when a cop car starts coming after us. We try to lose it, and I see a way how.

"This way!" I call to Todd. We turn and start heading start towards a flood water way, as we near it, I snatch a rock off the ground, chunk it at some boards nailed together, causing them to fall onto some cinder blocks, making a ramp. We skate off of it, over the flood water way, and land on the other side. The cop car screeches to a stop, and me and Todd make it back to the cabin, which we run into and slam then lock the door. We lean against it, panting. We slowly look at each other, then laugh.

"I can't BELEIVE what just happened!" Todd laughs.

"I know!" I laugh. "Did you see the look on their faces when we flew over the flood water way? I thought their eyes were about to pop out of their heads!"

"Yeah! HA HA!" Todd laughs. We sit there laughing for a bit, then get exhausted since we've been up all night and the adrenaline that's been keeping us awake just exited our blood stream. We drag ourselves up stairs and into the bedroom. I hung up the other hammock so Todd would have a place to sleep. We fall on our hammocks, and I immediately fall asleep into a dream of Rosie.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-LAWLZ! Red and Todd just broke a curfew in a desperate attempt to meet Joe, and wound up seeing an awesome movie, performing at a concert, getting chased by fan girls, playing at in a video game arcade, and getting chased by the police! <strong>

**And yes, the song that Red and Todd sing is a parody of dynamite,(written by yours truly) and yes, the movie they see is Indiana Jones and the Crystal skull. I do not own the movie nor the song that the parody is based off of. And yes, "Hug me brother!" is from the TV show Drake and Josh.**

**LEAVE A REVIEW!**


	32. A CRAZY Day

**AN- Guess what starts in this chapter. And to Night of Night, cut Red some slack will ya? He was really excited. By the way, you better guard that hat. Cause I'm gonna send my Andrarch to take it... (and he moves like a shadow) And to Graywing44, thank you! Thank you very much! *puts on "RESPECT" sunglasses***

* * *

><p>Chapter Thirty-two- A CRAZY day<p>

I wake up to see Todd in his hammock fast asleep with Stanley the Stego's head sticking out from under the blanket. I smile, and get up to see that I'm still in the clothes I wore at the street mall. I quickly and quietly change into my usual outfit, and go down into the kitchen and make some Flapjack McSmacks. I make two stacks of five and look at the clock to see it's eight thirty. I only slept two hours, yet I'm wide awake. Todd walks into the kitchen, half asleep but he's changed into his regular outfit.

"Morning..." He says, groggy. He stretches and yawns.

"Mornin' Todd! You like some pancakes?" I ask cheerfully.

"PANCAKES?" Todd asks brightening. I put down the two plates at the table, we sit down and start eating them. "THESE. ARE. TOO GOOD. TO BE. REAL." He continues eating the pancakes, savoring each bite. I smile, and when we finish eating, we wash the dishes and sit down on the sofa in the living room.

"So what should we do today my wingman?" I ask him.

"I don't know about you, but I would like to do something relaxing for once." Todd tells me.

"Sounds good. We could go for a walk."

"Not a bad idea! There's a mountain not too far from here we could hike up."

"Awesome! I'll make some lunch." I rush into the kitchen followed by Todd, and we make ourselves sack lunches. We then head out the back door and walk down an old trail towards the mountain.

One hour later...

I look at the breath taking landscape, and some birds fly by. The sky is a beautiful blue with the occasional cloud, and down in the valley is the morning fog which is beginning to lift. Way to the east, I see and ocean that the sun reflects off of so brilliantly. I close my eyes and let the clean, refreshing mountain air blow against my face, tugging at my bangs and filling my lungs. I sit there on the edge of a cliff, one leg hanging down over it and the other one propped up with my arm resting on it. _The only thing that could make this better is if Rosie was here... _I think. _That, and a velvet night with a full moon and glittering stars... _

"Hey Red!" Todd calls. I open my eyes, and turn my head to see him standing a ways away next to some guard rails that block off a path that leads further up the mountain. "Come on! I want to show you something!"

"Alright Todd!" I call with a smile. I look back at the scenery one more time, then jump up and sprint to Todd, and skid to a stop in front of him. "Yes my wingman?" Todd smiles.

"People say that wild vivosaurs live at the top of this mountain." Todd tells me excitedly.

"NO. WAY." I tell him with wide eyes. _It's been too long since I saw a vivosaur in real life._

"I know right?" Todd says. "Man, I never thought I'd see one with my very own eyes!" He excitedly hurries up the trail a few steps, then turns and waves for me to follow. "Now come on! We're not leaving until we get some wild vivosaurs of our very own!"

"Yeah dawg!" I say.

"Race you to the top! One two three GO!" He says quickly then running up the trail with me hot on his heels. We get neck and neck half way up to the top, and Todd trips over a rock. I grab his collar and yank him up before he hits the ground, and push him forward giving him a speed boost. I go from running to sprinting and beat him to the top.

"Victory!" I say jumping in the air with glee. Todd catches up, then bends over panting.

"Fair and square." He tells me. I smile, and look around the large clearing we're in. The complete left side is a cliff, while the right side is lined with jungle, and right across the path we came up just now is another path.

"So where do you think they are?" I ask Todd. He looks around.

"Well I don't see any sign of them! They must have been lying to me!" Todd says stamping a foot.

"Who's they?" I ask. Todd looks at me, then face palms.

"...Chucky Anderson." He tells me. I face palm. "ARGH! I'm an idiot!"

"No you're not Todd." I tell him. "Chucky knows that we like vivosaurs, so he knew we would believe that." Todd just stands there, his head down cast. I walk over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, making him look up at me. "Don't worry. I know I would've believed it to." Todd smiles.

"Thanks Red..." He says.

"Man hug?" I ask. He hugs me. I hug him back and we pat each other on the shoulder.

"You're a good hugger." Todd tell me, making me laugh. We separate, and hear a deep, solid THUD. We quickly turn towards the jungle. "Wh-What was that? What's going on?"

"Maybe Chucky wasn't lying..." I say talking a few cautions step toward the jungle.

"I think there's something over there..." Todd murmurs, scared. I peer at a bush. Todd takes a step back, and we hear another THUD. I take some more careful steps forward, watching the bush when suddenly, an Allosaurous erupts from it, and angrily roars at the sky.

"GAH!" I exclaim jumping backwards, putting me right next to Todd.

The Allo has a blue top side, cream underside with iron-colored bars on its back, tail, arms, legs, above its claws, under its eyes, between its eyes, and iron-colored crests above its eyes, which are a orange-yellow color and burning with anger. Its dagger-like teeth are bared, and I suddenly have a flash back...

"HEEEEELP!" Someone yells. I jump in surprise. I know that voice.

_ROISE! _

She's in the passage to the second part of the dig site, surrounded by the Denture Sharks. The Denture Sharks have their huge, dagger-like teeth bared.

"I was just out here digging, when I looked up and I was surrounded by sharks!" Rosie yells to me. "These things swim up to you super fast and will knock you out with one blow! And if you really slow, they'll just eat you on the spot!" She frantically waves. "Red, I can't get out of here! HELP ME!" I take out my pick ax.

_Time to do some oral surgery on these sharks. _I think. I charge out onto the dig site. "Yo sharks!" I yell. They look away from Rosie to me. "Leave her alone! Besides, look at me! I have a lot more to eat on me than she does!" Half of them abandon her and come after me. I raise my pick and hit one of them on the side, knocking it out. The second one grabs the middle of my pick ax's handle. I spin in a circle taking out three more in the process, as well as getting the second one off my pick. Another one charges at me, but I step to the side making it pass right by me and grab its tail. I then throw it at the remaining sharks knocking them down. I run past them to the rest that are still around Rosie, who has the front of her mask buried in her hands. The Denture Sharks dart away in fear when they see me coming. I run up to Rosie and hug her. "It's okay. They're gone." She buries the front of her mask in the crook of my neck.

"Th-That's..." I snap out of it when I hear Todd's voice shaking with fear. "an Allosaurous!" I smack my hand over Todd's heart.

"DON'T. MOVE." I tell him in a quiet whisper and with a dead-serious, but non-threatening, tone. We stand there with wide eyes and pale faces, looking at the Allo, which glares at us, then writes something in the dirt with its foot. We read it.

**That only works in movies.**

Only moving our eyes, me and Todd look at each other, then at the Allo. It lets out another angry roar, and charges toward us. I spin Todd around push him forward, and run alongside him away from the hungry vivosaur.

"IT'S GONNA EAT US!" Todd yells with terror.

"OH NO IT ISN'T!" I yell. We suddenly skid to a stop, and try to keep our balance on the edge of the cliff. We whirl around to see the Allo has slowed, undoubtedly wanting to scare us before he eats us.

"What do we do?" Todd asks. I take a step forward, push him behind me, and get a hard look of determination on my face.

"Stay behind me."

"What?" Todd asks.

"If that thing's eating anyone, it's me. I'm not gonna let you die Todd." I tell him.

"But-!"

"No arguments." I tell him. He puts his hands on my shoulders which are shaking with fear, watches the Allo from behind my head, and we slowly begin to shuffle our feet closer to the edge of the cliff. _If this Allo thinks that it's going to eat my best bro, there's something wrong with it. I'm not going down without a battle. A Fossil Battle. _I reach for the pouch at my hip, only to remember I left it at the cabin. _NARGH! I'M AN IDIOT! STUPID, STUPID, STUPID! ARGH! Okay. STAY. CALM. I'll figure this out... Just need to keep Todd alive... I-... ARGH! I CAN'T GET EATEN! Rosie... _I get conflicted on what to do. I can't let it eat me or Todd, but I can't stop us from falling off the cliff either, and I can't figure out how to get past it. _Oh dino... PLEASE, whoever is in charge up there, PLEASE HELP US! I don't care WHO IT IS, JUST HELP US! _I yell in my mind.

"SREEEEEEEE!" We hear something screech. Todd's head whips to the right.

"AGH! A Pteranodon!" He yells. It screeches again, and I look at it and notice something.

"Wait... LOOK! There's someone on it!" I say pointing.

"HELP US!" Todd yells waving his arms. The Ptera comes closer to the cliff and begins to glide. The man on the back has a hand outstretched to us.

"Jump on!" He yells with a country accent. "Both o' ya!"

"HUH?" Todd exclaims.

_That guy looks familiar... _I think.

"C'mon! Get a' move on now!" He yells

"B-But-!" Todd stammers. I waste no time. I take a few steps back, sprint forward as fast as I can and without stopping grab Todd's hand.

"C'MON TODD!" I yell. "WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!" I jump over the edge of the cliff with my free hand outstretched while the other one holds onto Todd, who is freaking out with a pale face at what's happening.

It feels like everything is in slow motion.

I fly through the air some, then begin to feel myself fall, and panic ebbs into me, then I feel a firm hand grab my free wrist, and I grab the man's wrist. I look at him to see a smile on his face, and he pulls us onto his Ptera.

"YEEE-HAW! Hold on pards!" He yells as his Ptera flaps it's wings, making it gain altitude and speed. I look back at the cliff to see there was at least ten feet of space from where I jumped and where the man grabbed my hand. The Allo's standing at the cliff edge, angry we got away. I stick my tongue out at it, and it roars with anger. We fly away, and after a few second the man looks over his shoulder at me. "...Whew! You folks all right?" I look at Todd to see he's hugging me for dear life with a pale face and wide eyes.

"You okay Todd?" I ask him. He looks back at the cliff, then at me.

"WARN ME... before you do that." He says. I smile, then look back at the man to see him smiling. It's a nice smile actually. Warm, friendly and welcoming.

"We're okay sir. We undoubtedly hate Allos now, but okay." I tell him. He laughs, and the Ptera flies down to the clearing where the guard rails are. Me and Todd jump down off the vivosaur, and watch the man climb down, call the Ptera into its medal, then put it in a pocket inside his coat. He turns around to face us. _Wow... this guy is good-lookin'... _I think. "Thank you sir." I tell him. "I don't want to think about what might of happened if you-"

"OH! MY! GOODNESS!" Todd suddenly yells stiffening. Me and the man both look at him.

"What's the matter Todd?" I ask him worried. His arm shoots up and he points at the man.

"YOU! You're...! You're...! You're Joe!"

_Joe? _I wonder. _Joe who-_ It hits me, and I look at him with wide eyes and shock. He smiles and nods.

"Yep. That's me." He says. "Surprised ya know my handle kid."

"ARE YOU KIDDING?" I suddenly yell. They look at me. "We root for on TV ALL THE TIME!"

"Yeah!" Todd says in agreement. "You're the greatest Fossil Fighter in the world! Your Fossil Battle skills are LEGENDARY!" Joe laughs.

"Well now, that's mighty kind of ya pard, but, I'm not the greatest Fossil Fighter in the world." Joe says. "There's the kid who saved the world."

"You could beat him any day!" I tell him. _Wait... Oh yeah. That's me... _I mentally face palm.

"Yeah! You're Joe Wildwest! You can beat anybody!" Todd tells him. Joe smiles.

"Honestly, I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M TALKING TO YOU!" I say with obvious excitement.

"We're your biggest fans!" Todd tells him.

When then start jumping around like excited, sugar-high two-year olds, saying we can't believe we're talking to our hero while Joe just watches us and smiles.

_Okay, we look like idiots, but still. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING! ...And he looks three times cooler and good-lookin' in real life... _I think. We both stop jumping around.

"We must sound like total nerds, huh?" Todd asks. Joe laughs.

"Not at all!" He tells us. "It's a pleasure to meet'cha!"

"It's an honor to meet you!" I tell him. "Honestly I would have preferred a less deadly situation, BUT STILL!"

"Your hat looks cooler in person." Todd says. Joe smiles, walks over to Todd and takes off his hat to reveal a full head of his thick, slightly wavy, dark strawberry blonde locks.

_I bet there's a LOT of women who want to run their fingers through his hair while their lips are... occupied... _I think. I hide a chuckle at the thought. Joe takes Todd's helmet off Todd's head, and puts his hat in its place.

Todd gets so happy, I'm surprised he doesn't faint.

He runs over to a small pond and looks at his reflection, then goes back to Joe and puts the cowboy hat on his head. "It's looks better on you." He tells Joe with a smile. Joe smiles, and put's Todd's helmet back on Todd's head. Suddenly, we hear a THUD and an angry roar.

"GAH!" Todd yells as he jumps behind Joe. Joe takes a few steps toward the guarded trail, and Todd dashes behind me.

"That Allosaurous is madder than a sack full'a hornets that's been hit from every which-way." He says. "We can't leave it on the mountain all riled up like that or folks'll be in a heap'a trouble. Ain't no other choice. We gotta subdue the critter in a Fossil Battle." My face brightens.

_YES! It's been WAY too long since I've seen one of those in real life! _I think. Joe turns around and looks at Todd who's standing behind me with his hands on my shoulders.

"How 'bout it small fry? Think yer up fer it?" Joe asks. Me and Todd look at each other, then back at Joe. "I'll even loan ya one of my Dino Medals fer tha fight. So how 'bout it?" Todd stands there for a second then suddenly falls on his side, clutching his stomach.

"Todd!" I exclaim with worry. I crouch down next to him.

"Oooooooooh!" He moans. "Oh my stomach! It hurts really bad... It must've been that rotten banana I ate this morning... Yeah... That's it..." He moans again.

_He ate a rotten banana? Ew... Hey... WAIT A MINUTE! _"Todd, we had pancakes this morning, remember?"

"Pancakes?" Joe asks brightening. I look at him.

"Yes sir. They're really good!" I tell him.

"I... saw a banana tree and got one of the bananas off of it..." Todd quickly tells me. He moans again. "I don't think I can fight..."

"Don't worry." I tell him. "I got this." I stand up, and help Todd over to a rock to sit on, then walk back over to Joe.

"Well, fair enough." Joe says. "Guess I'll be lendin' ya my Dino Medal instead." He looks at Todd and then back at me. "... Yer really trying to help 'em. Ain't ya?"

"Sir?" I ask.

"He reminds ya of someone. Don't he?"

"..." I look at the ground. "I had a very...close... friend that I had to leave behind... Todd reminds me a lot of them... I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to him." I look back at Joe, and he nods.

"Then ya got good character kid." He tells me with a small smile. I smile back, and we hear the Allo roar. Joe looks in that direction, then takes four medals out of his coat pocket, and holds them out.

_WHOA. _I think as my eyes widen. I've never seen these kinds of vivosaurs.

"Just take whichever one of 'em strikes yer fancy." Joe tells me. He holds up an Air type Dino Medal. "This here's an Aerosteon. He's a powerful type that overwhelms foes with his sharp claws." He holds up a Water type Dino Medal. "This here's a fast-growing well balanced vivosaur called a Toba Titanosaur. It's one'a yer more fashionable types." He holds up an Earth type Dino Medal. "Now this here's a Tsintaosaurus. It's a backup-type vivosaur that has great support skills." He holds up a Fire type Dino Medal. "And finally, we got Dimetrodon. It's a tricky type that confounds foes with special skills. So, that's all she wrote. Now dive in an' pick yer self a vivosaur!" He tells me with a smile. I examine all the medals.

_Hmmm... _I think. _Dimtro doesn't look bad. High speed, accuracy and defense, but low on LP and attack... Tsintao has low LP and defence, making it an easy knock-out, Toba has high LP and defence, but everything else is low, and Aeros... High LP which makes up for low defence and high attack which means more damage in less time... _"Aeros." I say picking up the medal. Joe nods.

"Well grease my pants and call me slick!" He says. "That's a mighty fine choice there small fry!"

_..."Grease my pants"? _I wonder. "Thank you slick." I tell Joe. He laughs.

"Now remember, once ya throw the medal that there medal at the Allosaurous, yer vivosaur will be unleashed. The strength of a Fossil Fighter depends on how much of a bond they build with their vivosaurs. So make sure y'all trust each other and try to have some fun. All right?"

"Yes sir." I say nodding. _YES! FOSSIL BATTLE TIME DAWGS! ...I need to break that habit._

_'Yes. Yes you do.' _The Aeros tells me. I look at the medal.

_'Stay out of my mind.' _I tell him. He chuckles, and I feel him leave my mind. I close my hand around it, look at the Allo, and get ready to throw the medal. I throw it like how a baseball pitcher does, and it flips a few times before Aeros comes out. He's built like a T-Rex, has three claws on his hands, a sky blue top side, onyx black underside and claws, onyx colored bars on its feet, blue eyes and yellow spines coming out of the bottom of his neck, between his arms, and around his eyes, face and jaw.

"Okay Aeros!" Tell him. "Let's win this thing!"

"Ya know how to fight Fossil Battles?" I hear Joe ask with surprise. I resist the urge to freeze, and instead I look at him.

"I've seen so many a I kinda picked it up." I tell him.

"Ah." He says. "Good luck small fry." I nod, then turn my attention back to the battle, to see the layout is different.

_Okay, six areas. The three in front are AZ, the back three SZ. No EZ, all attack, no escape, which means if a vivosaur gets affected, no way to get rid of it until it goes away naturally... Aeros is in the very front one as well as Allo, meaning they're both have higher attacks since they're close range... _I think.

"Well, looks like ya got the higher speed." Joe says. "Yer gonna attack first."

_When did that change? Ah, whatever. _"Aeros, use Wind Blast on Allo!" He attacks doing sixty-eight damage. _HOLY DINO! For a low ranked vivosaur, that's amazing! _The Allo roars, and attacks Aeros doing thirty-two damage.

"Hoo-eee! That was right powerful strike there." Joe says. I half smile.

_But not powerful enough! _"Aeros, finish Allo off with Wind Blast!" He attacks doing seventy damage.

"Hot branding iron! That Allo seems to have calmed down." In response, the Allo turns back into a Dino Medal. Joe goes over to it, followed by me and Todd, and picks up the medal. He turns to me with a smile. "Nice job small fry! You did real good."

"Thank you Mr. Wildwest!" I tell him.

"Please, call me Joe." He tells me.

"Yes sir." I say.

"You ran that Fossil Battle like a pro Red!" Todd tells me. "You're awesome!" I look at him with a smile.

"Thanks Todd! I-...Hey..." I take a step forward and point at him making him take a step back. "I thought you had a stomach ache!"

"Huh? Oh! It's gone..." He smiles nervously. "But, that doesn't matter right now, right?" I smile.

"This Allo was abandoned by some cruel Fighter." Joe says sadly. We look at him to see he's looking at the medal with a sad face. "Reckon that's why he had his shorts in a bunch. Vivosaurs need to be with Fossil Fighters they know they can trust. If they're abandoned, they go feral and their true nature emerges."

"That's horrible..." I say sadly. Todd nods.

"Whelp, that's why I'm here actually." Joe tells us. "The Fighter Association asked me to round up rouge vivosaurs." Joe suddenly face palms. "Aw, shucks. Where in tarnation are my manners? You know this already, but I'm Joe Wildwest, and I'm a Fossil Fighter."

"I'm Red, and Todd's my wing man and best bro." I tell him.

"I'm Todd, and Red's my best friend!" Todd tells Joe. "We always watch your matches on TV!"

"Yeah dawg! We always root with every ounce of energy we got!"

"Yeah!" Todd says in agreement. "Our dream is to become great Fossil Fighter just like you!" Joe laugh happily.

"Aw, shucks." He says closing his eyes and looking down. "You small fries are gonna make me blush." He says as his face gets a light blush.

"Too late for that!" I tell him, he opens his eyes, and looks at me with a smile. He has nice eyes. They're soft, friendly light blue puppy-dog eyes. He looks at both of us.

"But y'all oughtta aim a little higher." Joe tells us. "Don't try to be as good as me. Try to be BETTER!"

"WE SHALL!" We both say jumping with excitement. Joe smiles.

"Well, I s'pose I should think about seein' you two home, but I ain't quiet done with my job yet. I still got one more vivosaur that needs rescuing'." We nod. "But y'all seem pretty capable, so I trust ya can make it home." I suddenly realize that I still have Aeros Dino medal in my hand.

"Uh, Joe?" I ask. He looks at me, and I hold out the medal. "This is yours."

"Aw, bacon!" Joe says.

_Bacon?_

"I fergot 'bout the vivosaur I lent ya!" He says. He reaches for it, then instead uses both hands to fold my fingers back over it. "Tell ya what Red, what say ya keep it as my way of sayin' thanks for all the help?" I let of a gasp of shock, then look at Todd with joy on my face.

"Aw man!" He says. "If only my stupid stomach hadn't started hurting..." I smile, and put the Dino Medal in the left chest pocket on my suit.

"Listen up small fries!" Joe tells us. We look at him. "If y'all love yer vivosaurs an' share their passion for Fossil Battles, then y'all can accomplish anythin'!"

"Yes sir!" We both say nodding. Joe smiles.

"I look forward to the day ya both become proper Fossil Fighters." He tells us with encouragement. "But fer now, I gotta mosey on down the trail." He turns towards the other trail, and takes a few step forward before turning back to us. "Adios!" He says doing a two finger salute.

"Bye Joe! Thanks for the help!" Todd says waving. Joe smiles, and continues down the trail while I watch him with amazement.

"Good bye Joe!" I call waving. "Keep being awesome!" Without stopping, he turns around, and waves.

"Will do Red!" He tells me. He turns back, and continues down the trail. Me and Todd watch him until he disappears.

"Hey Red." Todd says. I look at him. "What are you going to name the Aeros?" I think for a second.

"Sky Spine."

"What?"

"He has a sky blue top, a night black under side, star white teeth, and light sun yellow spines."

"Oh..."

"Makes since?"

"Yep! But still! We just got advice from Joe Wildwest himself! No choice now Red! We have to become Fossil Fighters!"

"Yeah dawg!"

"I know you want it bad, but not as bad as me!"

"We'll see about that my wingman..."

"But either way..."

"Next time we see Joe..."

"We're gonna be full-fledged Fighters!"

"Yeah dawg!" We clasp hands.

"Fossil Fighting, HERE WE COME!" We both say.

Later...

_Okay... What if I... no that won't work... ARGH! What am I going to do? _I wonder. Me and Todd are sitting in the kitchen eating our lunches. I put Sky Spine in the pouch at my hip with all my other vivosaurs as soon as we got home, and put the pouch on. _'Any ideas?' _

_'Do you know anything about hacking?' _Flamethrower asks.

_'Well... yes actually. I picked up a few things from Zeke... Zeke... I wonder how he's doing.'_

* * *

><p>Zeke hurries out to the fort in the woods that he, Mary and Red made. He comes to the clearing, and gets tackled. "Hey!" He laughs as he sits up to see Mary hugging him. She had started to always have her hair pulled back into a high ponytail with a sky blue ribbon, but with one small lock of hair in the middle of her forehead. He hugs her back, and she kisses him.<p>

* * *

><p><em>'...I feel like someone I know just got tackled and kissed... weird... But... What does me being able to hack an electronic device have to do with this?' <em>I ask. Cloud Cover mentally face palms.

_'Don't you get it?' _She asks. _'You could somehow hack into the Fighters Association's files and create a record and license for yourself as who you are now.'_

_'That could work... I'm not anywhere as good as Zeke, but I might be able to...' _I tell her.

"So, when do we go to the party?" Todd asks.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-WHOO! Red and Todd met Joe! YUSH!<strong>

**Red: HE WAS SO EPIC.**

**Me: Yup! And I think you're right about his hair.**

**Red: Eh?**

**Me: About there being a lot of women wanting to run their finger through it while their lips are occupied.**

**Red:... I shall never understand what goes on in your mind.**

**Me: Good. You'll live longer.**

**Red: EH?**


	33. A CRAZY Party

**AN-WHOO! PARTY TIME! Unfortunately, Red and Todd aren't going to enjoy this. To Graywing44 and Corinster2, no spoilers. *trollface***

* * *

><p>Chapter Thirty-three- A CRAZY Party<p>

That night...

We put the skateboards and skate gear into my backpack, and walk up the front lawn to a nice mansion. We're wearing the outfits we wore yesterday night and the sunglasses since the dress code was labeled 'Cool'. Two jocks at the front doors ask me for the invitation, I show it to them, and they let us in. The second we step foot in the mansion, I wish we hadn't of come. I feel like the music is playing my head like a drum. The main room is huge and dark with bright crazy colored lights everywhere, and people are chatting, dancing, and... kissing?

_'I don't like the looks of this.' _I tell my vivosaurs.

_'Gee, I WONDER why.' _Air Strike tells me sarcastically.

_'You're not helping.' _I tell him.

"Hello!" I hear Nancy's voice say. We turn to see her and Ashleigh walking over to us in their cheer outfits. "I'm glad to see you-...Why is HE here?" Nancy asks pointing at Todd.

"The invite said 'Red and guest' and Todd is my guest." I tell her. She looks at Todd, then back at me like I'm crazy. "If you have a problem with my best friend, then you have a problem with me, and if you have a problem with me, I'm leaving." Nancy opens her mouth to say something when Ashleigh cuts her off.

"I think he's cute." She says looking at Todd. Todd and I look at her with 'Say what now?' looks on our faces, and Nancy looks at her with surprise. We all stand there looking at her, and she winks at Todd, who then edges behind me.

"They DO look cute..." Nancy says. Me and Todd look at her, and she stands there for a second. "We'll be right back." She says. She leads Ashleigh off and me and Todd stand there, unable to decide to be confused, worried, shocked or disgusted. I then suddenly notice something, look around at all the couples kissing, and something clicks in my mind. I grab Todd by his upper arm, not painfully though, and pull him up next to me.

"Todd, didn't you tell that the girl and boy in that couple said they thought the other was cute?" I ask him.

"Yeah..." He says.

"And the same thing for that couple? And that couple? And THAT couple?" My voice is starting to shake.

"Yeah..." Todd says in a fearful voice.

"And for ALL the couples?"

"YEAH..." Todd says in a fearful, panicking voice.

"And if they just called US cute, then doesn't that mean..." We look at each other with horror.

"I'M OUTTA HERE!" Todd yells.

"I'M COMING WITH YOU!" I yell as we make a break for the door. Tow jocks stop us.

"Whoa, where are two going? Party's not over." One of them says.

"We, um... have... something really important we have to do!" Todd tells him panicking.

"It can wait." He tells him. They turn us around, and push us back into the crowd.

"NOW what do we do?" I ask.

"C'mon! We gotta think of something!"

"No, I have to think of something." I tell him. "This is my fault we're here and in this mess."

"What-? Your-? No, It's MY fault!" Todd tells me. "I wanted to come not you!"

"Well, I could have said something!"

"I know, but you didn't want to let me down so it's MY fault!"

"Okay, okay! It's BOTH our fault! Now we NEED a plan!"

"We're back!" Ashleigh says in her painful to listen to voice as she and Nancy walk over to us. I notice that they both have on lip gloss now.

_I was right... _I mentally groan.

"Come on!" Nancy says taking my hand.

It burns.

And NOT in the good way.

I think back to all the times Rosie held my hands, and I suddenly plant my feet and refuse to take another step. I won't let her take me anywhere. I love Rosie, not her. "C'mon!" Nancy says. I don't move, and instead yank my hand away, and pull Todd away from Ashleigh.

"No." I tell them in a tone that is so dead-serious, I never thought I would use it. Nancy and Ashleigh begin to object, when a bright white light shines down on the four of us.

"Oh great." Nancy moans. Everyone pushes the four of us up to a platform, and someone hands us some microphones.

"What?" Todd asks.

"We have to sing." Ashleigh explains. She and Nancy go up onto the platform, and start singing. I tune them out, and try to think of a plan. Me and Todd keep thinking, and I suddenly get pushed up onto the platform and realize I have to sing by myself.

_What? _I wonder _How did I get mixed up in this craziness? Okay... what do I sing? _I try to think of something, but I can only think of Rosie, which makes the ache in me unbearable.

It hits me, and I start to sing.

"I just want you to know,

That I'm sorry.

I didn't want to leave.

But I had to flee.

I just want you to know,

That I'll never forget you.

And no matter what I do,

No matter where I go,

I just want you to know,

That you're still the most important person in the world to me.

And that when I left,

I left behind something I just can't live without,

I left behind my heart.

And now inside of me,

Is just a aching void that can't be filled.

I just want you to know,

That I'm sorry.

I didn't want to leave,

But I had to flee.

But I never got the chance to tell you how much you mean to me,

So now I'm just a knot of anger,

Because I couldn't stay with you.

I just want you to know,

That I'll never forget you,

And no matter what I do,

No matter where I go,

I just want you to know,

That you're still the most important person in the world to me.

And that when I left,

I left behind something I can't live without,

I left behind my heart.

And now inside of me,

Is just a aching void that can't be filled.

You're the most extraordinary person I've ever met in my entire life,

And I would have stayed and made you my wife.

When we got old enough of course.

But now I'm filled with remorse.

Because I had to leave without you.

Now I'm just a small-town boy,

Living in his own world of adventure,

Because I can't remember how I used to feel,

Since I left my heart with you.

I'll never be the same until I see you again.

And now I'm sure to wager,

That now I'm just a knot of anger,

Because I couldn't get the chance,

To tell you how much you mean to me.

And I promise you I'll see you again,

Even if it's the last thing that I do,

There's nothing that will stop me,

Because I didn't get the chance to tell you,

That I love you."

After the last word, I let my head hang, and the crowd goes crazy. Todd gets pushed up on stage, and he looks panic stricken. "Need help?" I ask. He quickly nods, and I get an idea. "Follow my lead." I tell him along with the lyrics. He nods, we get ready, and start singing.

"Do you see this guy standing right here beside me?

Well he's my best friend and that's how it'll be,

Until the very end.

Now he not the smartest,

He's not the strongest,

He's not the best looking,

Or great at everything,

But he's my best friend,

Until the very end.

He'll always be there when I need him,

Because he's got my trust,

Because he's my best friend in the whole world.

He's not the most popular,

He's not the richest,

He's not the most amazing person,

But he's my best friend,

Until the very end.

He's a pretty cool guy,

And if you don't know why,

Then open your eyes,

'Cause he never lies,

Because he's my best friend in the whole world.

Now we're not perfect,

But we've got each other's respect.

And always manage to get out of trouble,

Because we always run on the double.

There's nothing in the world that'll destroy the friendship we've made,

Because we're best friends,

Until the very end.

Me and this guy right here,

Want you to hear,

That no matter what happens,

We'll be best friends,

Until the very end.

There's no one else in the entire world,

That could be my friend like he is,

Because we're the perfect duo,

And we know,

That we're best friends,

Until the very end."

When we finish, the crowd goes wild, and me and Todd try to get away, only to get caught by Nancy and Ashleigh. _Whoever is in charge up there, please help us. _They take us out to the back yard, and onto a wide rope bridge right over a small river. The water is probably three feet deep.

"It's nice out tonight, huh?" Ashleigh asks Todd with a flirty tone. Todd leans away from her. I look up at the sky, and see the stars. I have another flashback...

_So... Rosie how are you? That's good. I like your hair... No... that's not it. So... Rosie, what's up? Beautiful night huh?... What am I? Crazy? Hey Rosie, you know the stars in the sky remind me of your eyes... WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? ARGH! Why can't I think of how to talk to her? Okay... just keep it cool. _I look around the park, then push my way through the cluster of trees.

I see her standing there, four feet away from the lamp post on the side without the dock, standing up straight with her hands on the railing, wearing a pure white hoodie. I gulp, take a deep breath, exhale, and walk over to her. I stop about five feet away when she turns and sees me. She walks forward from where she is, putting three feet of space between us.

"Thanks for coming Red." Rosie tells me. "Um, well... the reason I asked you here tonight Red is because I wanted to thank you properly." We stand there for a second, watching each other. She looks out into the distance. I just keep standing there, watching her. The warm feeling from earlier comes back.

Right now, everything is almost perfect.

The Moon is full and reflecting off the crystal ocean, the stars create a sea of diamonds above us, the breeze carries a tropical smell and gentle tugs at my hair, and I hear the sound of the ocean waves and the rustle of palm trees. Rosie looks out at the ocean, then turns her back to me, stands there for a second then quickly spins around to face me.

"Thank you for coming to save from the BB Bandits today." She says. "I was trying to sound tough, like I wasn't scared... But I was. I was more scared than I've ever been. When you showed up, I was so relieved to see you see you Red... I can't even say..."

"Uh... I..." _ARGH! QUIT ACTTING SUPID AND SAY SOMETHING! _I yell at myself. "W-well nobody's kidnapping you on watch!" _FAIL. _Rosie smiles, and the whole place seems to light up.

"But really, thank you." She says. "Thank you so much." We stand there and look at each other straight in the eyes.

_She looks so pretty beneath the stars... ... WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? _I think. We both turn and look out to sea.

"It's funny when I think about it Red..." Rosie says. "You've helped me so many times now... You helped me get back my Dino Medals when they were stolen. You worked hard to help me when I had that annoying spell cast on me. And just when I thought I was gonna get eaten by those Denture Sharks, you saved me Red." She walks up to the railing. "With all the trouble I've caused you... You must really hate my guts by now, huh?" I look at the back of her head.

_Of everything I can't understand and can't answer, I somehow know the true answer to that question. _I think."No, I don't hate you Rosie." She jumps with surprise and gets back where she was, right in front of me, three feet away.

"Really? Honestly, you don't hate me? I'm so relieved!" She tells me, relieved. I smile shyly. "I was sure you hated my guts. I don't know what I would've done if you hated me Red." She looks out to sea, smiling. "Wait..." She looks back at me. "If you don't hate me after all I've put you through..." She circles me, and only my eyes move. She stops in front of me, smiling. She suddenly takes a step forward and points her finger accusingly, making me jump and take a step back. "Red, you like me a little bit don't you?"

"I-uh-well-I-um...!" I feel a light blush cross my face.

"But that's so great!" Rosie says. "I...I like you too Red!"

_She... she... l-l-likes me? _I wonder. She takes a step back.

"Ha ha! I'm just joking!" She says. "C'mon, have a sense of humor!" She walks back over to the railing and I feel my face get hot.

_NO NO NO! GO AWAY! _I quickly put my cool gloves against my face and make the blush disappear. I walk over to the railing, in between her and the lamp post.

"One thing's for sure Red, life's never dull with you!" Rosie tells me.

"Well, you're the one who started me on this adventure." I tell her. "If you hadn't of lost your medals, well, who knows what would have happened." She smiles.

"Well, I better get going now." She says taking a step back. "Grandpa will get upset with me if I'm out to late. See you tomorrow." She turns and walks out the break, and I turn and look back out to sea. "Oh, one more thing." I turn to see her walking back through the gap. She walks straight towards me, and filled with sudden shyness, I take a step backwards to run right into the lamp post. I look at it then turn my head back to see she's right in front of me, with only three inches between our faces. "This is to thank you for today."

_Uh..._

She leans forward,

And kisses me on the right side of my face.

My face turns fiery red,

And I feel like a show of fireworks went off inside me.

"Good night Red." Rosie tells me. She walks back through the gap, and I just stand there, my mouth slightly ajar, and staring straight forward at a tree.

_She..._

_She..._

_Just..._

_K-k-kissed..._

_M-me..._

_KISSED ME._

I blink, and realize my breathing has grown haggard, and that tears are in my eyes. I don't try to force it back. I miss her.

"You have strong arms." Nancy says hugging my arm. I yank it away. I don't like her one bit. "C'mon... Don't be shy..." I look at Todd to see he's leaning away for Ashleigh with a 'do NOT want' look on his face, while Ashleigh is leaning towards him, trying to kiss him. My face gets hard, and I feel determination fill me.

_She IS NOT going to take his first kiss from him. _I think. _I know Todd doesn't want her to, and he wants to kiss the girl HE likes._ I look at Nancy to see she's leaning towards me, eyes closed and lips puckered. I get a look of disgust, and take a silent step back. I wrap my fingers around Todd's upper arm, and lead him quickly and quietly down the bridge and onto land. I look back at them to see they're still leaning in, waiting to be kissed with their eyes closed.

Me and Todd look at each other with 'seriously?' looks, then start to leave when I get an idea. I whisper it in Todd's ear, and he smiles and nods. We quickly start untying the ropes that hold up the bridge. They open their eyes and turn to see us untying the ropes right before the bridge falls into the water. They scream, and we hear some jocks coming.

"I'M OUTTA HERE!" Todd yells.

"I'M COMING WITH YOU!" I yell as we run as fast as our legs can carry us towards the brick wall that surrounds the yard. We jump over it, tear out the skate boards, throw them down and skate as fast as we can back to the cabin.

When we get to it, we charge inside, slam the door, lock it, and lean against it panting. "How come... whenever we... go somewhere..." I pant. "This is how... we come into... the cabin?" Todd shakes his head.

"I... don't know." He pants. We stand there for a bit, and go up to the bed room. I strip down to my boxers, and Todd changes into his light green pajamas that has a short sleeved button-up shirt with white around the collar and near the ends of the sleeves. The bottoms are light green as well, and are shorts with white near the edge of the pants leg. I'm surprised when he gets into his hammock with his helmet on, and gets under the blanket. I get into my hammock, pull the blanket up to my chest and roll on my side.

A few minutes later...

"Red!" Someone whispers.

"Hmmm?" I open an eye. _Come on... I was having a nice dream... of Rosie..._

"Red!" Todd whispers. I roll over to face him to see he's hugging Stanly and sitting on top of his blanket.

"Yeah?" I ask sleepily.

"I'm scared."

"...Eh?"

"I know... but I can't sleep."

"Why are you scared?"

"...I'm worried Nancy and Ashleigh are gonna break in here with a bunch of muscular guys that are gonna hold us down until we kiss Nancy and Ashleigh."

"..." I'm trying not to laugh. "Todd...?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry, but..." I burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, but think about what you just said!" I laugh.

"..." Todd sits there for a second, then bursts out laughing. We sit there and laugh. "It DOES sound crazy!"

"Yeah dawg..." I laugh. We manage to stop laughing after a bit. "...Now I'M worried they're going to do that." I tell him. I'm not joking either.

"...Dude...?"

"...Yeah...?"

"..." Todd hugs Stanly, and crawls into my hammock.

"..."

"...Please...?"

"...You stay on your side." I tell him shrugging. He laughs quietly, and I roll over on my side, and drift back into my dream of Rosie.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-WOO! Got this Chapter done and can work on the next!<strong>

**Red: What happens in that one?**

**Me: No spoilers.**

**Red: (-_-t)**

**Me: Face palm. Lawlz. **


	34. Waiting and Hacking

**AN- OKAY! I would like to give a HUGE shout out to my friend Ben and Pokemonlover417 for helping me out with getting a Shanshan! If you leave a comment, please thank them for helping me. Corinster2, yes. It was a weird chapter. I just came up with it and figured why not, and yes. They are having some crazy adventures. Ninja of Night, NOOOOOOO! THAT HORSE IS EVIL! It's an un-awesome demon that has come to destroy everything awesome... Sorry about the hat and all the singing. I just really wanted Red to sing that song.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Thirty-four- Waiting and Hacking<p>

I become aware of the fact that I'm hugging my pillow. The sun falls on my face, warming it. I smile, hug my pillow a bit more and... it curls up against me? My face gets a confused look, and I crack open my eyes, and look to see I'm hugging a confused Todd. We look at each other and our brains process what's happening.

"GAH!" We both exclaim as we fall out of the hammock on opposite sides. We look at each other with wide eyes, and a freaked-outlooks on our faces. We sit in silence for a second, and I point at Todd.

"That never happened." I tell him.

"Done." He says. We stand up, stand there for a second, then start getting ready. I go into the bathroom and shower while Todd uses the other bathroom, we get dressed and go down stairs. I make bacon and scrambled eggs for breakfast, and we sit in silence at the table. I finish eating, and we sit there in silence.

"...I don't think we should tell anyone about this weekend." I tell Todd who gives me a confused look.

"What?" He asks.

"Well,... think about it." I tell him. "Would anyone believe the stuff we did? And if they did, then we would probably get into a lot of trouble." Todd thinks about it.

"Okay. I won't tell anyone if you don't tell."

Later...

After Todd heads home, I head to the library and get onto a computer. I start to find ways to get to the Fighters Association files, and head home after an unsuccessful day. The next day, I stop by Todd's house to find out he's going to Vivosaur Island to go through his primaries. I get sad, and when he asks me if I'm going, I tell him I can't.

"Why not?" He asks. "Were wingmen! We stick together no matter what!"

"I know, it's just..." I sigh. "I've... been to Vivosaur..."

"YOU HAVE?"

"Yes... My visit... it... wasn't my best. I have bad memories..."

"Oh... okay..."

"But don't worry. I'll be waiting for you to come back. Don't let me not being there stop you from having fun."

"But..."

"I want you to enjoy yourself there. Fight as hard as you can, and don't let ANYONE there get ya down. Okay?"

"I won't let you down Red!"

"Yeah dawg!"

I keep on trying to find a way into the files, and I eventually find one. I write it down, and head to the small airport and see Todd off that Friday. I wave to him, and he waves back as he boards the plane. I look at his parents to see them happy, sad, and worried as the plane takes off. The next few days are all the same. Hacking, waiting, and talking to Todd on the phone some. He's staying in the same room I did at the hotel.

I finally manage to create a file for myself Wednesday, and make it to where I've gone through the primaries. I'll have to fight my way back through the ranks, but I don't care really. I go back to the airport that Friday, and Todd's plane comes in. His parents are excited to see him stepping off the plane.

"TODD!" I yell running towards him.

"RED!" He calls. I run straight to him, and tackle him. We laugh, get up and hug. "Oh MAN I missed you!"

"I know! I had no one to misadventure with!" I tell him. He laughs, and his parents hug him, welcoming him home. I stand there with a faint smile on my face, and remember my parents. How they always were waiting for me when I got home from somewhere. It makes me sad. It makes me feel terrible. My parents love me, and yet I ran away. It makes me wonder if they've been blaming themselves for it.

The next day...

We sit down in front of the TV in the cabin living room. "So, what did you want to show me?" Todd asks.

"You'll see." I tell him as I turn the TV on. A nice room appears on screen, with a desk and chair a couple feet away both facing inward to the screen behind the desk is a woman with light brown skin, short black hair, dark brown eyes, and a gray business suit.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen." She says. "For tonight's interview, we have a very special guest for all of you. Please welcome, Joe Wildwest!" The audience cheers, and Joe walks out on screen, and sits in the chair next to the desk.

"NO. WAY." Todd tells me.

"YES way!" I tell him.

"So miss, what do you want to know?" Joe asks.

"Your phone number." She tell him. The audience laughs, and Joe sits there for a second with a blank look before face palming. "I'll take that as a no..."

"Ya think?" I ask.

"But anyways..." The woman says. They start the interview, and after a bit, she asks him if he's going to any fossil parks anytime soon.

"Actually, I'll be movin' on to one." He says. The woman gets a confused look, and I hear confused murmurs among the audience. "Ya see, I've been keepin' this quiet as a surprise to all the Fossil Fighters out there, but..." He looks at the camera. "I'm openin' my own fossil park where Fighters from all around the world are free to come and battle as they please." Mine and Todd's jaws drop. "So, I'm pleased to announce that in one week, the Caliosteo Fossil Park is gonna be opened! And with it, a competition called the Caliosteo Cup! Any Fighters out there are welcome to enter to win the prize!" Me and Todd sit there in utter shock, then slowly turn our heads to look at each other.

"WE ARE SO GOING THERE AND ENTERING THAT CUP!" I yell as I shake Todd by his shoulders.

"I have to get permission from my parents!" He tells me. I grab his hand, burst out the door and race down to Todd's house as he half runs half slides behind me. I run up to Todd's house, calmly knock on the door, and Todd stands up. I let go of his hand, and the door opens.

"Good afternoon Mrs. Monte." I say politely.

"Hello Red!" She says cheerfully.

"Mom, I was wondering..." Todd says. She looks at him.

"COULD I PLEASE GO WITH RED TO FIGHT IN THE CALIOSTEO CUP? PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESAE?" He asks hugging her.

"..." Mrs. Monte blinks in surprise. "It's okay with me Todd, but you'll have to ask your father..." Todd dashes past her, and about a minute later, he reappears.

"PACK YOUR BAGS RED! WE'RE GOING TO CALIOSTEO!" He tells me.

"OH YEAH!" I yell jumping for joy. I run into town, buy a black duffle bag with gray straps, and run back to the cabin. I begin packing all my clothes, and other stuff that belongs to me.

The next few days, me and Todd are so excited about going to Caliosteo, I'm surprised that we haven't popped yet. It's all we ever talk about. That Wednesday, I get up, get dressed, eat a quick breakfast, and get my stuff. I put everything in the cabin back like how it was, and I look around the main room once more before I walk out onto the porch, and close the door, locking it. _I'm going to miss this place. _I think. I walk down the porch, and onto the dirt road towards town with my pouch on my hip, my backpack hanging from my shoulders, and my duffle bag strap around my neck and right shoulder. As I walk down the road, I look back at the cabin on more time, and in the window of the room where I slept...

I think I see a figure of a person watching me.

A few minutes later...

I put my duffle bag and backpack on the coveter belt to be stored onto the plane, then head to the waiting area, where Todd's parents are saying one last goodbye to him. I feel sadness ebb into me as my parents enter the front of my mind. Our flight is called, I tell Todd's parents goodbye, and me and Todd board the plane. We sit in our seats, buckle our seat belts, and I rest my head on the head rest, and look out the window.

"I still can't believe it..." Todd says. I look at him to see he's looking at the ceiling with a faint smile. "we're going to the Caliosteo Fossil Park, and we're going to fight in Joe's own tournament."

"Yeah dawg..." I look at the ceiling with the same expression on my face.

_'You've come a long way Red.' _Air Strike tells me.

The plane takes off, and flies all day. Me and Todd talk a bit, but mostly stare at the ceiling, wondering what we'll find at the Caliosteo Islands. When it gets late, I drift to sleep into a dream where I'm on the back of a flying vivosaur, cutting through silver clouds in the velvet night with Rosie.

I wake up to see dawn's first ray color the sky brilliant colors, and I doze for the rest of the morning. Our plane lands, we get our stuff and some sub sandwiches for lunch, then head to another part of the airport where a helicopter is waiting for us.

It's white on top with a black bottom and runners, has blue blades, one-way light blue windows with blue frames, a sandy-tan rock painted on it with a yellow 'K', and a blue sliding door with the same one-way window on it. We store our stuff away on it, climb in, and sit down. We strap ourselves in, and the blades on top of the helicopter blare to life, and I feel the helicopter lift off the ground.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-WHOOOOOOOOOO! RED AND TODD ARE GOIN' TO CALIOSTEO! WHOO-HOO!<strong>

**Red: I'M SO EXCITED!**

**Air Strike: YES! It's going to feel SO GOOD to fight again!**

**Cloud Cover: YES! The sound of the crowd cheering us on!**

**Flamethrower: And not to mention the feeling of a fair win after a good, hard battle.**

**Me: Whelp, YOU GUYS ARE GONNA FEEL IT!... Next chapter.**

**All: *GROAN!***


	35. The Caliosteo Islands

**AN- OH YEAH! Welcome to the CALIOSTEO FOSSIL PARK! WHOO-HOO! Sorry about postponing this chapter. I've been having a motivation block and-**

**Red: JUST TYPE THE STORY!**

**Me: O_O ...GEEZ! No need to be so harsh...**

**Red: TYPE ALREADY!**

**Me: Give me that tone again and I shall not type.**

**Red: NOOOOOOOOO! *despair* **

**Me: *snicker* You make that too much fun. Sorry 'bout long AN everyone! On with the story!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Thirty-five- The Caliosteo Islands<p>

Me and Todd sit in the helicopter as it flies over the crystal ocean. We're so excited, I'm surprised that we haven't popped yet. I look out the window, and you can see the brightly colored coral reefs. "Oh man, I think I'm going to explode!" I tell Todd.

"No!" Todd tells me. "Don't explode! I wouldn't be the same without you!"

"Then I shall not explode..." I tell him. "I shall LIVE!" We laugh.

"Yeah!" He laughs. "But still! I can't believe it's finally gonna happen Red! My heart's beating like a jackhammer!"

"I know!" I tell him in a giddy tone. "We're gonna be in the Caliosteo Cup!"

"Yeeeeeeah!" He says in a high-pitched tone of excitement. "All the cool Fighters just call it the Cup for short."

"Then I guess we better call it that!" We laugh.

_'You two are excited, eh?' _Air Strike asks.

_'You're excited too!' _I tell him. _'Don't try to hide it!'_

_'I AM excited, but... not... like... oh who am I kidding?' _He asks. _'I'M SUPER ULTRA MEGA EXCITED!'_

_'He speaks for all of us!' _Cloud Cover tells me not trying to contain her excitement.

_'OH YEAH!' _Flamethrower yells. Which is strange since he's always been the quiet, level-headed, smart one.

"Joe would be amazed to know we're coming here, huh Red?" Todd asks me.

"Yeah dawg." I tell him. "But, he's gonna be even MORE amazed when we win that Cup!"

"Oh yeah!" Todd says. I smile, and look back out the window. I see an lush, green island on the horizon.

"There it is!" I exclaim. Todd cranes his neck to see past me. "There's the Caliosteo Islands! That's where the tournament is!"

"Oh man I can't wait!" Todd says bouncing in his seat.

A minute later...

_I wonder how cool I look... _I wonder as the helicopter descends towards the ground. I'm standing in the doorway with the sliding doors open, holding onto a handle on the ceiling with my right hand and my goggles over my eyes, looking at the town. It has buildings painted dull yellow, dark purple, dusty rose, teal, and sherbet green, with a square made from four fountains in the middle with a sandy-gold colored walkway going between them, and all around the place. The helicopter lands on the landing pad, and me and Todd grab our stuff and hop out. We look around at everything with amazement, and I can hardly wait to see what fossils and adventures await me here.

"Welcome to Caliosteo Fossil Park. A prehistoric world of dreams, dinosaurs, and adventure!" I hear a woman say. Me and Todd turn to see a young woman with light brown hair pulled into a high ponytail, blue visor with an aqua bill, white scarf, black gloves, white pants, light blue shoes, black shirt with sleeves that stop at the middle of her lower arms, a short sleeved shirt over it with aqua on the shoulders, at the bottom edge, and going down the middle with light blue on the sides and a blue belt with a blue pouch going around her waist. "The park was founded by none other than Joe Wildwest, the superstar Fossil Fighter." I notice she sighs a bit when she says Joe's name.

_Oh dino... _I think.

"It is composed of three islands: Ribular Island, Cranial Isle, and Ilium Island." She tells us. "Visitors are welcome to excavate and revive as many vivosaurs as they like, and of course there's plenty of Fossil Fighting to be done! But for now, please make yourselves at home in lush, green Ribular Town!"

"Thank you ma'am!" I tell her with a smile.

BING-BONG-BING!

"This is an important public-service announcement from Caliosteo Fossil Park. Registration for the Caliosteo Cup will be ending soon. Fossil Fighters who have not yet registered should enroll at the Fighter Station immediately." The announcer says.

BING-BONG-BING!

Me and Todd jump at the announcement. "GAH! They're gonna end registration!" Todd says. "Come on! We need to get to that Fighter Station right now!"

"Hmm? The Fighter Station? It's the building right behind us." The attendant tells us. We all turn to look at a large building made of sandy-brown bricks with a large arch where you enter, a small set of stairs leading up to it, a yellow arch above that with a bluish-purple wedge in it holding up two dull yellow, dusty red, bluish green and dark purple semi-circles with a giant red bird head with a dull yellow beak and dark purple eyes. On either side of the set of stairs are two palm trees. "The Fighter Station is an integrated facility serving all of your Fossil Fighter needs. It has a Cleaning Room for fossils and is also home to a Fossil Stadium where Fossil Battles are held."

"Come oooooon!" Todd says tugging at my duffle bag. "Let's stop standing around and go register already!"

"Yeah dawg!" I say as we run towards the Fighter Station. We keep running, and I notice we're not moving. We stop, and look over our shoulders to see the attendant is holding us back by our collars. "Yes ma'am?" I ask. She lets go of our shirts.

"You can leave your things here. They will be taken to the Fighter's camp by some staff members." She tells us. She then gives me a key with a blue T-Rex shaped chain to it, and she give Todd one with a green Stego shaped chain. They each have the same number, "105" on them. "These are the keys to your place."

"Thank you ma'am." Todd tells her. We put our duffle bags down, then run into the Fighter Station. We come into a huge room with a balcony across the back wall with two staircases against the left and right walls, a long desk against the back wall, two small wings on the left and right with doors against their back walls. The floor is made of light teal floor tiles, the walls are dusty rose, the staircases have short pinkish-red railing, yellow stairs, the desk is yellow and dusty red, there's green baseboards that go around the room, a lavender rug in the middle of the room with purple on the edge, three long, dark aqua and purple sofas on it around a pot of planted trees, in the corners of the room are more potted palm trees, and the wall behind the desk is made of brown-gold bricks.

Me and Todd run over to the receptionist behind the desk. She has light brown hair pulled into a high ponytail, dusty red visor, dirt brown scarf, red pants, dark red shirt, dark red gloves, red and dark red over shirt, and a red belt and pouch. "Hello and welcome!" She tells us with a smile. "I take you want to enter the Caliosteo Cup?"

"Yes ma'am!" We tell her.

"In that case, may I please have your name?"

"Red Hart Broke." I tell her.

"Todd Calvin Monte." Todd tells her. She types something in on her computer.

"Thank you very much." She tells us. "Your qualification through the preliminaries has been confirmed. May I see your Fighter's Licenses?" Me and Todd look at each other in confusion, then hand her our licenses. I was able to change mine, so my current picture is on it and it says I'm a Level 1 fighter. She takes them, inserts them into a device behind the desk, then hands us two strange objects.

"WHOA." I say. It has two blue corners, the upper left and lower right, then a holographic screen. It has our picture, Fighter Level, name, progress to next Fighter Level, and current vivosaur team.

"These are the new licenses." She tells us. "You will be informed of when you level up if you're out somewhere and we can't get to you right away, so it automatically changes."

"COOOOOOOOOL." Todd says as we stare at our new licenses.

"Someone will be along shortly to instruct you on our rules and facilities." The receptionist tells us. As if on cue, a young woman walks out of the dusty red door on the left side of the desk, and I notice the doors are automatic. She has very light brown curly hair tied into a low ponytail that hangs over her right shoulder and two locks of hair cup her face. She has an aqua and white visor, green scarf, black shirt and gloves, yellow and aqua over shirt, aqua pants, green belt and pouch, and yellow shoes.

"Hey there!" She calls. "I'm Stella. I'm the Staff leader here on Ribular Island." She walks over to us. "You guys made it just in time! But since you did, I'm going to start the tour in the most important place." She walks past us, then looks back at us. "Right this way please."

"The most important place?" Todd whispers to me. I look at him. "What do you thing that is?"

"I don't know." I tell him. "Let's go find out!" We follow Stella through the door on the right, and we come into a room with green, light green, sherbet green floor, light teal walls, a large book shelf in the lower left corner with a crate of fossils near it, and some high-tech looking equipment.

"Welcome to the most important place for Fighters: the Cleaning Room!" Stella tells us. We look at the Cleaning Grids and Revival Chambers. "These are the Cleaning Grids. You carve fossils out of their rocky prisons in those." Stella says pointing at the grids. Then points at the Revival Chamber. "And then this machine revives vivosaurs from the fossils."

_Wow... This stuff is higher tech than what I used on vivosaur. _I think.

"That's some pretty high-tech stuff!" Todd tells her.

_'Did he read your mind?' _Air Strike asks.

_'I don't know...' _I tell him. _'Flamethrower, is that possible?'_

_'Hmmmm... Well, you would have to find some way to change the brain wave to a sound wave... then of course he would have to be able to detect the brain wave...' _He tells me.

_'...' _None of us says anything for a second.

_'HOW DO YOU KNOW ALL THIS?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'...I'm not sure...' _He tells her.

"Yes, we try to stay up to date." Stella tells Todd. "As such, these machines may be a bit different from what you're used to. I'll explain how to operate them now, so please pay attention." She begins telling us how to work the stuff, but I only act like I'm paying attention. I already know how to do all of this. She lets us give cleaning a fossil rock a try, and I get a one hundred on it without even noticing.

_'I think you're getting TOO good at this...' _Cloud Cover tells me.

_'I think you're right...' _I tell her.

"A smashing success!" Stella exclaims. "Frankly, I don't even know why I'm here. Keep up the good work!" I look at Todd to see that he's happy, and that he got an eighty-two on his. My fossil is a Triceratops head, and Todd's is a Stego head. No wonder he was happy. "Excellent job you two! Now let's revive your fossils." We carry our fossils over to the Revival Chambers, carefully set them in, and Stella enter the revival commands, then hits the revive button. Sparks appear in the chamber, light appears around the fossil, and there's a flash of light. The front opens, and out steps a Tricera and Stego. Todd hugs his vivosaur and I gentle pat mine on its forehead.

_Tri Wave. _I think, naming him. The vivosaurs go into their medals, and I put mine in my pouch while Todd puts his in his pocket.

"Once revived, a vivosaur is contained in the form of a Dino Medal." Stella tells us. "So, there you are! Your own Dino Medals. If you want to practice cleaning before the opening ceremony, just talk to Greta over there." She says indicating to a staff member in a blue uniform and dark red hair. "She'll let you practice cleaning as often as you like. But just know that you can't revive a vivosaur from a practice fossil. Now, I'll explain the rules we use for Fossil Fighting. Let's head over to the Fossil Stadium." We follow her out of the room, and over to the door left of the desk. "The Fossil Stadium is through this door."

"Fossil Stadium!" Todd says excitedly. "I'm so excited I could puke!" I resist the urge to face palm. Stella looks at him.

"Uh...Yes..." She says. "Let's try not to do that. Our floors are very clean... Anyways, please follow me." We follow her through the door in to a room with light green walls, light green and green benches, potted plants in the corners, greenish floors, green lockers, and a green, neon green, and yellow door at the end, which undoubtedly leads out to the Battle Area. Standing in front of it is a staff member in a blue uniform, except his has boots instead of shoes, and spiked, dark red hair. "This is the Fossil Stadium's common room. Fighters entered in the cup will often gather here. When you get a notice on an upcoming match, be sure to come right away!" See looks at the staff member, and he smiles at me and Todd.

"Hiya!" He says. "I'm Devon Strait, and I'm here to get you familiar with all of the Cup's Fossil Fighting rules. First off, let me show you how a team is assembled for battle." I pay attention to see how this is done. "There are three vivosaurs that you take out with you are in the SZ and AZ. The front is the AZ, and the back is the SZ. The vivosaurs in the AZ get support on the ones from the SZ. There are two vivosaurs in the reserves, but they don't fight in the battles. You have two choices for your team's formation. The Jurassic Formation, two vivosaurs in the AZ, or the Cambrian Formation, two vivosaurs in the SZ."

_Cambrian? _I wonder. _That's when the first multi-cellular life appeared on earth... right? _I remember back to when I was in Mr. Richmond's office after me and Duna got off the Starship. McJunker said something like that.

"Now, I'll explain how an actual battle works." Devon says bring me back to reality. "I've got some demo teams, so let's go into Fossil Stadium."

"YES!" Todd says. "We finally get to go inside a Fossil Stadium!"

"Let's go!" I say with excitement. It's been too long since I've been in one. The door opens, Devon walks out into the Battle Area, followed by me and Todd. As I run through the door, I close my eyes, then open them back up to see I'm in Fossil Stadium on Vivosaur Island. The crowd is cheering for me, my team is out, Saurhead is ready to battle, and I'm ready to win.

"Red!" I hear Todd say. I snap out of it, to see I'm in a different Battle Area. There's bluish-purple stands, the entry way, and a frame work over the extreme right side. Above the entryway is another pair of semi-circles with the bird, but with two columns in front of it with fire on top of them. I look to see the two teams are out and ready to go.

"All right, let me show you how team battling works." Devon says. "The three closest to the enemy side are the Attack Zones. The three zones farthest away from the enemy side are the Support Zones. The team with the highest speed attacks first. Low-speed vivosaurs can be teamed up with high-speed vivosaurs to make up for that." He goes on about stuff that I already know, and my mind drifts to Rosie. I think about how I always saw her in the stands, cheering me on, and how I always did the same. I daydream about her, then come back to reality and hear Devon mention that if you rotate your team, it'll cost five FP. "Ok, that's it for the lecture. Class dismissed!"

We go back into the lobby with Stella and Devon. "One last thing to keep in mind..." Devon tells us. "If a Fighter lacks strategy or ability, victory will prove impossible. Remember that alright? Now get out there and show 'em what you're made of! Good luck!" He walks back to the Commons Room, and me and Todd turn to Stella.

"That's it for orientation you two." She tells us. "You're now officially entered in the Caliosteo Cup. Your opponents will be automatically chosen by the computer. Also, whenever you finish a Cup match, you'll be granted access to a new dig site. Wait, I almost forgot, I have your Paleopagers right here." She hands me an object almost as big as my hand, with a red pear shape being the center with two eyes, an orange-yellow spike coming out of the top, and a teal bandana on the bottom, and it's about half an inch thick. I turn it over to see a small circular screen on the main part, then a bunch on tiny holes under it where the sound comes from. Stella gives one to Todd as well, and I put mine in the side pocket of my backpack. "We send news and notices out to Paleopagers, via the Fossil Messaging Service or FMS."

BING-BONG-BING!

"This is an important public-service announcement from Caliosteo Fossil Park. The Caliosteo Cup opening ceremony will be kicking off shortly. All interested parties should meet in front of the Fighter Station." The announcer says.

BING-BONG-BING!

"Okay, that's my cue." Stella tells us. "Good luck you two!" She goes out the door, and me and Todd look at each other.

"I bet the opening ceremony is gonna be awesome." He tells me. "Maybe Joe will show up!"

"In that case, it's gonna be SUPER ULTRA awesome!" I tell him. "Let's go!" We run outside, to see a large gathering of Fighter already there. We make our way to the middle of the four fountains, and stand there, waiting and eager.

"I wish they would start already!" I hear a girl say.

"I've got the fever, and the only cure is more digging!" A teenager says.

"Ooooh! I'm excited!" A boy says. "What kind of battles do you think we'll see today?"

"Exciting ones!" I call, making several people laugh.

"Hey, look!" Todd says looking right and pointing. "Something's flying this way!" Everyone turns and looks.

_'Is that...'_

_'A FLYING GIANT TV?' _Air Strike exclaims finishing my question.

"It's the Mammoth Screen!" Someone yells. It flies in front of the square so everyone can see, and blocks out the sun, putting us in cool shade. It's about twenty feet tall, twenty five feet wide, has two helicopter blades coming off the top, three giant megaphones on the bottom, and is pure white. The screen turns on, and there stands Joe, smiling and microphone in hand.

"Welcome to the Caliosteo Fossil Park." He says. Just hearing his voice doubles my excitement. "The place where dreams are made! I'm the owner of this here Fossil Park. The name's Joe Wildwest." He says indicating to himself. As he does, I bounce with excitement. "Now you Fighter'll love it here. We got three islands to explore!" Me and Todd edge closer to each other as I raise my fist to my chest with determination and excitement with a smile of hope on my face while Todd smiles with eagerness. "Now, get ready fer a surprise! 'Cause I want y'all to know that the prize for the champion is..." Everyone leans forward.

_Is what? _I wonder. _A ride on Joe's Ptera with him? Heh... I bet some women here would LOVE that! _I hide a chuckle at the thought.

"The Cup champion will get my park!" Joe says. Everyone jumps and gasps. "You'll own 'er free an' clear!"

I'm the first one to go insane. I whoop and holler, jump up and down, clap my hands, and just go crazy. Everyone else goes nuts, and me and Todd are the loudest.

* * *

><p>Todd cheered like he never had before at the announcement. Joe went on to explain the rules, but people kept cheering. "Oh man I can't believe this!" Todd says excitedly. He looks down and holds his head with the tips of his fingers. "This is just...! It's too amazing for words!" He looks up. "What do you thi-... Red?" He looks around, to see Red is nowhere in sight. "Where'd he go?" He suddenly noticed people were yelling and pointing at the Mammoth Screen, and looked up at it, then almost falls over.<p>

There was Red, fifty feet in the air, standing on the edge of the Mammoth Screen, looking at Joe on the screen with his feet shoulder width apart, arms stretched out and hands against the screen.

* * *

><p>I stared at Joe image on the screen, my face covered with pure joy. I wanted to jump through and give Joe a death hug until he turned blue. <em>I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS... <em>I think. _The winner gets the ENTIRE FOSSIL PARK. This is PERFECT! I HAVE TO WIN THIS! _If I win, I can tell the world who I am, and I won't have to move back home since I'll have the Fossil Park to live in.

"RED!" I hear someone yell with shock and worry. I blink, my smile fades, and I turn to find out there's no ground beneath my foot. I fall, and grab a giant megaphone, which stops me. I look around to see I'm about fifty feet in the air, and I see Todd in the crowd waving his arms and calling my name. "How did you get up there?" He yells.

"...I don't know!" I yell back. "I just... got up here!" I notice an extremely tall palm tree, and start swinging myself back and forth. People worriedly talk amongst themselves about what I'm doing, and I let go of the megaphone, making me fly through the air. I grab the palm tree firmly, and my weight causes it to bend, safely lowering me to the middle of the square next to Todd. I look back at the screen, to see Joe is still talking.

"So let's get to battlin' folks..." Joe says. He points at the camera, and the brim of his hat covers his left eye. "The Caliosteo Cup and Caliosteo Fossil Park are now open!" Everyone goes insane, and fireworks shoot off over head in a brilliant display, and some of them are shaped like vivosaurs.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-OH YEAH! WHOO! I was SO EXCITED about the Mammoth Screen and announcement part that I could barely type!<strong>

**Red: YEAH DAWG! WHOO-HOO! I'm gonna win this, like a champion! WHOO! *claps hands***

**Me: Or ARE you?**

**Red: I AM AND DON'T YOU QUESTION IT!**

**Me: ._. Wow... You're really serious... LEAVE A REVIEW! And Red, think you're right about the riding on Ptera.**

**Red: What?**

**Me: About there being a lot of women who would love that.**

**Red:...Y U NO THINK LIKE NORMAL PERSON?**

**Me: Because that's not as much fun.**


	36. Snobs and Twists

**AN-YES! Another chapter for you guys to enjoy! Ninja of Night, I don't know why. The Lord just gave me the gift. Spoiler: A character you all know and love (and you might of wanted to punch in the face at one point) is coming into the story in this chapter!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Thirty-six- Snobs and Twists<p>

The Mammoth Screen flies away, and the crowd dies down. "Man, just seeing Joe's face on that awesome video display was so exciting!" Todd tells me.

"Yeah dawg! I'm surprised I didn't explode!" I tell him. Todd jumps with excitement.

"But seriously. The Cup's grand prize is this entire fossil park. My mind is completely blown here." Todd tells me.

"We ARE gonna win this!" I tell him.

"Yeah Red!" Todd says with agreement. "We have to win, no matter what!" We clasp hands.

"Hello Todd. Hello Red." We look to see Stella walking over to us. "The Cup is finally under way."

"Hey Stella!" Todd says as we turn to her.

"Why aren't you two off digging fossil rocks yet?" She asks. "You should've received a message on your Paleopagers by now." Me and Todd look at each other, then hear our Paleopagers start beeping. We take them out, and there's a picture of a staff member on the screen.

"The first dig site, Treasure Lake, is now open on Ribular Island." She says. "Treasure lake is ringed by thick woods, in the middle of which sits a lake. Fighters are urged to travel there and get ready for Round 1 of the Cup." The screen goes blank, and I put the pager back in the side pocket.

"Gah!" Todd exclaims. "We're really gonna do this!"

"Wait..." I say looking around. "Everyone's gone!"

"We just got here and we're behind already!" Todd says.

"Treasure Lake is through that walkway over there." Stella tells us pointing at a walk way to the lower right of the landing pad.

"C'mon!" Todd says. "Let's go before all the fossil rocks are gone!" He turns and bolts towards the walkway. I smile as I watch him run.

"You know, I'm actually shocked Joe would do something like that." Stella says. I turn towards her with confusion.

"Ma'am?" I ask.

"None of the staff knew he was putting the park as a prize..." Her shoulders slump some, she gets a sad look, and looks at the ground next to her. "Not even me..." She stands there.

_...Oh dino... _I think. _Why am I surprised she's in love with him?_

"But I suppose you have bigger things to worry about, huh?" She asks looking back at me and smiling. "Good luck with the Cup Red."

"Thanks Stella." I tell her with a smile. She walks back into the Fighter Station, and I head over to the walkway to see a Staff member standing in the middle of it, looking down it.

"...Oh no." She says. "He's gone already."

"Ma'am?" I ask. She turns and sees me.

"Wait! You haven't gotten your Fossil Sonar yet, have you?" She asks.

"No ma'am." I tell her.

"Well, you're not going to find any fossil rocks without it!" She hands me a sonar, and I put the strap around my neck and left shoulder.

"Thank you ma'am." I tell her.

"Your welcome." She says with a smile. "I tried to stop that boy who ran ahead of you, but he moved like his pants were on fire!" I smile awkwardly, and scratch the back of my head.

_That's Todd for you. _"Yeah... He can get excited..." I tell her.

"You know him?"

"He's my friend."

"Well that's convenient! Could you get this sonar to him?"

"Yes ma'am!" I tell her accepting the sonar. I continue down the walkway, then come to a large clearing. In front of me is a small field with some clusters of flowers, and a white fence along the edge, which drops off five feet into the lake. To the left is a decline that allows you access to the area around the lake, which is surprisingly shallow and has a giant rock carved into a T-Rex skull in the middle. I see Todd running around on the field, with a frantic look on his face.

"Stupid fossil rocks!" He says. "Come on! Where are you?" I stand there watching him, resisting the urge to face palm.

"Todd!" I call. He looks at me, and I jog over to him. "This might help." I tell him handing him the sonar.

"Oh..." He smiles awkwardly. "Heh heh... Thanks..." I pat his shoulder.

"Don't worry. Everyone's excited." I tell him. "Now let's find some fossils!"

"Yeah!" Todd says in agreement. We run off, eyes on our sonar, digging like maniacs. It reminds me of the first time I went to an actual dig site back on Vivosaur. I have a new pick now, though. The lower half of the handle is black, the top half is white, the head is dull yellow, with one tip being blue and the other tip red. I run towards one fossil, and I slam into someone, knocking the breath out of me.

"Oooohhhh..." I hear the person moan. My head pops up to see I'm on top of them.

"Sorry!" I tell them as I pull them to their feet. The boy, who's the same age as me, looks me in the eyes, and I flinch. He has angled, golden cat eyes, shoulder length silver hair that shines in the sun, bangs that cover his forehead, and his skin is a bit pale. He's wearing a royal red coat with a purple collar that covers the bottom half of his neck, a white line that starts at the middle of the bottom of the collar, goes down a bit and to the left, then centers back as it goes down to the edge of his coat, which also has white on it, and has a long tail that comes down to the middle of his lower leg, and the inside of it is purple with a white outline. The ends of the sleeves are purple, his shoulders are perfectly squared, and he's thin in the middle. He has black cut off gloves, white pants that poof out as they get closer to the knee, then comfortably hug his legs to where he still has room to move them, and the pants have thick red lines going down the front, then his boots are a brownish color, start below his knees, and look like something that a British official or royalty would wear.

It occurs to me that he might be of royal blood.

"Sorry! Sorry!" I tell him brushing some dirt of his shoulder. "I was just so excited about finding new fossils and the Cup that I wasn't paying any attention whatsoever to my surroundings, and-" I'm brushing some dirt off his sleeve when he suddenly yanks it away.

"Watch where you're going next time!" He snaps with a British accent. He fixes his collar as he walks away. "Idiot..." He mutters.

"I heard that!" I yell shaking my fist at him. _'That... That... THAT... THAT...!'_

_'Jerk?' _Air Strike asks.

_'Snob?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'Ignorant Brit?' _Flamethrower asks.

_'ALL THOSE!' _I tell them. _'... What's a Brit?'_

_'Brit is another word for British.' _He tells me.

_'Ah...' _I say. _'Well, forget him! He don't know nothin' 'bout me!' _I join up with Todd, and we keep digging. We go back to the Fighter Station after a bit, clean the fossils, and Todd heads back while I look at the new VMM. It's just like the one's on Vivosaur, except with green rather than blue. Stella brings in a cleaning robot similar to KL-33N, and tells me about donation points before I head back to Treasure Lake. As I walk onto the dig site, I see a group of Fighters crowded around something near the fence, and most of the group is squealing fan girls.

"Ooh, he SOOOOOO DREAMY!" One says.

"Yeah..." Another one sighs. "All mysterious and smoldering and stuff..."

"I want a lock of his hair!" One squeals.

_'...' _Me and my vivosaurs says nothing.

_'I shall never comprehend what goes on in a fan girl's mind...' _Flamethrower says.

_'Fan girls...' _I groan. _'The world would be such a nice place without them...' _I say as I walk towards the crowd.

"Well, shoot." I hear a boy say. "I didn't expect to see him in the Cup. This is gonna make it harder to win that's for sure."

_'Pffft.' _I say. _'We're gonna win this hands down.'_

_'Yeah dawg!' _Air Strike says.

_'HEY! That's MY line!' _I tell him. He snickers and I smile. I see Todd trying to see over some people's shoulders.

"Hey Todd!" I call waving. He turns and sees me, then runs over to me.

"Red! Did you hear?" He asks. "Rupert is entered in the Cup! That's right THE Rupert!"

"WHAT?" I exclaim. _'Who the vivosaur is Rupert?'_

_'Don't know.' _Cloud Cover tells me. _'Let's go find out!'_

"They're just about to start a TV interview with Rupert now." Todd tells me. "C'mon!" We rush over to the crowd, and find a spot where we can see. There's a camera man with black hair, blue baseball cap, gray T-shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes with a news camera on his shoulder. In front of him is a woman with short light brown hair, baby blue dress, and blue shoes. She lifts her mic to her lips, and the camera starts rolling.

"Good afternoon!" She says. "I'm Linda R. Porter, reporting for Caliosteo TV. With the Caliosteo Cup under way, we have an exclusive interview with one of the Fighters. The undefeated child prodigy is on a stunning run of victories across multiple Fossil Fighting tournaments. He's also the heir to a multinational corporation that makes a wide range of goods for Fighters. He's the prince of FossilDig Inc. and the talk of every Fighter in town! Ladies and gentlemen..." I look at the boy standing next her. He has a dull, bored look on his face, golden cat eyes and silver hair.

_HEY! Wait a minute! THAT GUY? _I think. _He's the British snob I slammed into! _

"Say hello to Rupert Regius!" Linda says. The Camera man zooms out to where they're both in the picture. "Rupert, let's get right down to it: Do you feel confident about winning the Caliosteo Cup?" She holds the mic out to him.

"Oh yes quite." He says in a smug voice while nodding. "There's little point in entering a competition if one does not expect to win."

"Spoken like a true champion." Linda says as she bring her mic back.

_Pfffft. _I think. _More like an over-confident jerk... So he's won some tournaments. Am I SUPPOSED to be impressed?_

"There is little doubt this young competitor has sipped oft from the cup of victory." Linda says. "Were any other Fighter were to say as much, we might accuse them of hubris. But from Rupert, it is fact."

"That's YOUR opinion!" I call. Everyone looks at me. "If you're so sure you can win something like how you've been doing, then why do it? To prove you can? You've already proved that!" Rupert glares at me. "If you're going to enter a Fossil Battle, you don't do it for fame, or glory, or the attention! You do it to have fun! That's what makes a Fossil Battle!" Everyone stands there looking at me, the fan girls whisper to each other, a man nods in agreement, a woman smiles, and Linda takes a step towards me when Rupert stops her.

"Ignore him." He tells her. "He's obviously just a normal Fighter that wants attention." I stand there watching him with a hard face. Linda looks at me, then turns back to the camera.

_Jerk... _I think. _If I was as rich as him, I could afford some manners. _I hide a smirk at the thought.

"Will this title come to him as have others? Or will a new hero emerge to challenge the boy genius?" Linda asks.

"New hero!" Someone yells. Everyone looks at Todd, who's standing right next to me.

"Excuse me?" Rupert asks.

"I'm not sure if I could, but I know Red can!" Todd says. Everyone looks at me.

"What do you have to say?" Linda asks rushing forward.

"Well..." I say. "Think about what you said: 'Will this title come to him as have others?' The way HOW you said that: 'Come to him', which implies that the victories weren't really earned. Victory doesn't come to you, you fight your way to it. If it just comes to you, what have you accomplished? If you fight for it, and get it, then that proves that you have what it takes, that you are stronger, faster, smarter and better prepared. Victory isn't a gift. It is a hard earned reward that only the best of the best can get." When I finish, the group bursts out into cheers, and the fan girls watch me with either interest or anger. I look at Rupert to see him giving me a death glare.

"One thing is clear: all eyes are on the Caliosteo Cup!" Linda says. "One more thing, we've been asked by the organizers to pass a message along to our viewers. Despite his fame, at the end of the day, Rupert is still a competitor entered in the Cup. Thought you may be smitten by his roughish charm," I resist the urge to laugh, and instead roll my eyes and let out an agitated sigh. "please do not mob him or try to steal locks of his hair. Any entrants found to be annoying Rupert in this manner may be subject to disqualification. And that's all we've got. For Caliosteo TV, this is Linda R. Porter saying good day and good fortune." The camera man stops filming, and he and Linda walk away. Rupert watches them go.

"...Idiocy." He mutters. He then turns and walks down to the lake. The crowd diffuses and me and Todd just stand there.

"I'd like to chase after Rupert and see if he's really everything they said he is!" Todd says. I get an idea.

"Hey, they said we couldn't annoy him, but they didn't say anything about challenging him to a Fossil Battle!" I tell him.

"Hey, yeah!" Todd says brightening. "Let's go!" We run down to the lake, then to a dirt area that juts out into the lake where Rupert is. He glares at me.

"Hey!" Todd tells him. "What say you and me have a good old-fashion Fossil Battle? You know that excited feeling you get when you meet a tough Fighter? Well, I have it! You like Fossil Battles, and you know that feeling! So let's have some fun!" Rupert rolls his eyes, shakes his head and sighs.

"PLEASE go amuse yourself elsewhere. I don't have time to waste on the likes of you." He says in a flat, bored tone. "'Let's have fun'? 'Excited feeling'? Such disgusting treacle is enough to make my porridge come up! Frankly I ABHOR having to associate with Fighters such as yourself. If you wish to face me in a Fossil Battle, you must win your way to my standing in the tournament. Of course, there's no way of that happening. Now run along and take your sad vivosaurs with you." Me and Todd get mad.

"WHAT?" Todd exclaims. "How dare you! You don't have any idea how talented I am!" I'm resisting the urge to strangle Rupert. "I think your just a chicken! BAAAAWK! BAWK BAWK!" He jumps up and down flapping his arms, while Rupert watches him with irritation.

"BAWK BAWK BAWK!" I say as start doing the same thing. Rupert takes a deep breath through his nose and his right eye lid twitches as we keep on.

"FINE!" He tells us, causing us to stop. "You demand satisfaction do you? Very well. If it will keep you from stalking me in the future..."

_Heh. Stalking stalker Todd is stalking Rupert. _I think.

"Once I show you what a TRUE Fossil Battle is like, you can run home and tell Mummy all about it." He takes out two Dino Medals, one earth, one water, and calls out two vivosaurs I've never seen before. The earth one, a Raja, is brown with black on his upper lip, is built like a T-Rex, has a lighter brown under side, a dirt yellow horn on his fore head with spike behind it, dirt yellow claws, red around his neck, between his arms, and on his back, white going from his forehead to the tip of his tail, and snow white teeth. The water one, a Mapo, is a silvery-gray, built like a T-Rex, has a horn on the top of his head, and two smaller ones around his eyes, which are red. His teeth are pink, his claws are gray, and he has gray streaked on him.

Todd calls out his Stego, and the battle starts. Rupert gets the first move, but passes making it Todd's turn. "Stego, Spike Tail on Raja!" Stego attacks, but misses.

"Pathetic..." Rupert mutters. "Raja, Raja Fang on Stego." Raja attacks doing one hundred fifty-nine damage, making Stego go into his medal. Todd catches his medal, and takes a step back as Rupert catches his medals.

"I lost..." Todd says. "I lost a LOT."

"Truly pathetic." Rupert says. "Are you even paying attention to the elemental type of your vivosaurs?"

"...Elemental type?" Todd asks.

"This is indeed sad." Rupert tells him.

_'RARGH! LET ME AT HIM! I'M JUST GONNA BEAT THE SNOT OUTTA HIM!' _I yell at Flamethrower who set up a voluntary movement blockage in my brain, making me stuck standing there.

"To think that a fighter who knows nothing about elemental types..." Rupert says. "Oh, very well. Pay attention!" He goes onto explain elemental and range, while me and my vivosaur have a mental argument.

_'OKAY! If a JUST challenge him to a battle and let you guys cream his vivosaurs, THEN WILL YOU PLEASE GET RID OF THIS BLOCKAGE? My eyes are drying out for fossil's sake!' _I ask. I feel Flamethrower remove the blockage.

"Not that any of this matters." Rupert tells Todd when he finishes his lecture. "I still would have crushed you in the end." I step forward.

"You can't talk to my friend that way you jerk." I say coldly as I pull out my team.

"What is this nonsense?" Rupert asks annoyed. "Must I truly battle EVERY slack-jawed yokel who slinks into view?"

"Listen PAL," I hiss. "I don't know WHAT your problem is, but if you think I'm going to let you insult my friend and get away with it, then you're as right as my left hand."

"Enough!" Rupert snaps. "I'll not spend one more second on this madness! I say good day sir!" He turns, and walks back towards town, and I watch him with an angry glare.

_Why that little JERK! I oughtta- _

"AAAAAARRRRGGGGHHH!" Todd yells. I look at him to see him grabbing his head with frustration. "I've lost plenty of times, but I've never been this angry about it!" He looks at me. "That's it Red! We HAVE to win our way through the Cup together! We HAVE to take down that Rupert jerk, no matter what!"

"Yeah dawg!" I say in agreement. "NOBODY talks to us that way!" We clasp hands.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

We take out our Paleopagers, and there's a picture of a staff member on the screen. "Round 1 of the Caliosteo Cup will now begin. Todd's opponent will be Red." We jump and look at each other with 'WHAT?' looks on our faces. "Prepare yourselves before checking in at Ribular Town's Fossil Stadium." The message ends, we put them away, and look at each other.

"Wow." Todd says. "So you're my Round 1 opponent?"

"Boo man." I say. "I was hoping we'd fight each other in the finals." We stand there for a second, then Todd whirls around and angrily kicks a rock, making it fly into the woods.

"Stupid computer!" He says as he kicks it. I frown, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, kicking rocks isn't going to change anything." I tell him in a comforting tone. He looks at me. "Look at it this way, we've always wanted to fight each other in a Fossil Battle, and now we can. And, whoever wins will have twice the reason to fight." Todd smiles.

"You're right..." He says. "We'll have to fight as hard as we can. Until our Round 1 match is done, I'm going to think of you as my enemy! I'm going to Fossil Battle you hard! I mean. CRAZY hard!"

"Yeah dawg!" I say in agreement. "We shall see who is the victor!" I say running my index finger and thumb down the sides of my chin.

"OH! You think that you shall beat me?" Todd says doing the same thing.

"Yes! Yes I do!" I say with a fake French accent.

"Oh ho, ho! Zat is where you are wrong monsieur!" Todd tells me with the same fake accent. "For it is I that shall win!"

"Then we shall see monsieur!" I say. We both then burst out laughing. "To any French people reading this, Magma means no disrespect whatsoever."

"Who are you talking to?" Todd asks me.

"To the readers!"

"REEED! You're not supposed to break the fourth wall!"

"Magma just wanted to put some humor in is all."

"...Do you feel like someone's laughing at us?"

"...Yeah..." We stand there for a second. "Hey, have you ever felt like someone's reading our actions like they were words on a screen?"

"...I'm a BIT freaked out now..."

"...I still feel like people are laughing at us..."

"...Maybe we should just continue what we were doing..."

"Let's do this!" I say. We run to Ribular Town, and into the Fighter Station to see Devon standing there.

"You two must have gotten word that Round 1 of the Caliosteo Cup is under way." He tells us. "Let me quickly explain how you compete in the Cup, okay?" I mentally groan.

_Ugh... I've heard to many explanations today. _I think.

"Wait for a notice to appear on your Paleopager." He tells us. "When you get the word," He points at the door to the commons room. "just go through the door to the left of the reception counter. Simple, huh?"

"Thank you." Todd tells him. I nod.

"All right!" He tells us with a smile. "I expect to see a red-hot battle from you two. I want to see FLAMES shoot out of the stadium.

_Is that safe? _I wonder.

"No problem!" Todd tells him. "Let's go!" Me and him run over to the door, and go into the Commons Room. The people in there are getting ready, or sitting around watching the current match. Me and Todd sit down on a bench, and watch the battles on the TV.

"The next match will be Todd vs. Red." The announcer says. "Combatants should enter the stadium immediately." We look at the door.

"Sounds like we're on." Todd says. I nod.

"No hard feeling no matter who wins?" I ask. Todd nods.

"May the best Fighter win." He says.

"You will." We laugh, then walk through into the Battle Area with eager smiles. We call out our teams, and I look at Todd's to see he's got a Stego and Goyle.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Stego!" He attacks doing eighty-one damage, causing Stego to go into his medal.

"Goyle, Body Axe on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing three damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Goyle!" He attacks doing forty-two damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Goyle!" She attacks doing twelve damage, sending Goyle into his medal.

"RED WINS!" The announcer says. The crowd cheers, and me and Todd meet up in the lobby.

"Good battle Red!" Todd tells me as we clasp hands.

"Yeah dawg!" I tell him. "You did pretty good out there." _It would've been a better fight if my wasn't so strong... _We drop our hands back to our sides and Stella walks over to us.

"Congratulations Red!" She says cheerfully. "You're through to the second round." She looks at Todd. "But hold your head high Todd. That was a fine effort from both of you." She looks at me. "Red, this is for you. It's your prize for clearing Round 1." She hands be a bright green package about one foot long and six inches thick with a white clock on the front.

"What the what is this?" I ask examining the package.

"Time Plus." She tells me. "They're valuable items that extends cleaning time by thirty seconds. Each one is good for a single use though. If you need more, you can purchase them at any shop."

"Oh." I says. "Thanks Stella! These will defiantly come in handy!" I tell her with a smile. My Fighter's License starts buzzing, and I take it out of the side pocket with my pager in it. I open it, and see that I've gone up a Fighter Level. Stella notices.

"Your win also earned you a promotion." She says. "Your Fighter Level is now higher! When you rise in level, your maximum FP and FP recharge both increase. It's a vital to advance in the Cup, but other experiences are necessary for you to level up. Good luck with Round 2! I look forward to how strong you'll become." She walks towards the left wing which must be her office, and me and Todd turn back to each other.

"Well, you got me." He says. "But you know what? I don't feel all that bad. I mean, sure I'm disappointed that I lost, but I got to take you on in a Fossil Battle, and that was really fun!"

"Yeah dawg!" I say. "If it a fun battle, you don't get disappointed." Todd nods.

"Okay Red!" He tells me. "Feast you eyes on your number one fan! Until the Cup ends, I'm gonna be president and CEO of the Red Fan Club!"

"Thanks man!" I tell him. "I don't believe it! My own fan club! I won't let you down Todd!"

"You're my champ now," Todd tells me. "so I'm entrusting you with my dream!"

"Don't worry Todd!" I say heroically. "I shall win this Cup like a champion, and make you my right-hand-man and second in charge!"

"REALLY?" He asks shocked.

"Of course! You're my best bro and wingman!"

"Thanks Red!"

"My pleasure!" We clasp hands.

"...I do not know what to make of the two of you." A familiar, bored, monotonous voice says. We turn to see Rupert walking over to us. "You just faced each other in battle, and yet now you laugh about it?"

You don't get it." Todd says. "We just shared an awesome battle together!"

"Yeah dawg!" I say. Rupert stands there, then blinks.

"So you are satisfied with defeat then?" Rupert asks. "It doesn't gnaw at your soul like a rabid badger?"

_How does he know what the gnawing of a rabid badger feels like? _I wonder.

"You are a... strange person." Rupert tells Todd. I step forward.

"You have a problem with him?" I ask. Rupert turns away.

"Yes, well, excuse me." He says. "Unlike you, I have more important things to do with my time." He turns towards the door, and walks towards it. I scowl.

_If he talks to Todd like that ONE MORE TIME...!_

"Gya!" Todd exclaims with confusion. "What is with that guy? It's not like we asked his opinion or anything!" We turn to each other. "All right Red, I'm going to cheer you on like I've never cheered before! You absolutely, positively have to make that arrogant jerk eat his words! I'm counting on you!"

"I'll force those words down his throat." I say punching my palm, cracking my knuckles.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

We take out our Paleopagers, and there's a picture of a staff member on the screen. "All Round 1 matches of the Caliosteo Cup are now complete. A new dig site: the Jungle Labyrinth, will be opening tomorrow. The Jungle Labyrinth is a natural maze formed by a wealth of lush plant life. Get some rest, then head out there tomorrow to prepare for Round 2." She says. We put the pagers away.

"Hey," Todd says. "I just got a message that said any Fighter who lost in Round 1 are free to use the new dig site. I think that's awesome! I mean, as long as I'm here, I might as well have some fun. Right?"

"Yeah dawg!" I say. "But let's get some rest first. It won't open until tomorrow, and it's almost supper time." Todd brightens at the mention of food.

"Will you be cooking?" He asks.

"Yes I will!" I tell him.

"Let's go!" We run out of the Fighter Station, and to a grocery store. We buy some food, then head back to the square and head down the path directly behind the landing pad to the Fighter Camp. When we get there, we come to an area of mingling Fighters and bungalows. They're made of green sliding boards with realistic looking palm trees embedded in each corner of them, and blue roofs. Leading up to the white front doors are light blue stairs. We go into ours, and come into a small living room with a white sofa, palm wood floor boards, white rug, a coffee table painted aqua, and a TV on a blue stand. Next to the door is a window that lets in the evening sun, there's another one next to the TV, and the walls are light green with green baseboards.

We go through the archway on the right wall, into a white kitchen with light green and green accents. The refrigerator, stove, sink, counters and cabinets are against the right wall with a window above the sink and the other outside wall. We organize the groceries and put them away, then go back through the living room and through a white door on the wall across from the front door into a bedroom with a bunk bed and desk.

The bunk bed is blue with light blue blankets and white sheets, and my duffle bag is on the bottom bunk while Todd's is on the top bunk. The room has the same walls as the living room, except with a blue carpet. The desk is aqua colored, and in the upper left corner with an aqua rolling chair and lamp on the desk top. There's tow windows, one on the left side of the desk, then one left of the bunk bed which is in the upper right corner.

I open the white door just beneath next to the foot of the bunk bed into a nice bathroom with light blue and blue accents, a shower/tub, vanity and toilet. "I must say," I tell Todd. "they really know how to make a nice place.

A few minutes later...

"So how do you like supper?" I ask Todd after I swallow some rice. He's sitting there devouring some chicken.

"You should be a world famous chef!" He tells me between mouthfuls.

_'Just be thankful you two have high metabolisms.' _Flamethrower tells me.

_'Yeah.' _Cloud Cover says. _'Otherwise you'd two be as round as barrels within a week.'_

_'Can you blame me for being a good cook?' _I ask. We finish eating with no leftovers, wash the dishes, put them away, and I lay on my bunk while Todd showers. I look through the desk drawers to find some office supplies, and store my stuff away in my half of the drawers. The drawers are light blue, so they stand out against the blue wood the bunk bed is made of. I come to my ammonite fossil, and sit there looking at it.

"What's that?" I look up to see Todd standing there in a green bathrobe and drying his hair with a towel.

"It's a fossil my dad gave me." I tell him. I look at it, then place it on the desk.

"Hey Red..." I look at Todd. "What're your parents like?" I stand there for a second, then blink, and look back at the fossil.

"I know they miss me." I tell him. "They're really nice and they love me more than anything despite I rarely ever see them since they're always traveling. But, what are you gonna do?" We stand in silence for a minute.

"...Sorry..." Todd says meekly.

"Hey, you have a right to know." I tell him with a smile. He smiles back, and I then go into the bathroom to shower. I pull on a clean pair of boxers. I pull on a blue bath robe, tie it, brush my teeth, and walk into the bed room to see Todd on his bunk in his pajamas and helmet, while his bath robe hangs from a hook on the bunk bed. I pull mine off, hang it on my hook, then crawl under the covers on my bunk. I reach up to the light switch on the inside wall next to my bunk, and switch off the lights.

"Good night Red." Todd says.

"Good night Todd." I say.

"Sleep well."

"Don't let the bed vivosaurs bite." Todd bursts out laughing, making me smile. _Sweet dreams Rosie... _My eyes close, I roll on my side, and fall into a deep, restful sleep, and a dream of me, her, and the last night I had with her in the park.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-YES! Done and DONE! Sorry it took me so long to type this. I have officially gotten addicted to Skyrim.<strong>

**Red: FINALLY! When's next chapter?**

**Me: I dunno. I JUST WANT TO PLAY SKYRIM!**


	37. Masks and Monsters

**AN- Ninja of Night, Skyrim is a RPG where you oh, do WHAT EVER YOU WANT! IT IS THA COOLEST GAME ****EVER!**** (besides the Fossil Fighter games) It got a 10/10 rating, and is one of the most popular games ever. If you want to know how awesome it is, take Joe's hat, multiply it's awesomeness by ten, and that's how awesome Skyrim is. And yeah, I just had another geek moment.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Thirty-seven- Masks and Monsters<p>

I lazily open my eyes and look at Todd's bunk above me. I pull the blanket around me tighter, enjoying the softness and warmth. I look at a digital atomic clock in the wall on the inside wall next to my bunk to see it's 10 a.m. I roll on my side and close my eyes.

_Wait... _My mind process what time it is, and I throw the blanket off and hit the bottom of my foot against Todd's bunk.

"GAH!" I hear him exclaim with surprise as Stanly falls to the floor. I jump onto the floor and to my feet, then look at him to see he's wide awake from my foot hitting his bunk.

"It's ten!" I tell him.

"Oh man, WE OVER SLEPT!" Todd says. He scrambles down the ladder while I start throwing on my clothes. He gets his, runs into the bathroom to change, while I grab a bunch of fruit for our breakfast. We run out the door, eating the fruit as fast as we can without choking. As we run into the square, I run towards the walk way to the lower left of the helicopter pad while Todd runs towards the Fossil Guild. "I'm going to get some sonar upgrades."

"Okay." I tell him. "I'll meet you in the Jungle Labyrinth." I run down the walkway, then come to a natural rock bridge with grass covering the top. I stop, worried that I could somehow manage to fall over the side.

"What's the matter?" I hear a man ask. I turn to see a staff member standing next to a thick metallic colored pillar.

"I won't fall over the edge... right?" I ask.

"Don't worry." He says putting a hand on the pillar. "This has a special devise that creates an invisible shield around the edge. There's no danger whatsoever."

"Ah... Thank you!" I run across the rock bridge, and onto the dig site. There's a large clearing with two sides that drop off, and the far side is lined with a thick jungle. The clearing has plants throughout it, and I look for a spot to start digging, when I see a man laying on the ground on his side. I quickly run over to him. He's about my height, is round in the middle, is somewhere in his seventy's, has white hair, blue eyes behind round glasses, white side burns, beard on his chin and mustache, a white dress shirt, red bow tie, brown vest, light brown coat, tan archaeologist's helmet, brown pants and brown shoes. He's clutching his stomach, and I hear it growl as I crouch next to him.

"Oh, right" He says with a British accent. "Hello there. So sorry to bother you, but I appear to be in a bit of a pickle. Hunger gnaws at my belly, you see, and I fear the only cure is a delectable melon spud. A single one of these subterranean spuds would have me up and about in no time. Ah, but the melon spud is a cleaver beastie. Where could it be hiding...?" I look up and around, then back at the man. "I say, I sense a melon spud buried right near this spot... You'll spy a vibrant green sprout that marks the location of the precious melon spud. Now be a good egg and find it for me won't you? Else I fear the end is nigh for this old codger..."

"Don't worry sir." I tell him. I jump up, and start looking for it. All of the plants in the clearing make it difficult though. I spot a green stem with two green leaves at the top, and I run over to it. I grab it, pull on it, but to no avail. I take out my pick, and dig up the stem. I hold it up, and at the bottom is a small watermelon that's blue and green. I pull it off the stem, then run back to the man.

"My vision grows dim..." He says. "I hear angels... Good heavens, I think this is the end for me! Ah, if only my last wish had been granted, and a sweet melon spud had been..."

_'He's being a BIT dramatic, ya know?' _Air Strike asks.

_'Wouldn't YOU be if you thought you were going to die?' _I ask him. I crouch down next to the man, and hold the melon spud up to his mouth. He sighs, I put it in his mouth, and he takes a bit out of it.

"Th-that succulent aroma..." He says. He takes another bite. "Th-those crunchy seeds..." He takes another bite. "By my knickers, it's a melon spud!" He eat the rest of it in one bite, then suddenly jumps seven feet in the air, making me jump back. He lands with no problem.

_'Old man power!' _Flamethrower says. Me and my vivosaurs mentally laugh.

"Ho ho! Well done old bean!" The man says. "That melon spud has given me an injection of youthful vim and vigor!" I take a step towards him. "You went through great trouble to dig up that melon spud for me, yes?"

"No sir... not really..." I tell him.

"Well, either way, I would humbly request the pleasure of your name."

"I'm Red Hart Broke." I tell him. "I'm a Fossil Fighter."

"Well then Red, it appears that I am in your debt." He tells me.

"It's okay Mister...uh..."

"I am Professor Nigel Scatterly, man of science and curator of the Caliosteo Museum on Cranial Isle."

"It's okay Professor Scatterly. I'm happy to help." I tell him. "But... what were you doing here?"

"I'd come here in search of the Calio Slablets, but somehow managed to get hopelessly lost." He explains. "Also, I forgot my lunch on the counter this morning, so it's quite good that you came along!"

_'Something tells me this guy isn't the best at focusing...' _Cloud Cover says. _'After all, the exits right behind us.'_

_'Well, his name IS Scatterly...' _I tell her. "What are Calio Slablets?" I ask him.

"You wish for me to explain?" He asks. I nod, and he cheerfully smiles. "Capitol idea! There's little I enjoy more than discussing the wonders of science after all! Yes, well." He thinks. "Where to begin?" He looks back at me. "Calio Slablets, you see, are a curious set of tablets hewn from dinosaur bones. I discovered one of these tablets a fair while back, and found that it contained a history of these islands. This tablet claimed that the long lost Kingdom of Caliosteo actually existed on this very spot! Can you imagine?"

"Well, I guess..." I tell him.

"I also determined that this ancient kingdom was led by a mighty ruler named Zongazonga. Now, it seems this Zongazonga fellow was some manner of a sorcerer who wielded spells of great power. He even had the power to resurrect dinosaurs from fossils." I let out a small gasp.

"I say, can you imagine?" Prof. Scatterly asks. "Such a thing means they were reviving vivosaurs in prehistoric times!"

"That... That's CRAZY!" I tell him.

"Naturally, I burned to know more of these ancient people, but I had only Calio Slablet 1 in my possession." He tells me. "However, since they bothered to number the one I found, logic demanded that there must be others! So knowing this, I fashioned a special CS Sonar to search them out." I hear a beeping noise, and the Professor take out a sonar. "Hello, what's this then? It seems the CS Sonar has detected another Slablet!" He steps forward, and move me aside. "Stand aside! I must excavate it with all due speed!" He takes another step forward, and reaches into his coat. He gets a look of surprise, then looks in the other side. "Oh fish and chips! It seems I forgot more than my lunch today. My poor shovel has been left behind as well!"

"I can get the Slablet for you." I tell him. He looks at me.

"Why, thank you my dear boy!" He tells me. "Step lively now, for you need to unearth this buried Slablet. Do it! Do it for science!" He turns, and takes a step forward, then points at the ground. I look at where he's pointing. "Oh ho! The CS Sonar claims that the Slablet lies buried at my feet! Just under the nose if you will. Perhaps that pick of yours is the key to unlocking the mysteries of the Kingdom of Caliosteo if you will. Quickly now! Unearth that Calio Slablet with all speed!" I take out my pick, take a few steps forward, and throw it down where Prof. Scatterly said it is. I reach down into the hole I just dug, and pull out a tablet of a rock like material that's a sandy-gold color, one inch thick, and eleven inches long and nine inches wide with a strange, unfamiliar writing on the front and back.

"Got it." I tell Prof. Scatterly holding it up. I hand it to him, and he smiles.

"It IS a Calio Slablet!" He says cheerfully. He looks at it, then points at an unfamiliar marking. "And look! It's marked with the number three!"

"..." I say nothing. "...I can't read that..." He blinks.

"Oh... Oh yes quite right." He says. "I forgot that you would be unable to read Caliostenise... But, I suppose the prudent thing would be to set this Slablet aside until I find the second Slablet... Well posh to that! My scientific curiosity will not be contained! Come old bean! Let us free whatever wisdom waits to be heard!" I stand next to the Professor and look at the Slablet. He straightens his glasses. "Ahem! Let's see now... Ah, yes, quiet. Here we are." The Slablet has some writing, then an image of two vivosaurs fighting, then more writing.

"**'Once every several decades, Zongazonga compelled his people to hold a tournament**.'" Prof. Scatterly reads. "'**Participants in the tournament were given revived dinosaurs and made to command them in battle**. **These brave warriors traveled to and fro across the islands, waging battles of gargantuan ferocity.**'" He turns it over, and there's more writing and an image of a person in a victorious stance. "'**The tournament's sole reason for being was to choose a new Majestic Vessel.**'" He looks at me. "I say! A contest in which dinosaurs are made to fight across the three islands... The similarity to our own Caliosteo Cup is remarkable."

"Maybe it was... based off it or something?" I ask.

"Capitol idea that is, but I am however at a loss to explain the meaning the Majestic Vessel."

"The king's right hand man or woman maybe?" I ask. We both think for a second.

"Well then!" Prof. Scatterly says. "I suppose the mystery will have to wait until the other Calio Slablets are discovered, yes? I shall make for Cranial Isle with this new Slablet posthaste." He puts the Slablet in his coat, then looks back at me. "You've been of remarkable assistance to me Red. Both myself and science owe you a great deal." He takes a step forward. "If you ever find yourself upon the shores of Cranial Isle, you must stop by my museum! It is a gallery and depository of items both rare and wonderful, and I promise it will not disappoint! And of course, I will put this Calio Slablet 3 on display next to the first one I found. Safe travel now. Tallyho!"

"Bye?" I ask. He turns and goes towards a path into the labyrinth. "Wait, Professor!" I call. He stops a turns towards me.

"I beg your pardon?" He asks.

"That'll take you FARTHER into the jungle!" I tell him. I point towards the rock bridge. "That's the way out!" Prof. Scatterly looks at the way he was going, then back at me.

"Yes, well that wouldn't do at all now would it?" He laughs. "It seem I am in your debt yet again Red. This time, farewell for sure. Tallyhoooo!" He runs past me, then towards the rock bridge.

_'...' _Me and my vivosaur say nothing for a second.

_'Well... He's a bit out there, but he's not that bad...' _I say.

_'I think we found a non-crazy Nick Nack.' _Flamethrower says.

_'Most defiantly...' _I say in agreement. I do some digging, then go down the path deeper into the dig site. The trees form natural arches over me, making it darker and vines hang down while vibrant plants grow on the jungle floor.

"Hey!" I hear Todd call. "Hey, hey, hey!" I turn to see Todd running down the path towards me.

"Hey Red." He says. "Are you digging hard, or hardly digging?" We laugh.

"I think I'm doing both." I tell him. He looks at me with confusion, and I tell him about Professor Scatterly.

"Oh." He says. "Well, I just wanted to tell you something I heard at the Guild! If we go deeper into the Jungle Labyrinth, there's a ton of cool fossil rocks!"

"Sweet!" I say.

"And since were both here, I figured we could go digging together!

"Yeah dawg! Let's go!" We start to run down the path.

"WHAAAAAAA!" We hear a man scream like bloody murder. We stop and jump with surprise. Two men running for their lives come speeding up the path. They're both wearing miner helmets, yellow gloves and shoes, and one has a gray mining jumpsuit and the other had a pale orange one. I recognize them from the battles me and Todd saw yesterday while waiting for ours.

"Wh-what's wrong?" Todd asks, his voice cracking with fear.

"B-b-back there!" The man in the gray jumpsuit, Howard, says looking at us. "In the b-b-back! It's a horrible monster!"

"It was chasing us like it was going to eat us whole!" The man in the pale orange jumpsuit, Cary, says stepping forward. "...Or maybe it wanted to chew us first. But either way, that's not something I'm interested in!" Howard looks at him.

"Wh-what if it keeps chasing us?" He asks. "What if it comes HERE?" They both sprint past us.

"RUN AWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" Cary shrieks at the top of his lungs.

_A monster eh? _I wonder.

"M-m-monster?" Todd stammers. "... Heh heh! Yeah, there's no such thing as monsters right? They uh... They must have been mistaken! Yeah, that's it..."

"Now see here folks," A man's voice with a country accent says. "but I gotta disagree. Ain't no way two grown men make the same mistake, unh-hunh?" Me and Todd turn to see a man walking towards us from up the path. I remember seeing him battle. He has black hair, side burns, and his hair is in done to where it sticks forward above his forehead into a dull point as long as my arm. He has a white shirt with ruffles on the chest, a gold colored coat with a large collar, and that comes down to the middle of his lower legs. He has a brown belt, black pants and shoes, as well as a quizzical look on his face. "Way I hear it, we got a big ol' monster lurking in this here jungle. Monster's got a mean ol' face, and a personality to match. And if it happens to find ya, it'll bite yer little head clean off." I see Todd's face go pale and he raises his hand to his neck. The man, whose name is Rockin' Billy, looks at Todd. "I'd avoid goin' any deeper into this ol' jungle unless you wanna get yourself hurt, unh-hunh?" He looks at me. "Fossil rocks don't mean nothin' if some monster gets to chewin' on you." He walks past us up the path.

_If there IS a monster, and he knows it's in there, then why was he in there and walked out so calmly? _I wonder. Todd looks at me.

"Um, say Red." He says. "Maybe we should just stop for today. What do you think? I mean, it's not because I'm scared or anything! My vivosaurs could stomp that monster into a pancake! But there's probably tons of good fossil rocks right here!"

"Todd, if there's a monster in there, then it's my job to make sure it doesn't hurt anyone." I tell him.

"...Oh." He says. "You... you still want to go in, huh? Yeah, of course you do."

"Let's go." I say.

"Yeah, well, all right." Todd says a hint of fear in his voice. "I'll g-go with you. B-b-but it's just that..." He suddenly clutches his stomach. "Ooooooh! Oh, my stomach! It's killing me!" I frown. "I shouldn't eaten that green tuna-fish sandwich for lunch!"

_Ew._

"S-sorry, but can you go on by yourself?" He asks. He sit down on a rock under a tree. "I'll catch up soon, I promise."

"Okay..." I tell him. "I hope you feel better." I head up the path deeper into the jungle. I come to a large area with a ground littered with ferns, and a large tree buried under grass and soil, making it a mound with arched branches sticking out of it. I start searching, and I dig up some fossils in the process. I look up at the sun to see it's lunch time, so I take out a sandwich I made and eat it, and drink some water from my canteen. I go down a path, and into an area with a cluster of trees in the middle of the small clearing.

"Heeeeey!" I hear Todd call. I turn and see him running towards me. "Sorry I took so long I bet you were pretty lonely without me huh?"

"Sort of." I tell him.

"But look Red, maybe we should just stop here, you know?" He asks. "And it's not because I'm scared! It's just because... Well, we've gone a long way already, you know?"

"Well, we need to stop that monster before-" A sudden rustling in the bushes cuts me off.

"GYA!" Todd exclaims jumping. "What's that? Who's there?" We look around. "J-just the wind!" Todd says with fear in wide eyes. "Yeah, that's it. It's the wind. ...Or a wild boar. That would be okay too."

"In that case, we're having bacon for breakfast tomorrow." I tell Todd. She smiles nervously and jerkily nods. I notice something in a bush, and turn to look at it. I take a few steps towards it, with Todd right beside me. Suddenly, a person jumps out of the bush. She has pink hair with yellow at the tips pulled up into pigtails on the top of her head, and they look puffy. Around her neck is a gold necklace that covers her neck and another necklace with feathers and wooden beads. She's wearing a sleeveless red shirt with large white polk-a-dots that stops at the middle of her rib cage, red cut off gloves, yellow bands tied around the lower have of her lower arms, a gold bracelet around each wrist, she's very thin with slender limbs, a green skirt that looks like a grass skirt that falls to the middle of her upper legs, yellow shorts that comfortably hug her legs hat comes down to her knees under her skirt, a brown leather satchel, and brown sandals on her feet. What really surprises me is the mask she's wearing. It's pink with two white horns on the top edge, yellow around the eyes, which are turquoise, white on the forehead, two spikes coming out of the edge near the mouth, bared teeth and two tusks, making it look like the face of an angry boar war lord or something.

"AAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Todd yells. "M-M-MOOOOONSTER!" The girl takes a few steps forward and looks in the direction Todd just ran.

"Did he just call me a monster?" She asks with offence. "'Cause that kind of insulting. I don't think you noticed, but I happen to be amazingly beautiful and charming.

"Yes. He did just call you a monster." I tell her. "Now, who the vivo are you?" She looks at me.

"Who am I?" She asks. "...Are you for real? Do you live in a cave or something?"

"No, I-"

"All right, dig the wax out of your ears and listen up!"

"Well, I-"

"I'm the girl who'd going to win the Caliosteo Cup," She says standing up straighter and putting her fists on her hips. "and the biggest teen idol in the whole world..."

"You're the-"

"I'm..." She twirls around on one foot, then puts on foot behind the other like how a girl curtsies, but she raises on hand to the side of her head and the other one is out away from her body and at the middle of her rib cage. "Pauleen!"

_'...' _My vivosaurs say nothing while I give her a quizzical look.

_'She's eleven just like you and Todd...' _Flamethrower says.

_'I was about to tell her I live in the Fighter's camp, my ears are very clean and clear, and that she's the same age as me, yet she interrupts me.' _I tell him.

_'How is she a teen idol if she's just eleven?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'She's just saying that no doubt.' _Air Strike says.

"...What?" Pauleen asks. "What's with the quizzical look?"

"What's with-"

"Is it the mask?" She ask, interrupting me yet again. "It's the mask right? Look, there's a very good reason I can't take this mask off."

"What's the-"

"But trust me, I am totally beautiful underneath it. People faint when I walk by. I'm serious."

"How can I-"

"You're a Fighter too right? Well then, you should introduce yourself. It's only far, you know?"

"..." I give her a flat look of irritation. "I'm Red. I-"

"So your name's Red? Yes, well, it must be a real thrill for you to finally meet me."

"Not really."

"What?"

"I've never heard of you and in the past three minutes, you've interrupted me seven times."

"..."

"I live in the Fighter's camp, my ears have no wax in them, you're the same age as me, what's with your mask, why do you wear it, and how can I trust you're beautiful if you won't take it off?" I say finishing my sentences. I stand there with my arms crossed, an eyebrow raised, and waiting.

"..." Pauleen just stands there. "Well enough about you. Did you hear about the monster that's running around the jungle? Well, I'm going to fight it, and I'm going to win." She gets an idea. "Oh, hey. I just had a great idea. You should come along Red. That way you can see how awesome I am and then tell everyone about your new favorite teen-idol Fighter!"

"I already-"

"That's a great idea. I'm so glad I'm around to think of these things."

"Look, I-"

"Well? Come on! I don't have all day!" She walks past me, and I put my hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"I already have an idol, Joe Wildwest, and I'm going to defeat that monster. It's my job." I tell her finishing my sentences.

"Not after I beat it!" She say brushing my hand off her shoulder and continues walking towards a path that leads deeper in. We come to a tree that forms part of an arch, and I can feel a sinister mood in the air. I stop, and Pauleen looks at me.

"What's with you? Building your bravery?" I let out an irritated sigh, and roll my eyes.

"You mean you don't have a bad feeling?"

"No. Why should I? I'm going to beat that monster."

"You shouldn't-"

"Let's go!" She says continuing down the path. I sigh and roll my eyes again then continue walking.

_She shouldn't be so overconfident... _I think.

"I'm actually excited to see what this monster looks like." Pauleen tells me. "And I KNOW it's excited to see me."

_I know that monster's never heard of her. _We come to a large clearing with fallen trees, stumps, a carpet of ferns and bushes, and some young trees in the arch shaped clearing. I walk over a fallen tree, and Pauleen hops on top of it, looking around, then hops down and catches up to me.

"Well, this is the deepest part of the jungle, but I don't see a monster anywhere.

"GRAAAAAAAAH!" We hear something roar. We turn to see a monster that's a dark greenish yellow with orange streaked all over it, and is the same height as a small T-Rex.

_'HOLY DINO!' _I say. _'That's the most horrible fake monster I've EVER SEEN!'_

_'I KNOW!' _Cloud Cover says. _'You can see the wheels and the speaker it's mouth!'_

_'Whoever made this, monster status: EPIC. FAIL.' _Air Strike says. Pauleen runs up to it.

"Prepare to meet your doom at the most beautiful Fighter in the land!" She says. I smack my hand against my forehead and my vivosaurs mentally face palm

_'...' _Me and my vivosaurs say nothing.

_'I think her mask blocks out some of her sight...' _Flamethrower says.

"That monster's fake you know." I tell Pauleen. She looks at me.

"What?" She asks. I sigh and roll my eyes, then walk over to the fake monster, and kick it. One of the wheels blows off, making it jerk backwards, another wheel blows off, making it jerk backwards again, then the head blows off, the remaining wheels fall of, along with the tail.

"See?" I ask Pauleen. Suddenly, two men appear. They have on miner's helmets, yellow gloves and shoes, and one has a blue miner's jumpsuit, and the other one has on an amber miner's jumpsuit with white below the waist. I recognize them from their matches. They walk over to it, and the one with the amber jumpsuit, Lee, has a tool box.

"Aw, man." The one with the blue jumpsuit, Jerry, says. "The darn thing broke."

"Well it's been scaring off Fighters twenty-four seven." Lee says. "I'm surprised it lasted this long. "Come on. Let's see if we can fix it. Pauleen steps forward.

"Hold the phone!" She says. "What's going on? You're saying this monster is a FAKE?" Jerry looks at her.

"Heh heh! You're not as smart as you look." He says. "It's a big old fake. Me and Lee here built it ourselves." Lee looks at us.

"Yeah, but it was a really good fake!" He says. "All the Fighters were too scared to come to this part of the jungle. And that meant we could take all the fossil rocks we wanted! Pretty smart, huh?" Jerry looks at me and takes a threatening step forward, making me step back.

"Yep, ol' Mr. Monster here did his job real well." He says. "But now you know our little secret... And we can't be having that, now can we?" Lee takes a threatening step towards Pauleen, making her take a step back.

"Let's lock 'em up somewhere until they forget, eh Jerry?" He asks.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" Pauleen says with anger. "I can deal with your fake monster, and I can even deal with your dumb names, but no one locks me up!" I pull out my team.

"I'll show you what happens when you scare people for selfish reasons..." I tell Jerry.

"I got this Fighter Red!" Pauleen say taking some medals out of her satchel's side pocket. Jerry and Lee call out their vivosaurs, and the battles start. Jerry has a Nycto and a Anomalo. The Nycto is a winged vivosaur with a sail on his head, is light green with brown on his face, and brown on his arm bones and the bones in the sail, as well as a brown swirl on the sail. The Anomalo is the strangest I've ever seen. It looks like a giant centipede, but with much less legs. It's about three feet long, has pale baby blue layered armor like skin, giant solid pink eye, light brown dots between its eyes, on its body and legs, and has two curled mandibles.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Nycto!" He attack doing sixty-two damage, sending Nycto into his medal.

_'End your turn!' _Flamethrower tells me.

_'What? Why?' _I ask him.

_'Anomalo's evasion is increased! It'll doge whatever attack you use next!' _He tell me.

_He's right... _I realize.

"Anomalo, Anomalo Twist on Shanshan!" He attacks doing twenty-two damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Anomalo!" He attacks doing fifty-five damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Anomalo!" She attacks doing twenty-three damage, putting Anomalo in his medal. I look to see Pauleen defeat Lee's last vivosaur. Jerry takes a step back.

"Aw, man." He says. "We got beat by a couple of punks."

"You're the punks!" I tell him. Lee takes a step back.

"Th-they're too tough!" He says.

"Are you all right Red?" I hear a familiar voice ask. I look over my shoulder to see Stella running this way with two staff members.

"Stella!" I exclaim. Me and Pauleen run to her, the staff members get next to me and Pauleen, and Stella steps forward and looks at the broken monster.

"Hmm, a homemade monster, eh?" She asks. "Now what could this be for?" Lee and Jerry exchange nervous looks.

"They were using that thing to scare all the Fighters off so they could have all the fossils here!" I tell Stella.

"Interesting." She says. She looks at Lee and Jerry with anger. "Seize them!" She says pointing at the two nervous men. The staff members run towards them, and Jerry and Lee turn and run. Stella looks at me.

"You have Todd to thank for my being here Red." She tells me. "He came running to me in a panic, wailing about how some monster was going to swallow you whole." I smile awkwardly and scratch the back of my head.

_That's Todd for you. _I think. Stella looks at the fake monster.

"I was expecting some kind of trouble, but... Well, not this." She says. She looks back at me. "Still, Fighters are now free to dig for fossil rocks here, so I suppose it all turned out all right. We owe the two of you our thanks." The staff members come back over with Lee and Jerry in their custody.

"We rounded up these two ruffians Stella. What do you want us to do with them?" One of them asks. We look at them.

"They're disqualified from the Caliosteo Cup, so you can throw them out of the park." Stella tells them. "We'll send someone to collect the fake monster as evidence of their actions." Me and Pauleen step out of the way as the two staff members take Lee and Jerry back towards Ribular Town. "See you later Red." Stella tells me. "You too Pauleen." She turns and walks back towards town.

"Ha! Serves them right!" Pauleen says.

"Yep. Scaring people of to take fossils..." I say. "It's sickening."

"Hey, so thanks for helping me out Red." Pauleen says. "You're pretty good at this. Not as good as me of course. ...But pretty good."

_Would she be saying that if she knew who I really am? _I wonder as I stand there with a flat face.

"Hey Red! You're alive!" I look to see Todd running towards me.

"Course I'm alive!" I tell him. "It'll take more than a monster to take ME down!" Todd looks at Pauleen, then jumps back.

"GAAAAAAAH! The monster's right there!" He says. I snicker.

_She kinda deserved that... _I think.

"Stop calling me a monster!" Pauleen snaps taking a step forward. "I'm a teen idol! And a Fighter! ...And my name is Pauleen!"

"And you're eleven just like us." I tell her flatly. She ignores me.

"So if you ever call me a monster again, I'll knock you out!" Pauleen tells him. I step forward.

"If you try to lay a finger on Todd, I'll beat the snot out of you." I tell her. She looks at me.

"You his bodyguard or something?" She asks. Todd looks at me.

"... I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to him." I tell her.

"Really?" Todd asks. I nod. "..." Todd smiles. "You're a true friend."

"Was there ever any doubt?" I ask with a smile. Todd looks back at Pauleen.

"If you don't want to be called a monster, you shouldn't wear that mask." He tells her. "Why don't you take it off?" Pauleen looks up some, raises her hands to her chest, and nervously taps her finger tips together.

"Nope! Sorry. Can't do it." She tells him. Todd takes a few steps forward, making her take a few steps back.

"So we're just suppose to believe you're beautiful? Whatever!" He says.

"How dare you!" Pauleen says with anger. "I'm beautiful! And young! And... and beautiful! I wear this mask for personal reasons that have nothing to do with you, and that's the end of it! Now good-bye!" She heads back towards town, and me and Todd look at each other.

"What kind of weirdo wears a mask for personal reasons?" He asks.

"Her apparently." I tell him. We laugh.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

We take out our Paleopagers, and there's a picture of a staff member on the screen. "The Caliosteo Cup Round 2 matches will now begin. Rockin' Billy has been selected as Red's Round 2 opponent. Please get ready, then check in at Ribular Town's Fossil Stadium." She says. we put the pagers away.

"Yes! Round two is finally starting!" Todd says. "I'll meet you back at the Fossil Stadium, all right?"

"Sounds good to me!" I tell him.

"You're gonna be awesome! I know it!"

"Thank man..."

"No problem!"

"I shall win and be awesome! For you my number one fan!"

"Yay!" We laugh, and head back to town. I clean the fossil rocks I dug up, and then head to the Commons Room while Todd heads out to the stands to watch. I go into the Commons Room to see Rockin' Billy sitting on the bench closest to the door. He looks up to see me walking over, and stands up.

"You remember me there, babaloo?" He asks.

_What did he just call me? _"Yes sir... You're that guy..." I say.

"That's right." He says. "I'm the cat that told you 'bout the vicious monster back in the jungle. Seems you proved that monster was just a big ol' pussycat. That's some fine work there, unh-hunh."

_... _"All in a day's work!" I tell him.

"Well, I only got one more thing to say..." He looks around at everyone, whose either not paying attention to us, or out of ear shot. He looks back at me with obvious anger, and takes a threatening step towards me. "Why'd you have to go and do that? I had a plan to take all them rare fossils, and now it's ruined!"

"YOU planned that?" I ask. _Well, that WOULD explain why he didn't run out of the jungle screaming bloody murder._

"Yeah that's right." He says. "I'm in cahoots with them two boys that ended up coolin' their heels in the hoosegow." He smiles evilly. "So now I got a chance for revenge, and it's gonna taste sweeter than Aunt Mable's pecan pie." My face hardens.

"Well I'm gonna force that down your throat when I win this battle." I tell him. He scowls.

"You ready for some heartbreak, kid?" He asks.

_My heart's already broken._

"'Cause I'm gonna boogie-woogie all over your bad self!"

"Dude, that sounded WRONG!" I tell him with a look of bewilderment and disgust.

"Out next match pits Rockin' Billy against Red." The announcer says. "Combatants should enter the stadium immediately."

"I'm gonna play you like a fiddle in a jug band, babaloo." Rockin' Billy says as we walk up to the door. I smile with a mixture of smugness and slyness.

"I'm going to cut you and your hair cut short." I tell him. He looks down at me with an angry, hard face, and I look up at him with the smile. The doors open, and we walk out. Our teams come out, and I look at Rockin' Billy's to see he has a Raja, Nigo, and Parapu. The Nigo is built like a long neck, has silver-white skin, big, derpish eyes, a weird yellow pattern on its sides that looks almost like a giant flower, short gray spines the back of its neck, and...something... green hanging down from its chin. The Parapu is a squid-like creature with an ammonite shell which is turquoise with white dots and navy blue waves on it, and the tips of its tentacles while the rest of it is white.

"Flamethrower, get in the AZ, Air Strike take his place." I tell them before the battle starts. I get first turn. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Raja!" He attacks doing fifty-eight damage.

"Raja, Raja Fang on Spinax!" He attacks doing fourteen damage.

"Flamethrower, S-Fang on Raja!" He attacks doing fifty-eight damage, sending Raja into his medal. Rockin' Billy scowls, while I smile.

"Nigo, Nigo Stomp on Spinax!" He attacks doing twenty-eight damage. "Now Parapu, use Bewilder Beam on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing fifteen damage, and confusing Flamethrower.

_'No! Flamethrower, snap out of it!' _I try to touch his mind, but I hit a solid wall of confusion, preventing me from entering. I look to see Rockin' Billy smirking. _'Grrrrr... I'll show you!' _"Air Strike, AZ!" They rotate. "Now use Spinax Fang on Parapu!" He attacks doing thirty-four damage. "Cloud Cover, AZ!" They rotate. "Cloud cover, Shan Combo on Parapu!" She attacks doing forty damage. "Flamethrower, AZ!" They rotate, and Flamethrower just goes with it.

"Parapu, Bewilder Beam on Spinax!" He attacks, but Air Strike jumps into the air, causing him to miss.

_'Flamethrower! You need to straighten out your mind!' _He's too confused to understand me. _'RRRRRRRRR!' _I slam my conscious against the wall of confusion, and I batter away at it. It shatters, my mind rushes into his, and I sort everything out.

"Holy smokes folks!" One of the commentators says. "Red's somehow broken through the confusion in his vivosaur's mind, and it's no longer confused!"

"Now this kid's showing promise!" The other one says.

"Flamethrower, S-Combo on Nigo!" He attacks doing eighty-six damage, making Nigo go into his medal. Rockin' Billy has a worried look, while I smile triumphantly. "Cloud Cover, AZ!" They rotate. "Now use Shan Fang on Parapu!" She attacks doing nineteen damage.

"Parapu, Bewilder Beam on Spinax!" He attacks doing twenty-seven damage and confusing him. He then uses harden on himself, boosting his defence.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Combo on Parapu!" She attacks doing forty damage.

"Parapu, Bewilder Beam on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing twenty-nine damage. Air Strike uses harden on himself again.

_'ARGH! I HATE MY VIVOSAUR BEING CONFUSED!' _I mentally yell.

_'Don't we all?' _Flamethrower asks.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Combo on Parapu!" She attacks doing twenty-six damage.

"Parapu, Bewilder Beam on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing forty-four damage and confusing him.

_'FLAMETHROWER!' _He uses Enflame on Cloud Cover, booting her attack power. _'Hey, that's gonna come in handy!' _I think happily. "Cloud Cover, Shan Combo on Parapu!" She attacks doing sixty-four damage, putting Parapu in his medal.

"RED WINS!" The announcer says. My vivosaurs roar with victory while Rockin' Billy falls to his knees.

_How's that pecan pie taste now? _I think.

A minute later...

"Aw, possum spit!" Rockin' Billy says in the lobby.

_Ew. _I think. I'm stand across from him in front of the sofa area.

"That ain't how the plan was suppose to go at all!"

"Well I hope you enjoy that pecan pie." I tell him smugly. He gets an angry look.

"I ain't gonna forget this babaloo! I got my eye on you now, and I'll see you fall if it's the last thing I do!" He says. "Nobody messes with Rockin' Billy! You hear me? I'm gonna get you but good, unh-hunh!" He takes a threatening step towards me, and cracks his knuckles, making me take a step back as worry spreads across my face.

"That's enough Rockin' Billy!" I hear Stella say. Rockin' Billy whirls to the side to see Stella heading straight for us. "That pair of fools we caught in the jungle couldn't wait to implicate you in their scheme!" Rockin' Billy takes a step back, nervousness and worry obvious on his face.

"Time to go, unh-hunh!" He turns and makes a break for the door.

"There's no escape for you!" Stella tells him. As if on cue, four staff member run out, and two grab his hands and pin them behind Rockin' Billy's back. He struggles and squirms, trying to get free.

"S-stop struggling!" One of the staff members holding him says.

"Lemme go!" Rockin' Billy says. "Don't be cruel now, just let me go!" They hold his hands behind his back, and he gives up, then hangs his head. They take him away, and as they do, he looks at me. I pull down my lower eye lid on my left eye and stick my tongue out at him. He scowls, and they get him outside. I put my hand back at my side and pull my tongue back in my mouth, then look at Stella.

"Don't worry Red," She tells me. "I'll personally see to it that he's banished from the islands. You just sit back and concentrate on the Cup, okay?"

"Yes ma'am!" I tell her. She smiles.

"Good luck on clearing Round 2 by the way. Here's your prize." She hands me a fossil rock.

"Thank you Stella." I tell her. I hear a beeping noise, and take out my Fighter's License. I open it to see that I've been promoted to Fighter Level 3. "Yeah dawg!" I say jump in the air and spinning around.

"Good Luck in Round 3!" Stella tells me. She turns and walks towards the exit, and Todd runs up to me.

"Way to go Red!" He tells me with excitement. "You're through two rounds now!"

"And I'll keep going until the very end!" I tell him with a smile.

"I know you can do this! I'm counting on you!"

"And I shall never let you down my wingman!"

"Thank you my best bro!" We laugh, and stop when we hear the crowd erupt into cheers. We look at the door to the Commons Room. "Oh wow. The battle after yours must be done already... I can't believe how fast that was! The winning Fighter must be really good."

"Fast Fossil Battles aren't fun." I tell him. "You don't get the feeling of excitement and suspense."

"True..." He says with agreement.

"The mysterious masked Fighter, Pauleen, has won in a masterful performance!" The announcer says. Me and Todd look at each other.

"Pauleen? That's the weird girl from the jungle!" Todd says.

"Oh no..." I moan. "Now she's going to brag about that." The door to the Commons Room opens, and out steps Pauleen. She looks around, sees us, and runs over.

"So Red!" She says. "Sounds like you got through Round 2 as well."

"Yeah, I-"

"Of course, you didn't win as fast as I did." She says interrupting me yet again. "Or with as much panache. But congratulations anyway!"

"At least I gave the audience a longer, more enjoyable show..." I tell her finishing my sentence.

"Well, don't get any crazy ideas about winning, though." She say standing up straighter and putting her hands on her hips in a victorious pose. "Because I'm going to be the champ." My face hardens. "The most beautiful champion there ever was! Oh, and humble too!" I smack my palm against my forehead, sigh, and roll my eyes.

"Cram it sister!" Todd says stepping forward. "Red isn't going to lose to some braggart like you! HE'S going to be the best looking champ that there ever will be, and he's not going to self-centered about it either!"

"You tell 'er Todd!" I say.

"Yeah!" Todd says. "And if you're so pretty, then you should take off your mask and prove it!"

"..." Pauleen stands there for a second, then waves her fists around angrily. "I TOLD you already! I have a personal reason for keeping this mask on! Anyways, I'm sure I have legions of adoring fans clamoring for my autograph, so...bye!" She runs between me and Todd, then outside. Me and Todd look back at each other, and Todd takes a step towards me.

"She's not going to take that mask off, is she?" Todd asks.

"Nope." I tell him.

"You know what? I don't think she's pretty at all." Todd says. "In fact, I bet she's a total woofer under that thing!"

"Self-confidence is a personal reason," I say. "So it makes sense."

"Yeah." Todd says.

"Hey, thanks for sticking up for me."

"No problem Red!"

"But still, thanks."

"Hey, you never let your wingman down."

"Heh. Yeah..."

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

We take out our Paleopagers, and there's a picture of a staff member on the screen. "All Round 2 matches of the Caliosteo Cup are now complete. Tomorrow, a new dig site will open: Mt. Krakanak! Mt. Krakanak is a volcano filled with sheer cliffs and bubbling lava. There is no danger however, for there are special devises that create shields, making it so you cannot fall, or be injured b the heat of the lava. It's located on neighboring Cranial Isle. Flights to the island are available from the heliport." She says. We put our pager away, and look at each other.

"Yay!" Todd says. "We finally get to go to Cranial Isle! I've always wanted to go there! I'm gonna be the first Fighter to set foot there! No one's gonna beat me!"

"Then let's go!" I say. We run out to the heliport, only to find out that Cranial Isle will be open tomorrow. We head back to our bungalow in the Fighter's Camp, eat supper, Todd showers, then I shower, and we go to bed, exhausted from today. I lie there in the dark, and fall asleep into a dream of Rosie.

* * *

><p><strong>AN- FINALLY! I got this chapter done! I would've gotten this done sooner, but my brother's been making me play Skyrim so he can watch while he makes some chain links for chain mail armor he's working on, then a friend of mine wanted to hang out, so I had to do that, then I was gone all weekend, and I've just been having a bad motivation block.<strong>

**Red: I can't believe that girl interrupted me ELEVEN times...**

**Me: Could be worse.**

**Red: How?**

**Me: It could've been twelve.**

**Red: *face palms and groans***

**Me: Does anyone else see Pauleen as a person that constantly interrupts someone? Leave a review!**


	38. The Caliosteo Museum

**AN- Pokemonlover417, I CAN'T STOP LISTENING TO IT! IT JUST... there is NO WAY to stress how well it fits her! To everyone else reading this, sorry about that. Onto the story!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Thirty-eight- The Caliosteo Museum<p>

I wake up to find I'm laying on my stomach with my arms flailed out and sawing logs. I smack my mouth and cringe at the taste of my morning breath. I look at the clock to see it's seven thirty-five a.m., so I roll out of bed, get up, get dressed, and make breakfast. I let Todd sleep since we went to bed completely worn out. After eating my breakfast, I leave another plate of breakfast out for Todd, then head out to Treasure Lake to do some digging. I get there, and see a woman with black hair, a green dress and microphone talking to a camera man with black hair, brown baseball cap, light blue shirt, dark brown pants and black shoes.

"Righto," The woman says. "enough with rehearsing. We just need to find a Fighter who's ready to rock our quiz."

"Eh?" I ask. She turns to look at me, then smiles.

"Excuse me?" She asks. "Hello. Interested in taking an itty-bitty quiz with us?"

"Sure." I say with a smile.

"Really?" The woman asks. "Great! I'm Tess Score...but you probably already knew that. I only host the hottest quiz show on Caliosteo TV!"

_No. I'm afraid I don't know you. _I think. Tess Score turns to the cameraman.

"This guy is my cameraman." She says. "You want him to shoot your good side? Well, don't get on his bad side!" She looks back at me. "I take it you know how a quiz show works, right? I ask questions. You choose answers. No surprises here." The cameraman gets in place, I stand next to Tess Score, fix my collar and put on a charming smile. The camera starts rolling. "It's time for the What Do You Know, Dino Show! Today, we are live from the Caliosteo Islands-the only place that matters for the world's Fighters. Why are these islands so hot right now, you wonder? The answer starts with C and ends with P-the Caliosteo Cup! It's the world's most brutal Fossil Battle! And I, Tess Score, will find out which of the contestants knows the most about our favorite Jurassic giants. Today's challenger is Red. He's got a charming smile, doesn't he folks? Now, let's get down to business! It's the What Do You Know, Dino Show!" We turn towards each other. "Question one. Which of these was a winged dinosaur? Pteranodon, Stegosaurus, or Tyrannosaurus?"

"Pteranodon." I tell her.

"Righto!" She says. "Of those three dinosaurs, only the Pteranodon had wings." We turn back to the camera. "That one's a favorite of Cup host Joe Wildwest, by the way." She gets a swoonful look. "What I wouldn't give to soar on the back of Joe's Ptera... Talk about flying first class!" I face palm, and she gets rid of the swoonful look. "Question two!" We turn back towards each other. "Which of these dinosaurs was a herbivore? Mapusaurus, Microraptor, or Triceratops?"

"Triceratops." I say.

"Righto!" Tess Score says. "From that trio, only the Triceratops was a herbivore." We turn back to the camera. "Don't let the huge horns fool you- Triceratops was a herbivore. This has been Tess Score brining you the What Do You Know, Dino Show!" The camera stops filming, and me and Tess turn to each other. "I don't say this very often, but DINO-mite!"

_It's a good thing she doesn't say that often... _I think as I resist the urge to face palm.

"You Cup Fighters really know your stuff." Tess Score tells me. "Please accept this as out congrats." She hands me a box of Dino Cakes. "I hope we meet again. We're always looking for quiz contestants!" She and the camera man walk off, and I look at the package of Dino Cakes, making me have a flash back...

"I sure could use a sweet snack." Dr. Diggins says. Me and Rosie look at each other, sly looks on our faces. I've been holding the package of Dino Cakes behind my back this entire time.

"Hey what's this Red?" She asks taking the package from my hands. "Is this a package of sweet and delicious Dino Cakes?"

"The VERY LAST package!" I say. "Want to split them?" Dr. Diggins snaps his head back toward us.

"D-D-D-Dino Cakes?" Dr. Diggins stammers. "Last... package?" He looks worried. "I've been craving those so badly!" He gets a miserable look on his face. "Oh no, I can smell them from here..."

"Really?" Rosie asks. "I'm sure we can make some sort of arrangement."

"Oh, hey!" I say. "WE'RE trying to get deeper into Knotwood Forest! Maybe if you gave us a pass..."

"Ummmmm... I'm not sure that's such a..." He starts to say.

"Oh well..." Rosie sighs. "I guess WE'LL just have to enjoy ALL TWENTY of these SWEET Dino Cakes won't we Red?"

"Oh! I know this GREAT spot in the park!" I tell her. "Come on, let's go!"

"NO! You win! I'll give you a Clearance Card for Knotwood Forest!" Dr. Diggins blurts out. We look back at him. "Now give me the cakes! Dino Cakes! I must have them now! Give me the cakes, the sweet, sweet, Dino Caaaaaaaaaaaaakes!" He has a pleading look on his face.

"Okay, give him the Dino Cakes Red." Rosie tells me. I hand him the package which he quickly opens.

"Thank goodness!" He says. He pulls one out and takes a huge bite out of it and relaxes as he begins to chew it. He looks at both of us. "You two planned this didn't you?"

"Yep." We both say nodding our heads simultaneously. He walks over to his desk, picks up a card and hands it to me. It's yellow and has 'Knotwood Forest Clearance' in black and all capital letters.

"Just show this to the staff and stay out of trouble okay?" He says.

"Yes sir!" I say. "Come on Rosie!" We run out of his office and run to the dock where we board the boat. We sit down and wait for us to arrive at the dig site. I take out a Dino Cake shaped like a T-Rex and examine it. It's a cross between a brownie and a cake with a layer of fudge with white swirls on top.

"You took one?" Rosie asks.

"Two actually." I say as I pull out another one shaped like a triceratops.

"You little sneak!" She says with a smile.

"Want one?" I ask.

"Sure." She takes the one shaped like a triceratops. "Thanks." She says. I smile. We start eating them and they really are quite delicious. I notice Captain Travors watching us eat them.

"Heh." He says.

"What?" I ask.

"You two look adorable together." He says. I again face palm myself and feel my face grow hot.

The flashback ends, and I find tears in my eyes from the memory. It's happy and sad at the same time since Rosie was in it. I put the package under my arm, walk back to the Fighter's Camp, go into mine and Todd's bungalow, and go into the kitchen to see him eating breakfast. I put the Dino Cakes away, and after Todd finishes breakfast, we head out to the heliport, and climb aboard the helicopter to go to Cranial Isle.

A minute later...

I'm standing in the doorway of the helicopter with my goggles over my eyes, and holding onto the handle on the ceiling. We fly over a skull-shaped, desert island, then come to a small city of desert colored buildings. The helicopter lands, and as soon as it does, Todd jumps out and bolts off. I smile, step out of the helicopter, and look around as it takes off. I walk off the landing pad and onto the ground which is made of pale sand colored, flat rocks while closer to what must be the Fighter Station, it's a sandy-red color. A man walks over to me, and I look at him. He has spiked black hair, teal and white visor, red scarf, yellow and teal over shirt, black shirt under it, black gloves, teal and turquoise pants, a red belt and pouch, and yellow boots.

"Welcome to Cranial Isle, the land where heat and passion swirl!" He tells me. He thumbs the bill of his visor. "I'm Terry, the Staff Leader here on Cranial Isle. Nice to meet you!" I smile.

"Hello Terry." I say.

"You must be Red." Terry says. "Stella had a lot to say about you." I nod. "Word on the street is that you took down some cheats who were scaring Fighters with a fake monster."

"All in a day's work!" I tell him.

"Man, you are some kind of Fighter." Terry tells me. "Everyone's talking about your last match, you know?"

"No sir." I tell him. "I didn't know."

"Well, they are." He tells me. "Some people are even saying you could beat Rupert."

_Yeah dawg!_

"Well, everything you need for cleaning and reviving is in the Fighter Station, and we have our own Fossil Guild and Fighter's camp as well. I look forward to seeing what you can do on our little island!" He thumbs the bill of his visor again. "See you around!" He walks back towards the Fighter Station, which has a small moat like ditch around it, but the ground in front of the doors can't lift up. There's two palm trees next to the moat, and the building is sandy-red, gold colored, and a dusty red-brown color. I look at the tower on top of it.

_What the what is that for? _I wonder.

"This CS Sonar is a right finicky devise! It has to be practically on top of a Slablet to get a reading!" I hear a familiar voice say. I look to see Professor Scatterly standing near the Fighter's Station in front of another building. "I'd have to explore dig sites in a slow, painstaking fashion, and I'm too old for such tomfoolery. And I'm too fat to walk around for hours at a time. Perhaps it's time to lay off the pudding, wot wot?"

_Heh. Pudding... _I think. "Professor!" I call. He looks at me as I run over to him.

"Oh, good heavens! If it isn't Red!" He says cheerfully. "Brilliant! I was hoping you'd come to Cranial Isle."

"Yes sir." I say nodding.

"How does Cranial City find you?" He asks.

"Well, I know that the building to the left of the Fighter Station is the Fossil Guild, I know this building is the Fighter Station, but I don't know the tower on top of it or the building we're in front of."

"Yes, well, not to worry." Prof. Scatterly says straightening his glasses. "I shall simply squire you about those as one scientific mind to another!"

_Science isn't one of my strong suits... _I think.

"You see the building to the left of the Fossil Guild? That's the Hare Club. What it's for though, I'm not quite sure." Prof. Scatterly tells me. "Then of course you know the Fighter Station, and the tower above it happens to be Wildwest Tower, home of our man Joe Wildwest."

_'Joe lives there?' _I think.

_'I bet that place is nice...' _Air Strike says.

_'No doubt.' _I tell him. _'I bet it's full of treasure's he's found on his adventures... I wonder what the view looks like.'_

_'I wonder how many women want to go up there.' _Air Strike says.

_'Poor Joe.' _I think. _'I wonder if he does deal with stuff like that a lot... Well duh, yes.'_

"Imagine building a tower above a station!" Prof. Scatterly says. "The man must be mad for Fossil Fighting, wot wot?"

_Must be. _I think. _But hey, he's good at it and he loves it. I'm somehow not too surprised..._

"And here is the crown jewel of the island, if I do say so myself... The Caliosteo Museum!" The Professor says. I look at the two-story building. It has two crazy looking, colorful pillars on either side of the door, and is made of sandy-gold bricks, has a neat flower bed outside of it, and two benches. "It would be a shame to leave without a tour of the museum, eh? Since you're so close and all. Come! Please! I would be delighted to have you as my special guest!"

"Thank you Professor." I tell him with a smile. We go into the building, and come into a room with a light cactus green floor, a red violet rug, and reddish brown and sandy walls, not to mention several display cases, and a door next to a display case on the right wall.

"This is the Caliosteo Museum, a gallery of rare and wonderful discoveries made on the Caliosteo Islands! Yes, quite. Do your eyes spy my newest prize?" He asks turning to a light violet red and salmon table in the middle of the room. It has four slots in it, and two Calio Slablets with translations in front of them. The first and third slot have Slablets in them, while the second and forth are empty. "It's the Calio Slablet we obtained together! I've also added a proper translation to the exhibit so all can bask in its wonder and glory. Go ahead, you should not leave without viewing the first Slablet I acquired! Yes, of course. Quite." I do up to the first Slablet and look at the translation. The front has an image of a person with flowing robes and a strange looking crown on their head.

**The Kingdom of Caliosteo was ruled by Zongazonga. He was a sorcerer of overwhelming power and might. Such was his sorcery, that when he issued a command, the people had no choice but to obey. **On the back it has an image of two dinosaurs, a brachiosaurus and a Pteranodon. **He even used strange magics to resurrect ancient beasts from fossils.**

"Quite nice, yes?" Prof. Scatterly asks. I look at him. "Of course, I'd give a kipper dinner if I could somehow find the full set of Slablets. They would give us an invaluable look at the full history of these islands, you see. I say, just the thought of it enough to make my heart go pitty-pat!"

_'This guy talks weird...' _Cloud Cover says.

_'Would you rather him talk like Nick Nack?' _I ask her.

"Go ahead, look around some more." Prof. Scatterly tells me. I look at the display cases and see parts of ruins, fossils, bits and pieces of tools, pottery, weapons and toys. I come to some of his favorite things, and stop. Sitting in a display case is some sort of head dress, about six inches tall, gets a bit wider as it goes up, looks like it would completely cover the head except for the face, and is a dark royal purple with gold on the top and around the edge.

"What's this?" I ask the Professor.

"Ah! That is undoubtedly the most valuable thing here!" He says. "That is crown of King Zongazonga!" I snap my head up to look at him.

"It's say WHAT now?" I exclaim.

"Zongazonga's crown!" He says. "Extraordinary thing isn't it?" I stand there, shocked, then look back at the crown.

"Then... How... Why does it look perfectly maintained?" I ask.

"I actually didn't find this." The professor tells me. "It was donated."

"Donated?" I ask. "By who?"

"A student of mine." He tells me. "When I decided to come here to discover what I could... well, it was quite strange actually."

"Sir?" I ask.

"Ah, where to begin?" He asks. "You see, I used to teach at the finest university in the world. It had brilliant, scientific students you see, and I taught about the ancient world. The student who gave me this, was, and always will be, my star pupil. Absolutely brilliant she was."

"What was she like?" I ask.

"Hmmm... Well, she's not one anyone could so easily forget. Strange child she was..."

"...CHILD...?"

"Oh yes. You won't believe this, but the student I am talking about is the same person who made the wire for the Fighter's backpacks."

"...SAY WHAT...?" I ask.

"You see, she made the Fighter's gear such as the backpack wires, diving masks, and several other things that Fighters find quite handy."

"...How old is she?"

"Now? About the same age as you. When she was my student, she had me the first year she was there, she was a tender age of... well... six."

* * *

><p><strong>AN- Who's with Red on the "SAY WHAT NOW?" part?<strong>

**Red: What... the... WHAT?**

**Me: Don't worry. We'll find out more about the six year old college student in the next chapter! Meanwhile my faithful readers, leave a review!**


	39. A Crazy Robot

Chapter Thirty-nine- A Crazy Robot

"...WHAT?" I exclaim with utter confusion. "How... How does THAT work?"

"I'm not sure, but she's the strangest person I've ever known." The Professor says. "And not just because of her age, but her behavior. She was utterly unpredictable, she understood things that children her age don't, and had the largest vocabulary. I'VE never even heard of some of the words she would use. Then, she loved reading, writing and drawing. Her skills in those were far superior of anything I've ever seen. The pictures she drew looked so life like, and she had a twelve point nine plus reading average, which is as high as they can go. She seemed to know how to read, write and speak in every known language, and yet, she never bragged about it. She just preferred to sit by herself and not talk unless it was necessary. I at first thought she was a mute, until I asked her what her favorite subject was, and she said she liked all of them."

"So... did she have any friends?" I ask.

"One, actually. A lovely young woman. I never saw those two apart, and they seemed rather protective of each other. However, the thing that no one could ever forget about that girl was her eyes."

"Sir?" I ask.

"You see, they were a beautiful deep brown, but they were very strange. They looked wise and ancient beyond measure, and they always had some kind of anger and sadness in them. Though the strangest thing she did, was whenever someone said she was adorable, which she is, she would moan and groan."

"That is strange."

"Quite, but again, she was unpredictable. But, she graduated at the top of the class, and when she found out I was coming here, she told me I shouldn't."

"Why?"

"She didn't say. Just not to. I refused to listen to her though. She knew I wouldn't listen, so she gave me Zongazonga's crown, and I haven't heard from her since..."

"..." I blink with confusion. "That's... different..."

"Yes..." Prof. Scatterly says. We stand there in silence.

_...I don't know what to think of this. _I think.

"Yes, well." Prof. Scatterly says. "The Caliosteo Museum is always open. Science never sleep, wot wot? If you wish to know the history of the islands, feel free to pop in for a spot of tea and a lecture."

"Thank you Professor. I will." I tell him with a smile. He smiles back.

"Now then Red! I assume you'll soon be off for excavating and the like, yes?" Prof. Scatterly says. I nod. "You can access Mt. Krakanak from the town's center stair way. If you wish to go to the Fighter's Camp, just go down the path next to the Hare Club, and you'll find it."

"Thank you." I tell him.

"Good luck to you, my young Fighter! Tallyho!" I smile, and leave the museum.

_'He's kind of like Dr. Diggins.' _I think.

_'True, but I would like to know more about that student.' _Cloud Cover says.

_'Yeah...' _Flamethrower says.

_'We can worry about that later. Right now, we got fossils to dig!' _I run down the main stairway, and down a path to the dig site. I pass one of those metallic colored pillars that generates the shield for the cliffs and lava, then come to a long, winding path of red volcanic rock, held up by pillars of the same material. I run onto the dig site, and start throwing my pick down, and getting the fossils I dig up. I see two curved, narrow rocks, and pick them up to see they're hollow.

"Hey!" I hear Todd call. I look to see him by the rope bridge which allows access to the volcanic path leading up the volcano to the rim of it. I get an idea, and pull the hollow rocks onto my hands and lower arms, put them behind my back, and run over to Todd.

"Todd, I have bad news." I tell him.

"What's wrong?" Todd asks with worry.

"I think I have to strong a connection to my vivosaurs."

"...Why?" I pull my arms out from behind my back, and hold them up to reveal the two curved rocks that now look like claws on my arms.

"I'm turning into a vivosaur!" I tell him. He bursts out laughing, making me laugh. I pull the rocks off, and toss them aside.

"You here to dig Red?" Todd asks.

"Yup!" I tell him.

"This place is really awesome!" Todd says. "There's tons of fossil rocks I've never seen before!"

"Yeah dawg!" I say with agreement.

"Let's see what else we can find!"

"Let's go!"

"Yeah!"

"...I knew you were here by the way the air suddenly filled with high-pitched squeals of delight." A familiar, unfriendly voice says. Me and Todd both turn towards the rope bridge to see Rupert walking across it towards us with a robot that looks a lot like KL-33N following him. It's purple with a yellow drill on its head, and bluish purple spheres at the end of its arms with three steel-colored claws coming out of them.

"Rupert!" Todd says. "Are you looking for fossil rocks for Round 3?" Rupert looks at him.

"Please." He says in his monotonous, flat bored voice. "Don't sully me with such accusations. My vivosaurs are already skilled enough to win Round 3 with little trouble. No, I simply came here to run some field tests on a new product." He steps aside, and looks at the robot. "This is Di66-R, an automated excavation tool recently developed by FossilDig Inc." Di66-R moves towards us some, then spins around.

"Good day sir or madam." It says in a mechanical voice. "I am Di66-R" Rupert turns to us.

"This robot contains built-in sonar and has the ability to locate and excavate fossil rock automatically." He says. "It is an important product for the company, which is why my father asked me to perform the field test. The sales potential of Di66-R is almost limitless. When Fighters see what it can do..." Di66-R sudden makes a spark noise, and we all look at it to see smoke coming out of its head. A large smoke cloud bursts from it.

"Di66-R will b-b-be releas-s-s-sed!" It stammers. "W-w-welcome, sir! Go, madam! I am... I am-m-m-m-m... PLEASE INSERT TOKEN! YOUR CALL IS IMPORTANT TO US! I AM ERROR!" It then breaks down, and struggles to remain floating.

"...That's REEEEEEALLY something it can do there." I say. Rupert glares at me, then looks back at Di66-R, and takes a step towards it.

"What now?" He asks with irritation.

"404 PAGE NOT FOUND!" Di66-R says. "BAD COMMAND OR FILE NAME! ABORT RETRY FAIL!" It suddenly spins around, hitting Rupert and knocking him down before speeding across the rope bridge.

"Rupert!" I exclaim. Me and Todd rush over and crouch on either side of him. "Are you okay?"

"No..." He says.

"Don't worry, we'll-"

"...No! No, no, no, no, no!" He says. "That scrap heap of a robot just ran off with my Dino Medals!"

"Well, that's a reason to not be okay." Todd says.

"And it's programmed with an automatic Fossil Battle system!" Rupert says.

"That's DEFINATLY a reason not to be okay!" I say.

"I must stop it!" Rupert says. He tries to push himself up, only to fall back down, grabbing his side where Di66-R hit him. "Ungh!" He exclaims painfully.

"Don't try to move!" Todd says putting a hand on his shoulder. "You took a real pounding there."

"Don't you see?" Rupert snaps. "If Di66-R starts randomly battling strangers with MY vivosaurs, there will be chaos! The reputation of my father's company would be stained forever! I have to... I must..." He lets out a moan of pain.

"Todd, you stay here and make sure Rupert doesn't try anything, while I go stop that crazy robot!" I tell Todd.

"Right!" He says nodding. I jump up, and speed over the rope bridge. I get to the other side, the turn and run up the volcanic rock path held up by pillars of the same material. As the path leads up the volcano, it turns and continues. I turn as the path does, and I can feel something sinister in the air. I keep running up the path, and I come to Di66-R, which is shaking violently and struggling to remain floating. It turns to me.

"Green alert!" It says in a crackling voice. "Fighter located-ed-ed! Battle system i-i-i-initiated." It shoot out some Dino Medals, while I take out my team. It's fighting me with a Krypto, Tophis, and Brachio. The Krypto is built like a T-Rex, has pure white teeth, a pale, pale, pale, light blue under side, is gray, has wolf-like ears, gold and sky blue around it's wrists, ankles, and tail, a fur-like coat on its head and the back of its neck, but none on its jaw, then a red and gold band around its neck.

The Tophis is the biggest snake I've ever seen. Its three feet thick, about fifty feet long, and must weigh a ton. Its white with a cream underside, blue patterns on its back, orange eyes, and the tip of its tail is orange. It has a triangular head, with cream colored rings around its eyes, and blue spots on its snout.

The Brachio is built like a long neck, is royal purple, and has gold lines all over it. _This robot is smarter than I thought... _I think. The team is all Neutral, meaning no disadvantages or advantages.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Tophis!" He attacks doing fifty-nine damage.

"Tophis, S-Snake Bite on Spinax!" He attacks doing ten damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Tophis!" He attacks doing eighty-six damage, sending Tophis into his medal. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Krypto!" He attacks doing thirty damage.

"Brachio, Mighty S-S-Stomp on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing nineteen damage, and rotating my team to where Air Strike and Flamethrower are both in the AZ. "Krypto, Krypto Fang on Spinax!" He attacks doing seventeen damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Krypto!" He attacks, doing sixty damage, making Krypto go into his medal. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Brachio!" He attacks doing thirty-one damage.

"Brac-c-chio, Mighty stomp on Shanshan!" He attacks doing thirty-two damage, and rotating my team to where Flamethrower and Cloud Cover in the AZ.

_'This doesn't feel right...' _Air Strike tells me.

_'I know... You're rarely ever in the SZ, and this vivosaur it rotating you guy like fan blades.' _I tell him. I rotate my team to where Air Strike and Flamethrower are in the AZ. "Flamethrower, Enflame on Air Strike!" He uses Enflame, boosting Air Strike's attacks. "Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Brachio!" He attacks doing sixty-two damage.

"Brachio, M-Mighty Stomp o-o-on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing eleven damage, and rotating my team to where Cloud Cover is in the AZ.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Combo on Brachio!" She attacks doing thirty-seven damage.

"Brachio, Mighty Stomp on S-S-Spinax!" He attacks doing twenty-two damage, and rotating my team to where Air Strike and Flamethrower are in the AZ.

"Flamethrower, you do the honor with S-Combo!" He attacks doing thirty damage, putting Brachio in his medal.

"SYSTEM FAILURE DETECTED!" Di66-R says. "A WINNER IS YOU! REBOOT! REBOOT! REBOOT! ...System restored. Reboot complete. Full functionality has been restored."

"Yeah dawg!" I say with victory as I catch my team's medals.

"Woo Red!" I hear Todd say. "Way to go!" I turn around to see Todd helping Rupert up the path while Rupert holds his side.

"You... did it?" Rupert asks standing up straight. "You stopped the robot?"

"Yeah dawg!" I tell him. He blinks with confusion over the fact I just said 'dawg'.

"Er, yes, well..." He says. "I mean to say... You should not have taken matters into your own hands! I'm sure I could have dealt with the thing myself."

"Uh, Red just saved your Dad's company from a very terrible incident, yet you get mad at him?" Todd asks.

"...That... IS true..." Rupert says. He takes a step forward. "Very well then. When we launch Di66-R, I shall see that you receive the very first one."

"Uh... No thanks... I'm good." I tell him.

"Come now." Rupert says. "There is no reason for hesitation. This is what field tests are for. With proper modifications, it will never do such a thing again. You... you will accent one, won't you?"

"No thank you." I tell him.

"...I... I don't understand." Rupert says with confusion.

"For a smart guy, you're not that bright." Todd tells Rupert. "You know that? We don't want a robot because it would take all the fun out of it! No Fighter wants someone else to dig up fossil rocks. They want to do it themselves!"

"Yeah dawg!" I say in agreement. "Besides, it's good exercise! I mean, look!" I roll up my sleeve and flex my muscle. Todd and Rupert blink with surprise.

"...Can I touch it?" Todd asks.

"Sure." I tell him. He puts his hand on my bicep.

"...What is under there? ROCK?" He asks.

"Just muscle." I tell him. Todd takes a step back, I relax the muscle and roll my sleeve back down.

"...It's...fun?" Rupert asks, getting back on topic. "...Fun. Hmmm..." He turns his back to us. "Come Di66-R! We must be off." He walks down the path with Di66-R following him. Me and Todd turn to each other.

"I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted." Todd says. "I'm going back to Cranial City for a little nap."

"Sounds good." I tell him. "I could make lunch first."

"Then let's go!" Todd says suddenly full of energy.

"I'll get some groceries." I tell him. Todd speeds down the path while I calmly walk down it towards Cranial City. I get there and as I walk up the stair way, I over hear two Fighters talking.

"Hey, did you hear?" A boy asks a woman. "Someone just stole the Mammoth Vision video screen!"

"I guess they have back-up unit." The woman says.

_'Why would someone steal a giant TV screen?' _I ask.

_'To watch sports on?' _Air Strike asks.

_'I doubt that.'_ I tell him as I walk to the center of the area. I hear helicopter blades, and turn to see the Mammoth Screen up in the air. People start whispering to each other with confusion, and I look up at it. The screen turns on, to show someone with their backs to us. They have a cape that's black on one side with white at the ends, then white on the other side with black at the ends, and the edge is gold, red shoulder pads with golden tassels, making it look like the kind an admiral wears. Their hair, which looks nothing like hair, is bone white, while a silver crown with gold on the edge sits on their head.

"Fools!" The person, a man with a voice that sounds like a maniacal cackle, says. "Bow before Don Boneyard! The one true leader of..." He starts to turn around. "The Bare Bones Brigade!" His head bobs up some as he turns, and my jaw drops, face goes pale, and eyes widen. His cape covers a robe which is black with a gray swirl, has six bone shaped objects as long as my finger at the top, the edge is white, an ascot tied around his neck and tucked into the robe, and the front of his crown has a ruby.

But it's not that stuff that is gripping me with fear.

I didn't see hair on the back of his head...

_**WHAT THE **__**WHAT?**_

His head is a skull.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Yep. A skull... for a head. Creepy...<strong>

**Red: ...THIS MAKES NO SENSE!**

**Me: Yep. Haven't you guys ever wondered how the character felt when they first saw Don Boneyard? Leave a review!**


	40. The BareBones Brigade

Chapter Forty-The BareBones Brigade

I stare up at the Mammoth screen, and at the face of Don Boneyard. I guess he technically wouldn't have a face since head is just a skull. I can see the ridged cheek bones, his teeth, and the eye sockets are solid black.

_How does this guy talk? _I wonder. He doesn't have any muscle to move his jaw, and he doesn't have a tongue, but he somehow moves his jaw and releases a maniacal cackle as an evil laugh.

"This park shall be mine!" He says. "And forget about digging at the volcano... For I have blocked the path!"

_What?_

"Your Cup will soon be no more!" He says.

_Grrrrr... I'll show you!_

"Bwa ha ha! AHA ha ha ha ha!" He laughs. The Mammoth Screen turns off, and flies away.

"He can't do that!" Someone says.

"No more Cup? THIS IS TERRIBLE!" Another person yells.

"Someone do something!" A person pleads.

_'I will. I'm not going to let some... uh... erm...'_

_'Creepy guy?' _Air Strike asks.

_'Talking skull?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'Flapping mandible and cranium?' _Flamethrower asks.

_'ALL THOSE! ...Stop the Caliosteo Cup! ...And what's a mandible and a cranium?' _I ask. Flamethrower mentally face palms.

_'They're other names for jaw and skull...' _He says.

_'Oh... Not one of my brightest moments, but-'_

_'What about when you fell out of the tree after seeing Duna and Raptin kissing?'_

_'Okay, that-'_

_'Or when you were throwing snowballs at nothing?'_

_'Hey, I-'_

_'OR when you were hugging Rosie and Mr. Richmond came in?'_

_'That was King-'_

_'OR when you woke up that morning after the par-'_

_'THAT NEVER HAPPENED!'_

_'...Okay.'_

_'Okay, this isn't stopping the BB Brigade.'_

_'So true.'_

_'So why are we still talking?'_

_'Don't know.'_

_'Then let's go get rid of whatever is blocking the path.'_

_'Sounds good.' _

"Did you see that Red?" Todd yells as he runs up to me. "THAT GUY WAS A TALKING SKULL!"

"That ain't right man!" I say.

"I know!" Todd says. "I wonder if these guys are like the BB Bandits that were back on Vivosaur Island."

_In that case, I just need to know where their base is, and I'll take 'em down. _I think.

"You there!" We hear someone with a German accent say. "Little ones! Ve have...trouble, yes?" Everyone turns to see a towering man with a large amount of muscle walking up the center stairway. He has blonde hair, a pink collared shirt, blue jeans, a black leather belt, and brown shoes. Everyone moves towards the center of the area as he walks into the square. "Mt. Krakanak, it is no good. A large rock has... blocked it. I must get to the dig site, but cannot. This rock, it is too large. You may be able to. You have, how you say... Axpick? Maybe you can break rock. Vlad tried to break, but...no good." Vlad tells us. He looks around at everyone. "You will be doing this thing, yes? I vill tell Terry." He walks through the small crowd, and into the Fighter Station.

"Do you think you can break the rock?" Todd asks me.

"Yup!" I tell him. "After all, I got plenty of muscle to do it with!"

"But what if the BareBones Brigade...?" Todd suddenly hunches over and grabs his stomach. "Ooooooooh! My stomach! It hurts again!"

"What caused it?" I ask him.

"...Probably the sushi I ate from the discount cart." He moans.

_Ew._

"You have to go on without me Red." He tells me. "I'll catch up with you when I feel better."

"Okay." I tell him. "Feel better soon." I tell him. I turn, and run down the main stairway to Mt. Krakanak. I run up the volcanic red rock bridge only to be stopped by a large bolder as soon as I come onto it. I take out my pick, and hit it against the bolder, only to send a vibration through me, triggering a flashback...

"Is there something wrong?" A voice asks. I turn to see Duna standing there. I look back at the bolder. "That's a very large bolder." I take my pick ax, swing at it, only to send a vibration through myself. "I can get rid of it." I look at her. "Stand back."

_WHY? _I wonder. I get out of the way and she walks up to the bolder. Standing two feet away, she takes out a pistol and points it at the bolder. _How is a bullet- ... WHY DOES SHE HAVE A GUN? _She pulls the trigger, and instead of a bullet, a laser that looks like lightning hits the bolder. There's a bright flash of light, and when I can see, there's nothing left of it.

"You may proceed. Good-bye." She walks farther on to the dig site.

_How-what-but-it-I-... WHAT THE WHAT?_ I think. _How does THAT work? ... I'll... I'll think about it later. I need to find that last idol. _I walk along the dirt paths, digging up fossils as I go. I come to a short tunnel after awhile, start to walk through it, and stop.

The air has a suspicious feel to it.

The flashback ends, and I find myself laying on the ground with my feet propped up on it. I lift up my head, get my feet under me, stand up, and grab my pick. _I got this. _I think.

"Hey Red!" I hear Todd call. I turn to see him running towards me. He looks at the rock. "...Yeah that's a big rock all right." He gently kicks it. "I don't think we can do anything about this." I turn to the bolder, and hit it with my pick.

"I mean, you're good and all, but this thing's on a whole different level." Todd tells me. I turn to face him.

"I can do it Todd." I tell him. "For the future of the Caliosteo Cup." I give him a wry smile, then turn back to the rock and continue hitting it. After a second, Todd takes out his pick, and we hit away at it. His pick has a dark green handle where you hold it, a regular green handle, then the head it light green with orange on the ends and diamond shaped, red violet spikes with white swirls going along the top. We continue hitting away at the bolder, and manage to make a dent in it.

"...At this rate, we'll all be old and wrinkled before the bolder is gone." A flat voice says. Me and Todd turn to see Rupert standing there with Di66-R next to him.

"Rupert!" Todd exclaims.

"Stand aside children." Rupert says.

"You're a kid too." I tell him.

"...Yes..." Rupert says looking down, only moving his eyes.

_...He doesn't have the same ray-gun-thing that Duna used to destroy the boulders on Mt. Lavaflow... right? _I wonder. Me and Todd step out of the way.

"Di66-R, please remove this boulder." Rupert says. Di66-R floats up to the boulder.

"Of course sir or madam." It says. "It would be my pleaser to assist you." It starts beating away at the boulder. "Digging program initiated. Digging... Digging... Digging... Digging... Digging... Digging..."

Two minutes later...

The boulder is half gone. "Holy crow!" Todd exclaims. "Look at that thing go!" I notice Rupert smiles.

"Digging..." Di66-R says. "Diiigging... Diiiiiiiiiiiigging... Diiiiiiiiiiiiggiiiiiiiiiiiing... ERROR. FILE NOT FOUND." It suddenly slows down to where it's just scraping the boulder with its claws.

"Sweet caviar!" Rupert says.

_'Caviar?' _I ask Flamethrower.

_'It's a kind of spread made from fish eggs.' _He tells me.

_'OH GROSS!' _I exclaim with disgust.

"It's running out of power! And we're so close to completion too..." Rupert says I stand there a second, then go up to the boulder and continue to hit it with my pick.

"Be careful Red!" Todd tells me. I continue hitting the boulder, and Di66-R stops digging, and turns to me.

"...Does sir or madam wish to assist Di66-R?" It asks. I stop and look at it.

"Yep." I tell it.

"No one has ever assisted Di66-R with digging before." It says. "Now I know why it is that you humans smile." It sudden spins around. "Energy fully restored! Digging program initiated!" It turn back to the boulder, and resumes hitting it with all its might while resume hitting the boulder with my pick.

One minute later...

BOOM!

"You did it Red!" Todd says as me and Di66-R destroy the boulder.

"All in a day's work!" I tell him with a smile.

"Excellent job Di66-R." Rupert tells the robot. "You have made me very proud." He turns to me and Todd. "Whoever put this boulder here must still be in the area. I'm going to go look for them. Let's go Di66-R."

"I will obey sir or madam." The floating robot follows Rupert onto the dig site. I hear a buzzing noise, take out my Fighter's License, and open it to see I've been promoted to Fighter Level 4.

"Yeah dawg!" I say happily. I put my Fighter's License back in the side pocket with my Paleopager, and turn to Todd.

"Well, I guess people can get back to digging at Mt. Krakanak, huh? Todd asks. "Still, I think we should go back to Cranial City until they catch whoever did this."

"No way Todd." I tell him. "We need to stop whoever did this."

"...Oh, come on!" Todd tells me. "You want to help Rupert catch the boulder-rolling culprits?"

"Yeah dawg." I tell him.

"B-but... what if it's the BareBones Brigade?" Todd asks, his voice cracking with fear. "Not that I'm scared of them! I just... Well... Um..." He suddenly clutches his stomach. "Ooooooooh! My stomach! It huuuuuurts!" I frown. "I shouldn't of eaten mayonnaise that had been left in the sun..."

_...OH...GROSS... _

"Sorry Red." Todd says before sitting down on a rock. "Go on without me." I nod.

"Feel better soon." I tell him. I turn, and run down the red volcanic rock path, across the rope bridge, and u the winding path up the side of the volcano. I pass Di66-R, and keep running. I come to a turn near to top, and see Rupert standing there. He sees me as I come up to him.

"...Oh." He says. "It's Red. Be still my heart."

_What?_

"Well, from the looks of things, our hooligan friends rolled the boulder down from up there." Rupert tells me. "I've spotted a few unpleasant types skulking about, and I've little doubt they're with the BareBones Brigade. Are you ready for battle?"

"Don't sully me with such questions." I say reusing almost the same thing he told Todd earlier.

"Right..." Rupert says. "Let's go then." We turn and run up a short, shallow slope and see two men standing on across from us next to some train tracks that go around a bit of the lip of the volcano's crater.

The men have on the same uniforms, which are pitch black, have black vests that arch over their shoulders, white gloves, long black sleeves with a white line, a white skull with three white lines on the front of the vest, and the three lines go all the way around, and connect to a white line going down the back. Skin tight, black hoods with a white line going down the middle are pulled over their heads, black one-way glasses with white on the edge is over their eyes, thick, white belts, black pants with a white line, and white shoes.

"We're gonna show those Fighters what the BareBones Brigade is all about!" One of them says.

"Haw haw!" The other one laughs. "Yeah! There's no way they're getting past our awesome boulder!"

"Actually," Rupert says. "we've reduced your little boulder to pebbles." The two men whirl around to see me and Rupert running towards them.

"Wh-what?" One of them asks, his voice cracking. "How'd you break our beautiful boulder?"

Well it doesn't matter!" The other BB Brigade member says stepping forward. "Our boneysaurs are gonna make you pay!"

"..." Me and Rupert say nothing, and just give them confused looks.

"...Boneysaurs?" Rupert asks. "Oh come now, that's just absurd."

"Shut up!" The BB Brigade member says. "It is not! BareBones Brigade members get special skeletal terrifying vivosaurs called boneysaurs! They're horrifying nightmares straight from our boss Don Boneyard!"

"It they're suppose to be terrifying, then why don't you give them names that strike fear?" I ask them.

"Uh... Because..." The other one says. "...Um... You don't need to know since we're going to grind your bones to make our bread!" He laughs.

"That doesn't sound very appetizing." I tell him.

"Think you can handle that one Red?" Rupert asks me.

"Yeah dawg!" I tell him pulling out my team. The two BB Brigade soldiers get ready to fight.

"Here they come!" Rupert says. The BB Brigade members throw out three Dino medals each, and I call out my team. The vivosaurs, boneysaurs as they called them, were built like a Lambeo, were made of pale white bones held together by a strange, lack shadow substance, and has glowing, purple ghost eyes.

"B-Lambeo, Boney Chomp on Spinax!" He attacks doing twenty-seven damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on B-Lambeo!" He attacks doing ninety-four damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on B-Lambeo!" He attacks doing thirty-eight damage. The BB Brigade Goon rotates his boneysaurs.

"B-Lambeo, Boney Chomp on Spinax!" He attacks doing eighteen damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on B-Lambeo!" He attacks doing ninety damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on B-Lambeo!" He attacks doing fifty-three damage. The BB Brigade Goon rotates his boneysaurs back to their original spots.

"B-Lambeo, Boney Chomp on Spinax!" He attacks doing twenty-eight damage.

"Cloud Cover, S-Fang on B-Lambeo!" She attacks doing thirty-four damage, sending the boneysaurs into its medal. The BB Brigade rotates his boneysaurs to where the strong one is in the AZ.

"B-Lambeo, Boney Chomp on Spinax!" He attacks doing nineteen damage.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on B-Lambeo!" She attacks doing twenty-seven damage, making the boneysaur go into its medal. The BB Brigade moves the last boneysaur to the AZ.

"B-Lambeo, Boney Chomp on Spinax!" He attacks doing nineteen damage.

"Air Strike, Cyclone on B-Lambeo!" He attacks doing two hundred and thirty-one damage, putting the boneysaur into its medal. The goons take a few steps back.

"Nooooo!" The one Rupert fought says. "We lost!

"They're completely unfazed by the horror of our boneysaurs!" The one I fought says, his voice full over worry.

"Don't think you're hot stuff for beating a couple of lackeys!" The previous goon says with false bravery. "Our boss, Don Boneyard, is the meanest dude around! He'll turn you bones to jelly!"

_I thought it was bread..._

"Yeah!" The one I fought says stepping forward. "And Don Boneyard has three commanders that are almost as strong as he is! They'll beat you so bad, your own mom won't recognize you!" He laughs.

_I don't want my mom to recognize me._

"You're cruisin' for a bruisin' now chumps!" The one Rupert fought says. "Just remember that you asked for it!" They run past us and down the path. Me and Rupert look at each other.

"Those two are full of tough talk considering we just pummeled them into submission." Rupert tells me. "I must admit, the BareBones Brigade does manage to inspire a certain kind of awe." I raise an eyebrow.

"Heeeey!" We hear Todd call. Me and Rupert turn to see Todd running up the path.

"Hey Todd!" I call.

"Are you guys okay?" He asks. "Did the BareBones Brigade show up?"

"Yes, but it was nothing we weren't able to handle." Rupert tells Todd. "They've run home to mummy now."

"Man, I miss all the fun stuff!" Todd says. "If it wasn't for this dumb stomach, I coulda helped you stomp 'em!"

"Red?" Rupert asks. I look at him. "Though this pains me to admit, that fight was not altogether easy. I'm not sure I could have handled them without your assistance. I owe you my thanks yet again." We all stand there for a second. "So then, I... thank you."

"Rupert! You just acted humble!" Todd says stepping forward. "Are you feeling all right?" Rupert glares at him, and I laugh.

"And why would you find it amusing that I offer thanks for a job well done?" He demands. Todd laughs.

"It's just a joke Rupert!" He tells him. We hear a phone ring, and Rupert pulls a cell phone out of his pocket. He holds it up to his ear.

"Hello Father." He says. "What do you need?"

"Wow!" Todd says. "Rupert's dad is the CEO of FossilDig Inc.! They don't come much bigger than that!"

"...Di66-R's field test results?" Rupert asks. We look back at him. "..." He stands there for a second. "I'm sorry to say that it suffers some fundamental design flaws to a consumer stand point."

_What did he just say? _I wonder, unable to understand.

"Some problems could be overcome with extensive redesigns, but I fear most Fighters will still have little interest." Rupert tells his dad. "However, I do believe it shows great promise as an emergency-assistance robot...Yes Father...I understand Father...Yes, of course I will win the Cup. Good-bye Father." He hangs up, and puts his cell phone back in his pocket.

"Hold on Rupert!" Todd says. "You just said you could launch the robot so long as you made a redesign."

_He understood that?_

"Was that a lie?" Todd asks.

"I never lie." Rupert tells him. "I do believe Di66-R's technical problems can be overcome given enough time. However, there is a large issue at play, which is that I do not think anyone will purchase the device. You have shown me that Fighters like to dig as much as battle. They seem to find it... fun."

"Yeah dawg!" I say triumphantly nodding.

"That's right!" Todd says. "You get it now!" Todd tells him. "Come on Red, let's get back to Cranial City. We can come here later and dig to our hearts content."

"Okay." I tell him. "Race ya!" I speed down the path and Todd runs after me. He pushes me some, I push him back, he pushes me down, and I trip him. He falls down, I get my feet under me and keep running, but Todd grabs my ankle, making me fall over. He jumps on me, and I get my feet under me and stand up. Todd hangs onto me by his arms, which are wrapped around my neck, and I get him in a fireman carry. "Back to Cranial City!" I say as I speed down the path.

"WHEEEE!" Todd yells with one arm around my neck and waving his helmet around in the other. As we turn, I see Rupert still at the summit, watching us with amusement. I run to Cranial City's center stair way, and I let Todd slide off my back to the ground. We walk up the stair way, and I hear helicopter blades. "Hey look! The Mammoth Vision is coming around again!"

"Please don't let it be Don Boneyard yelling at everyone again..." I moan. We walk up onto the square, and the Mammoth Vision flies down. The screen turns on, and there stands Joe. _YAY! JOE!_

"Howdy there Caliosteo Cup Fighters." He says. "Now y'all may already now this, but..." He looks off to the side. "It seems we're bein' hassled by a band'a thieves called the BareBones Brigade." He looks back at us. "They're tellin' us we gotta cancel the Caliosteo Cup and vamoose outta this here park once and for all. Well, horse feathers to that! This here Cup is my dream, and I know it's shared by y'all. So if they want me to cancel it, they're gonna have to saddle up and make me! The Caliosteo Cup will never surrender!" He does a two finger salute. "We'll beat them varmints, or my name ain't Joe Wildwest!" The crowd, me, and Todd all start to cheer.

"Yeah!" I man yells. "You tell 'em Joe!"

"Yeah!" Todd says jumping in the air. "Get 'em! Saddle up!"

"You show 'em who the real cowboy is Joe!" I yell jumping in the air. The crowd diffuses, and me and Todd get some lunch, then do some digging at Mt. Krakanak.

At four...

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

I wipe the sweat from my brow, and take out my Paleopager. "The Caliosteo Cup Round 3 matches will now begin. Nell has been selected as Red's Round 3 opponent." Me and Todd look at each other. "Please get ready, then check in at Cranial City's Fossil Stadium." The staff member says. I put my pager away.

"I'll be waiting at the Fossil Stadium, Red." Todd tells me. "I'm counting on you!"

"I won't let you down!" I tell him with a smile. We run to the Fighter Station, and Todd runs to the stands while I head into the Commons Room. The lobby here is the same as on Ribular, except with tan floors, a sandy-gold rug with red and purplish sofas, yellow-orange walls with red volcanic rock colored base boards, yellow automatic doors, red stairs, orange red and yellow counter with a hi-tech screen behind it, and a really cool looking, tube like elevator up on the balcony of the room. On either side of it are tubes with platforms going through them.

_That leads up to Wildwest Tower... _I think. _Man, I'd love to see the view... _I head into the Commons Room, and it has a red violet floor, dark salmon and mahogany benches, pinkish red lockers, cacti in the corners, light pink, red and dark red walls, and a red door with pink zigzags on it. I see a little girl, about seven, sitting on a bench near the door. Her brown hair is in pigtails held up by light sea green ribbons, she has a butter cup yellow dress with a light sea green bow and parasol, and yellow shoes.

_Aww... _I think with a smile. _She look so ador-_

"BWA HA HA HA!" She laughs evilly. I stop, get a DERP look on my face and she looks at me.

_Did that just happen? _I exclaim in my mind. This adorable little seven-year-old just laughed like Don Boneyard. _What the what?_

"Tee hee!" Nell giggles. "Did I sound evil right there? After seeing Don Boneyard, I decided to start laughing like him."

"..." I just look at her with a mixture of confusion and 'are-you-crazy' look on my face. "O...K then..."

"The next match is Nell vs. Red." The announcer says. "Combatants should enter the stadium immediately."

"No I shall crush you in battle!" Nell says before laughing evilly again."

_... _I think. _Talking dinosaurs, a tribe of people that say 'digadig', a group of purple bandits, a crazy French guy, sharks with giant dentures, a ghost that cares about fashion, aliens, starships, a guy with a dinosaur mask, teleporting, rabid fan girls, a girl with a creepy mask and too self-confidant and self-centered, a fake monster, some guy with a crazy hairstyle who said he was going to 'boogie-woogie' all over me, a six-year-old college student, a king that was a sorcerer, an insane robot, a talking skull, and now THIS, and I'm STILL surprised?...'When did my life stop making sense?'_

_'When you ran away.'_ Air Strike tells me.

_'Ugh...' _I tell him. Me and Nell walk out onto the Battle Area and call out our teams. She has a Yango, Berto, and Sungari. The Yango is built like a Stego, is black with fire on it, and sunglow orange spikes. The Berto is a purplish-gray with a pinkish purple underside, red claws, and rock like hide on its head, back, shoulders, and thighs. The Sungari is built like a Ptera, is pink with teal wings and a teal crest on its head. "Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Berto!" He attacks doing sixty-nine damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Berto!" He attacks doing forty-eight damage.

"Sungari, Sungari Beam on Spinax!" He attacks doing seven damage.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Berto!" She attacks doing twenty-two damage, sending Berto into his medal. "Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Yango!" He attacks doing thirty-eight damage.

"Sungari, Sungari Beam on Spinax!" He attacks doing eight damage. "Yango, Spike Tail on Spinax!" He attacks doing seven damage.

"Flamethrower, S-Fang on Yango!" He attacks doing eighteen damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Yango!" She attacks doing thirteen damage, making Yango go into his medal.

"Sungari, Sungari Beam on Spinax!" He attacks doing twelve damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Sungari!" He attacks doing forty-two damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Sungari!" She attacks doing fifteen damage, sending Sungari into his medal.

"RED WINS!" The announcer says. The crowd cheers, and my vivosaurs roar with victory.

In the lobby...

"You did it again Red!" Todd says jumping in the air with glee. "I knew you could!"

"Thanks man!" I tell him.

"That was a smoking-hot battle!" I hear Terry say. Me and Todd turn to see him walking over to us. "Congratulations for clearing Round 3! Here's a prize for making it this far." He hands me a giant fossil rock. I take it with no problem, and Terry looks at me with surprise. "That thing's not heavy to you?"

"No sir." I tell him putting it in my backpack.

"Okay..." Terry says. "It's a giant fossil rock. It actually contains all four parts!"

"No way!" Todd exclaims.

"But, since it's so big, the thing would be a nightmare to clean on your own." Terry tells me. "You might have better luck if you went to Clean Z. Fossil's Cleaning-Party Emporium over on Ribular. It opened up not too long ago with the Fossil Cannon."

"Thanks Terry!" I tell him.

"Good luck in the next round!" He tells me. He walks back towards his office.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

Me and Todd pull out our Paleopagers. "All Round 3 matches of the Caliosteo Cup are now complete. We are also opening a new dig site: Rainbow Canyon! Rainbow Canyon sparkles with color and is home to a variety of elemental types. Fighters are urged to travel there and prepare for Round 4." The staff member says. The screen goes blank, and we put our pagers away.

"I can't wait!" Todd says with excitement. "It needs to be tomorrow!"

"Well, the sooner we go to bed, the sooner it'll be tomorrow." I tell him. Let's go!" We run out of the Fighter Station, and down the path next to the Hare Club. We come to the Fighter's Camp, which has bungalows made of dark brown wood, with a cactus growing at each corner. Me and Todd find ours, and go in, and come into a small living room with a tan sofa, brown wooden floor boards, dusty red rug, a coffee table painted red, and a TV on a red stand. Next to the door is a window that lets in the evening sun, there's another one next to the TV, and the walls are light gold with sandy baseboards.

We go through the archway on the right wall, into a sandy colored kitchen with light gold and gold accents. The refrigerator, stove, sink, counters and cabinets are against the right wall with a window above the sink and the other outside wall. We go back through the living room and through a sandy colored door on the wall across from the front door into a bedroom with a bunk bed and desk.

The bunk bed is red with light red blankets and white sheets. The room has the same walls as the living room, except with a red carpet. The desk is a pinkish color, and in the upper left corner with a rolling chair the same color, and lamp on the desk top. There's two windows, one on the left side of the desk, then one left of the bunk bed which is in the upper right corner.

I open the sandy door just next to the foot of the bunk bed into a nice bathroom with light red and red accents, a shower/tub, vanity and toilet. We grab out duffle bags from the living room, and store away our clothes form this one. I make supper, and we devour it. Afterwards, I watch some TV while Todd showers, and after he gets out, I take a shower and brush m teeth. I go into the bed room, hang my blue bath robe on a hook attached to the bed, and climb under the covers of the bottom bunk, while Todd sleeps on the top bunk.

"Night Todd." I tell him.

"Night Red." He tells me. I flip the light switch, turning off the lights, and lay there in bed, thinking of Rosie as I drift into my waking dreams of her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-YES! Finally got this done! Sorry about how long this took, I was gone at summer camp. To the anonymous review who left the supposed "spoiler", if you're going to make up stuff like that, go do it somewhere else. And to thesecretkeeper11, no spoilers.<strong>


	41. Two Faced

**AN-And today, we head to a canyon made of red, yellow, green, blue and white fossil rocks, Rainbow Canyon! What crazy thing will happen to our hero next?**

**Red: Ugh... Why am I the hero?**

**Me: 1. I made you the hero. 2. Haven't you ever noticed the hero's in stories are usually handsome? 3. Even if you weren't, you would still be considered one since you have the traits of a hero.**

**Red:...I'm what?**

**Me: YOU'RE GOOD LOOKIN' AND YOU KNOW IT!**

**Red:...Now my creator's gone crazy...**

**Me: Disclaimer: I do not own Fossil Fighters or Fossil Fighters Champions!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Forty-one- Two Faced<p>

"Hmmmm... Stop it..." I say in my sleep. I'm having a dream that Rosie is nibbling my ear. I smile. "Stop it..." I say rolling on my side.

"Red?" I hear a voice ask.

"Hmm... W-what?" I crack open my eyes to see Todd hanging his head over the side of his bunk, looking at me while his hand keeps his helmet on his head.

"What are you doing?" Todd asks.

"...Having...a...nice dream?" I ask. We sit there in an awkward silence.

"Okay!" Todd says smiling. I climb out of bed, and pull on my usual outfit while Todd changes in the bathroom. I make us breakfast, which Todd enjoys to no bounds, then we head out to Cranial City, and go down the left stair way to Rainbow Canyon. We come onto the dig site after walking past a metallic colored shield generator, and onto a wooden scaffolding. We come to a small area where you can dig, and if you continue down the scaffolding past it, there's a wooden rope bridge the stretches across a wide gap. I look in the small digging area, and see a young woman in it. With her is a small dog, running in a circle around the small area. The woman has blonde hair pulled into a high ponytail that sticks through her tan archeologist's helmet, light blue eyes, a red ascot, tan archeologist's shirt and shorts, binoculars around her neck, a brown belt, a light brown archeologist backpack, and thick brown hiking boots. The small dog looks like a bulldog, and has a helmet, ascot, and shirt just like the woman does, and has blacks sticking out of the helmet, and black fur around it's left eye.

"Hey Red." Todd says. "Whatcha looking at?" I point at the dog and woman. The dog has run up to the woman, and the woman is kneeling down, petting it.

"That Fighter has a dog." I tell him. He looks and sees her.

"Cool!" He says. "We should go say hi."

"Let's go." I tell him. We walk over to the woman and the dog.

"Hi!" Todd says. The woman jumps up with surprise, and her dog whirls around.

"We've never seen a Fighter with a dog before." Todd tells her. She looks at both of us.

"My goodness." She says with a French accent. "I am glad, no? At ze moment I was thinking... Ah, but no. It is nothing." She takes a step forward. "Bonjour! My name is Joanie." She looks down at her dog. "And zis is Madame Pooch. She is entered in the Cup with me." She looks back at us. "You are both Fighters, no?"

"You bet!" Todd says. "I'm Todd, and this is my best friend, Red."

"Hello ma'am." I tell her.

"Sacre bleu!" She exclaims. I resist the urge to flinch.

_Does she know who I am? _I get ready to run.

"I was almost forgetting!" Joanie says. "I have discovered here a thing which is being quite lovely." She kneels down next to Madame Pooch.

_Whew... _

"Viola!" She says taking out a large bowl. It's pink, is surprisingly deep, and for some strange reason, has spikes coming out of it, as well as two horns. "It is a lovely bowl, no? It is big and round, and so I have made the filling of it with fruit!" She's right. It has a variety of tropical fruit, as well as some flowers. She looks at it with a loving look, and me and Todd exchange awkward looks.

"...Okay..." Todd says. "she's a little different..."

"Joanie, could we please get out of here?" Madame Pooch asks her.

_WAIT. How did I- Oh yeah... the Doglish Translator! It's still stuck in my brain! _I think.

"Of course Madame Pooch!" Joanie tells her. "We shall be making ze exit now." Joanie picks up the bowl, and carefully puts it in her backpack, then stands up. "Adieu!" They walk off, across the rope bridge.

"I guess we should go too, huh?" Todd says.

"Yup." I tell him. "Across the bridge!" I run over to it, and start running across, then stop to look at the view. I can see the colorful layers of the fossil rocks in the side of the canyon. "Amazing view, huh Todd?" I ask. "...Todd?" I look back to see him standing at the beginning of the bridge. "C'mon Todd!"

"I can't!" He calls. "I'm worried it'll collapse!"

"I will help you across, my wingman!" I say running back to him.

"How-" I cut him off by getting him over my shoulder, then turn and run back across the rope bridge, while Todd tries to keep his helmet on his head.

"Here we are!" I say on the other side. I put Todd down. "Safe and sound!"

"You're crazy!" Todd tells me. "But that's what makes you FUN!" We laugh.

"Hey, it's Todd and Red!" We turn to see Terry stand not too far away on the wooden scaffolding, in front of a ladder. "You two beatin' the heat and diggin' your digging?"

"Yes sir!" I tell him as me and Todd walk over.

"What's this for?" Todd asks pointing at the ladder.

"It's for the gondola!" Terry says. "It's the best part about this dig site." He lets us climb down into it, and shows us the control panel. One lever is to make it go up and down, the other is to make it go left and right, the green button it to give it more speed, and the red button makes it stop. We climb back up onto the scaffolding. "By the way, when you reach the bottom, there's a place where you can do some additional excavating. Did you guys get all that?"

"Yes sir!" Me and Todd say.

"You guys are the best." Terry tells us with a smile. "Minds like steel traps, I tell you. Now go ride the gondola and get yourself some awesome fossils!"

"Yes sir!" Me and Todd say saluting.

"See ya later!" Terry says thumbing the bill of his visor. Me and Todd climb down the latter into the gondola, I grab the levers, and start to ease it down. We dig up a bunch of fossils on the way down, and when we get to the bottom, we climb out. There's some large boulders and fissures in the ground, but it looks like a great place to dig.

"Where is it, digadig?" I hear a person ask with worry. I look in that direction.

"What are you looking at Red?" Todd asks. I point.

"There's a person." I say. Todd looks.

"There is someone there." He says seeing the person. We walk over some, and stop a few feet away.

"Where diga-did it go, digadig?" The girl asks. "Without it I..." Her voice is full of worry.

_Wait... Is that...? _Realization fills me. _THAT'S PAULEEN! _She turns to where we can see her face. She has big green eyes, a beautifully sculpted face, and two red bars painted on her cheeks. _Wait... have I...? _A memory enters my mind...

Everyone in the village stops what they're doing and watches us. There're all dressed the same way as the two men we're following, except the women's masks are open in the back, allowing their hair to hang down and the children have no masks. They all watch us go by and as we pass them they follow us. Out of the corner of my eye, in a larger teepee, I see part of a face peeking out. They're a girl with pink hair that is yellow at the tips and pulled into pigtails on the top of her head, big green eyes and two red lines on her cheeks. _She looks kind of like a Shanshan._ I think. Rosie turns her head and looks at her, and she ducks back into the teepee.

_I HAVE! _I think. _'Oh man...'_

_'I don't think she recognizes you.' _Air Strike tells me.

_'Why?' _I ask him.

_'Wouldn't she have said something when she met you in the labyrinth?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'True...' _I tell her.

_'And she didn't see you too well, and your features have changed enough to where if a person saw your face like that, they wouldn't recognize you.' _Flamethrower tells me. It's true. My features have become more notice able since I left Vivosaur, and I've gotten more muscle.

_'I can't believe that's Pauleen.' _I tell my vivosaurs. _'She wasn't lying about being beautiful.' _

"I know I diga-dropped it right around here, digadig." Pauleen says, still looking. I feel something tug at my sleeve, and look to see Todd looking at Pauleen with a light blush and wide eyes.

"Do you see that Red?" He asks looking at me. "That girl..."

"She's Paul-"

"She is SOOOO CUTE!" Todd says as a wide smile crosses his face.

"Wait... wait, WHAT?" I exclaim. I can practically see the hearts floating around him. _'He's... ZUH?'_

_'Cupid strikes again...' _Air Strike says.

_'He's...in...Oh man, I can't even say it! With PAULEEN?'_

_'It is hard to imagine him... wow it feels too awkward to say since Pauleen is such a snob.' _Air Strike tells me.

_'I gotta tell him.' _I look at him, and stop. He looks too happy for me to tell him that's Pauleen he just flipped for. Todd tugs at my arm.

"C'mon!" He says. "Let's go help her find whatever she's looking for!"

"O...K..." I tell him. I'm still trying to grasp the fact of what just happened. We walk over, and I notice Todd is trying to look good. _Oh, this just feels too awkward for me._

"Hey, are you having trouble?" Todd ask the girl as we stop a few feet away. He gets in a heroic stance. "Because, I can totally help." Pauleen whirls around with surprise, and sees us.

"GIYAAA!" She screams running behind a boulder. She peeks her head out around the side, and Todd runs forward to where he can see her.

"Whoa, wait!" He says. "Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! We're nice, I promise." He looks at me. "Right Red?"

"Yeah dawg." I tell him. Todd looks back at Pauleen.

"Look, I'm Todd, and this is my wingman Red." Todd tells her. We walk forward some. "I wasn't expecting to find a cute girl like you wandering around Rainbow Canyon!" Todd tells her with a wide smile.

_I feel like something bad is about to happen..._

"Someone must have dropped an angel, because I can see myself in your eyes!" Todd tells her happily.

_Huh. I was right. _I think resisting the urge to face palm. Todd's smile vanishes as he realizes he got the pickup line wrong.

"Wait, that's not how it goes." He says. "I mean, I can see an angel walking around in... No, that's not it... N-never mind!" He says nervously. "What do you need? Are you looking for something?" Pauleen timidly walks out from behind the boulder.

"C-can you... help me, digadig?" She asks.

"SURE!" Todd says with enthusiasm. He looks at me. "We'll help right Red?"

"..."

"Come on dude!" Todd says. "You're my wingman!"

_This won't end well. _"Yeah dawg, I'll help." I tell him.

"Great!" He says, his enthusiasm returning. We look back at Pauleen.

"I diga-dropped something very important, digadig." She tells us. "Please, help me find it digadig."

"Your got it!" Todd says. "Just stay right there, and we'll be back with your... Um... Your..."

"What are looking for exactly?" I ask.

"You will know it, digadig." Pauleen tells us. "It is big and round and helps to protect me." Me and Todd look at each other.

"Big and round." Todd says. "That sounds just like the bowl Joanie found!"

"Yeah!" I tell him. Todd looks back at Pauleen.

"Okay, we'll go find it!" He looks back at me. "Come on Red!"

"Thank you, digadig." Pauleen tells us. We climb back onto the gondola, and I start it up. I look at Todd to see him looking down at Pauleen.

"Whatcha thinkin' 'bout?" I ask him.

"There's... something different about her." He tells me. "And, it's not because she's beautiful, it's something else... she has something I've never seen before. I don't know what it is, but she has it..." Todd looks at me. "What do you think?"

_...I'm not sure if it's just a regular crush, or the real thing. _I think. "I think you better take time to get to know her."

"Of course!" He says. "I don't want to make it awkward!"

"Then... why did you use the pickup line?"

"I was trying to make it into a compliment."

"Ah..."

"Hey, have you ever liked a girl?"

"..." I look down at the controls.

"Red?"

"..." Rosie enters my mind, the ache in my chest grows, and I fight back tears. "...No."

"You okay?"

"Yeah..."

"..." We ride in silence, and climb up the ladder onto the scaffolding, and walk past a small wooden shed onto solid ground. I spot Joanie kneeling down next to Madame Pooch, with the bowl out, admiring it.

"A bowl zis big, it is rare, no?" Joanie asks Madame Pooch. "I can fit so many things inside it! Like cheese! Or ze baguette."

"Yes!" Madame Pooch howls in agreement.

"Wait! Waaaaaaaaaait!" Todd calls to them. Joanie puts the bowl in her backpack, stands up, and looks at us as we run up to her.

"Ah, it is Todd and Red." She says with a smile. "You are well, no?"

"Um, Miss Joanie?" I ask. "We need the bowl you found. We found the owner, and she really needs is back."

"Escargot!" Joanie exclaims. "The owner of ze bowl, she is missing it, no? Ah, that is a shame. We have grown so attached to ze bowl, you see?" She stands there, thinking. "Very well. We shall return ze bowl..."

"NO!" Madame Pooch barks. "We can't give it back!"

"No, no Madame Pooch!" Joanie says kneeling down to her. "If we do not return ze bowl, we are no better than the burglar of cats, no? Although, you may be more of ze dog burglar." Me and Todd exchange awkward looks.

"That's not funny..." Madame Pooch growls.

"Ah! You do not find ze joke to be amusing, no?" Joanie asks.

"Wait, what if they won the bowl in a Fossil Battle?" Madame Pooch suggests.

"...Ah." Joanie says. "I see, I see. Very well. Zat is what we will do." Joanie stands up, and faces us. "Ahem!...We want to make ze Fossil Battle with you. If you can defeat Madame Pooch, we will give you ze bowl."

"..." Me and Todd look at Madame Pooch, then Joanie.

"...You want us to battle your dog?" Todd asks.

"Ah, no." Joanie says with a hint of worry. "I have not said this correctly. You will make the Fossil Battle with me, Joanie."

"...Yeah, sure." Todd says with a shrug. "All right. We can have a Fossil Battle."

"NO!" Madame Pooch whines. "With the handsome one! Red!"

"..." I resist the urge to get a disturbed look on my face.

"No no!" Joanie tells us. "Zat will not do! She wishes for me to make the battle with Red. Ze request is good, no?"

"We just want the bowl." Todd says. He looks at me. "All right Red. Do your thing."

"No problem." I say taking out my Dino Medals. I let out my team, and Joanie calls out her team, a Perloro, a Machai, and a Tryma. The Perloro is built like a bull, has giant red horns with some white markings on it, black skin, cream colored hair on its back and shoulders, and tan fur on its spine and head. The Machai is built like a saber tooth tiger, is black with long canines, salmon fur that look like scars on its sides, shoulders, thighs, and forehead, the red fur at the tip of its tail and on its spine. The Tryma is built like an giant running bird, has a light brown head and neck, with yellow tipped feathers, a large yellow beak, a sky blue body and stubby wings with yellow tipped feathers, yellow feet and sky blue claws.

"Tryma, Raptor Combo on ze Spinax!" He attacks doing twenty-one damage. "Machai, use ze Machai Fang on ze Spinax!" He attacks doing six damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Perloro!" He attacks doing fifty-nine damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Perloro! He attacks doing twenty damage.

"Tryma, Raptor Combo on ze Spinax!" He attacks doing twenty damage. "Machai, Machai Fang on ze S-Raptor!" He attacks doing eight damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Machai!" He attacks doing fifty-nine damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Perloro!" She attacks doing fifteen damage, sending Perloro into his medal.

"Tryma, Raptor combo on ze Shanshan!" He attacks doing thirty-five damage. "Machai, Machai Twist on ze S-Raptor!" He attacks doing eleven damage.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Machai!" She attacks doing fifteen damage, sending Machai into his medal. "Flamethrower, use Enflame on Air Strike!" He does it, boosting Air Strike's attack. "Now Air Strike, use Spinax Fang on Tryma!" He attacks doing thirty-nine damage.

"Tryma, Raptor Kick on ze Shanshan!" He attacks doing thirteen damage.

"Air Strike, end it with Spinax Fang!" He attacks doing forty damage, sending Tryma into his medal. I catch my teams medals, and put them in my pouch.

"Our vivosaurs," Joanie says. I look to see her kneeling down in front of Madame Pooch. "zey have lost! Do not be angry Madame Pooch. It was bad luck, no?"

"Argh..." Madame Pooch growls. Joanie stands up and turns to us.

"Well, you have defeated me, so I shall return the bowl." Joanie tells me and Todd. She hands me the bowl.

"Thank you Miss-" I hear a buzzing noise, and take out my Fighter's License. I hand Todd the bowl, and open my license to see I've been promoted to Fighter Level 5. "Yeah dawg!" I say jumping with joy. Madame Pooch growls. "Sorry." I tell her. I put my license away.

"Well, either way," Madame Pooch says. "the battle was fun, and I enjoyed it."

"Madame Pooch says the Fossil Battle was fun." Joanie tells us. "But now, adieu!" She and Madame Pooch turn and leave, and me and Todd look at each other.

"That's weird." Todd says. "It's like she was talking with the dog or something..."

"Weird indeed." I say with agreement.

"Oh well." Todd says. "Let's get this back to the cute girl, okay?" He says holding up the bowl. "She's got to be thankful right? Maybe she'll even like me!"

"..." I say nothing.

"What?" He asks.

"Todd," I put an arm around his shoulder, and we slowly start walking back towards the wooden scaffolding. "listen, you don't like her just because you think she's cute, right?"

"No." Todd tells me. "She has something different. Something I've never seen any other girl have."

"Like, a kind of glow?"

"Yeah... something like that."

"You saw something different in her eyes?"

"Yeah..."

"Well then, don't go rushing into anything. This kind of thing takes time, and if the girl is different, even if you screw up, she'll forgive you."

"...Really?"

"Course. Though, don't take advantage of that. But, you'll know that she's the one by a feeling you've never experienced before. It's... a warm feeling. Hard to describe actually, but it's confusing yet wonderful at the same time."

"...If you've never liked a girl, how do you know all this?"

"..."

"Well?"

"...THAT... is... uh..."

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

Me and Todd pull out our Paleopagers. _Oh thank goodness for- Wait, it's too early for another round! _

"This is an alert for all Fighters. The BB Brigade has begun kidnapping Fighters from Rainbow Canyon." Me and Todd jump with surprise and shock. "As of now, they appear to be targeting young females. Female Fighters in Rainbow Canyon are urged to seek shelter immediately." The staff member tells us. The screen goes blank, and we put our pagers away.

"The BareBones Brigade is kidnapping girls?" Todd exclaims. "THOSE PERVERTS! How low can they get?"

"..." The memory of when I found out Rosie was kidnapped fills my mind. "Come on. We need to help any girl Fighters, then stop the BB Brigade."

"Yeah!" Todd says with agreement. "Joanie's got her dog, so she's probably all right, but that cute girl could be in real trouble! Come on!" He stuffs the bowl in his backpack. "Let's get back and find her!" I grab Todd and get him under my arm, and run back to the gondola, screw the ladder and just jump down into it, drop Todd, and put the thing as fast as it'll go heading down. "Whoa..." Todd says straightening his helmet. "Why...?"

"I've never told you, but my friend I had to leave behind was kidnapped." I tell him.

"WHAT?" Todd exclaims. "How?" I sigh.

"I had a dream that they were taken from me, and I thought that nothing would happen, and yet the next morning, I found out they had been taken during the night!" My grip on the controls tighten as I remember how I felt when I found out. How I could just FEEL my heart shatter. I bare my teeth in a scowl, my eyes squeeze shut, and tears stream out of them. _WHY. _I ask myself. _WHY did I let them take her from me? _The gondola slams into the ground, and I get a grip as me and Todd jump out of the gondola.

"Hey!" Todd yells as I survey the area. "Hey cute girl!" He looks around some. "...Hello?"

"HEY!" I yell. "Anybody here?" We look around the boulder.

"...That's weird." Todd says. "Where'd she go?"

"She might have found a place to hide." I tell him.

"H-HELP ME, DIGADIG!" We hear Pauleen scream. We whirl around to see another gondola near the fissure in the ground, with two BB Brigade goons about to get in, holding Pauleen by her elbows.

"HEY!" Todd roars. They all look to see me and Todd.

"Uh-oh!" One of the goons says. "Meddlers! Let's cheese it!"

_...Cheese? _I wonder.

"HELP, DIGADIG!" Pauleen yells as they get her into the gondola.

"Come on Red!" Todd says running towards the gondola. "We can't let them get away!" I sprint towards the gondola, jump off a rock, and grab the edge as it lifts up in the air.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD?" The goon not using the controls says as I pull myself up into it. I grab his ankle, and pull myself in.

"Watch my back!" The goon using the controls says. He has Pauleen in the crook of his elbow, but isn't hurting her. The free goon swings at me, and I duck, then punch him in the gut, causing him to slam against the end. He grabs the rope for support, and ducks as I try to round house him. He slides past me, I punch him again, and he punches me back, making me stumble back against the end. He kicks me in the chest, causing me to fall out. I grab the edge, and look over my shoulder at the ground, which is forty feet below. I feel the goon grab my hand, and he lifts me up, then punches me in the chest, and I fly back away from the gondola.

"AAAAAAGH!" I yell as I fall. I suddenly hit something solid, which then sways a bit.

"Need a lift?" I hear Todd as. I open my eyes to an upside down world with Todd and me in our gondola, with Todd at the controls.

"Man, am I glad to see you!" I tell him with a smile.

"Hold on!" Todd says as he makes the gondola go up at top speed. We hit the top, scramble up the ladder, and look around, to see the goons and Pauleen are nowhere in sight. "Wait."

"What?" I look to see Todd looking at the wooden shed. I walk over to him.

"This door looks suspicious." He says. I start looking it over. "It's the BareBones Brigade!" I look to see two BB Brigade goons walking this way. "Wh-what do we do?"

"Uh..." We look around panicking. I spot a crate. "This way!" I grab Todd by his sleeve, and we run and jump behind the crate. Todd peaks over the top, while I crouch down and look around the side. The two goons stop outside the door, and one of the is carrying a medium sized crate.

"Whew!" The one with the crate says. "Fruit is a lot heavier than I thought." He wipes some sweat from his brow. "I'm covered in sweat."

"Quit your griping!" The other one says. "Those girls are waiting." He punches a large yellow button next to the door, and the door slides open. The one with the crate walks in, and the other one looks around, then goes through the door, which shuts behind him. Me and Todd look at each other.

"That button opens the door..." Todd says.

"C'mon." I say walking out from behind the crate. "Let's check it out." We walk over to it, and I hit the button, making the door open.

"Nice work Red!" Todd tells me. "Now let's go help that cutie!"

"..."

"What?"

"I never thought I would hear you say that..."

"..."

"..."

"Well, I can't imagine you saying that you're head over heels in love."

"..."

"Red?"

"Yeah?"

"You okay?"

"I'm fine..."

"Okay... Let's go!" We run into the grotto, and it's so dark, I can't see. We come to light, and we're standing at the edge of a large area with large rocks and boulders on one side, and at the back is...

_WHAT? _I exclaim confused. There's nice lounge chairs, fake palm trees, a table packed with food, and two giant boards with a tropical beach painted on them. Me and Todd dash into the boulders, and sneak through them, then peek out from behind one.

"Holy crow!" Todd whispers. "Look at all the kidnapped girls!"

"Wait..." I whisper.

"Helloooooo!" A woman moans. "I ordered some juice nearly five minutes ago! Where is it?" A goon standing next to the table with food looks at her.

"Y-yes ma'am!" He says nervously. "Right away!" He quickly turns to the table and starts getting fruit to turn into juice. A young girl sighs.

"I'm ever so bored." She groans. She looks at a goon giving a woman a massage. "...You there!" The goon looks at her. "Do something funny!"

"Of course ma'am!" He says. "Feast your eyes on the BB Brigade Shuffle!" We goes to a more open area. "And a-one and a-two..." He spins around, shuffles backwards, spins around again, shuffles backwards, and spins around.

"Ah ha ha!" The girl laughs. "Oh my goodness, that was so adorably creepy!" The goon goes back to massaging the woman.

_...I have no words to describe how weird this is. _I think. "Are these girl REALLY kidnapped?" I whisper to Todd. "They're being treated like royalty."

"Look!" Todd murmurs. "Over there!" He points, and I see Pauleen standing there, nervous. "It's the cute girl! Let's go rescue her." We slip between some boulders, and peek our heads out from behind the one she's standing next to.

"Pssst!" I say.

"Huh?" Pauleen looks and sees me and Todd.

"We're here to rescue you!" Todd whispers. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, digadig." Pauleen whispers, stepping closer to the boulder. "They haven't diga-done anything to me. Those BareBones Brigade goons are just glorified servants, digadig. They've been pampering us nonstop, digadig. Most of the girls love it though, digadig! They say they diga-don't even care about the Cup anymore, digadig!"

"They're being nice to the girls so they'll lose interest in the Cup?" Todd whispers. "That's just diabolical!"

"Why only girls?" I ask.

"..." We all think.

"...We can worry about that later." Todd murmurs. He looks at Pauleen. "Okay, have you learned anything from your time here? If you know who's in charge, we can knock him out and chase off the rest of the BB Brigade."

"I think the man in the back is the boss, digadig." Pauleen whispers.

"Okay!" Todd whispers. "I'm going to show him what's what! Let's go Red!"

"Right." I whisper nodding.

"Be careful, digadig!" Pauleen whispers. "I heard that man is a BB Brigade commander, digadig. Everyone is scared of him, including the other BB Brigade members, digadig."

"A commander, huh?" Todd murmurs. "Well, I guess it would make sense the other goons would be scared of him." Todd looks at me. "B-but I'm not scared! N-no sir! Not me! Let's go Red!" We duck behind the boulder, and work our way through them to a tunnel right of the pampering area. We walk out into the tunnel, and I can feel something sinister in the air. I feel my pouch, and me and Todd keep walking down the tunnel. "H-hey! BB Brigade commander guy! Sh-show yourself! We'll show you what happens to guys who kidnap girls and...um..."

"We'll show you what happen when you kidnap girls!" I say. "Now come out you coward!"

"I do believe you are referring to me." A male voice says. Me and Todd turn to see a sixteen-year-old walking towards us. _What... is this guy wearing? _His hair is black with dark red going through it, which is combed into a long spike, red glasses, a black star painted over his left eye, black cut off gloves, a white jacket with short black flames at the end and a skull on the back, gold at the edges of the jacket, a low cut white shirt with black around the collar, a black collar with metal studs and a key around his neck, his pants are black at the top and at the knees while the rest is white, and he has black, lace up boots.

"You have the guts to come here and challenge me, the most revered of the three BB Brigade commanders..." He spins on one foot, stops to where we can see his side, turns his head to look at us, and raises one fist next to his head. "Say hello to Cole!"

_'...So... he IS a boy...right?' _I ask.

_'He is.' _Flamethrower tells me. _'You can tell by the voice.'_

"..." Me and Todd just stand there, saying nothing.

"Yep, pretty slick, huh?" Cole asks. "Do you like the glasses?" He says raising them up. "That post-modern look is so in right now, don't you think? Anyways, try not to be jealous of my image if you can. It's thrift-store chic, so I doubt you'd understand."

"UGH!" Todd exclaims. "He's a hipster! Now I understand why the other BB Brigade goons are scared of him..."

"No wonder." I say. "He's a tomgirl and a hipster..."

"Yeah, so I suppose you want us to stop pampering the ladies, yeah?" Cole asks. "Not happening bro."

"Hey! Only I can call Todd bro!" I say.

"Whatever." Cole says waving a hand. "We spoil the chicks, and then they stop giving two hoots about the Caliosteo Cup. And without ladies to impress, all the male Fighters lose the will to fight!" He turns away from us. "Pretty slick huh? Yeah, I've got a real mind for plans. You don't get this pretty by accident, you know?"

"Actually...that's not a very good plan." I tell him. He looks at me with confusion.

"What?" He asks.

"What about the people who aren't fighting to impress someone?" I ask. "What about the people who aren't in it for the fame or the glory? What about the people who are fighting to win? The people who are fighting to have fun?"

"..." Cole stands there. "Uh... Why don't you two shake a leg and scram, yeah? Otherwise, I'll have to feed you to my boneysaurs."

"B-boneysaurs?" Todd asks. He looks at me. "D-did he say boneysaurs Red?"

"They're vivosaurs made out of bones and some black shadow stuff." I explain.

"Like a skeleton vivosaur?" Todd asks. "...Like a dinosaur g-g-ghost?"

"Eh, something like that I guess." I tell him casually. Todd stands there, then clutches his stomach.

"Ooooooooh!" He moans "My stomaaaaach! Why did I eat those oysters I found at the bottom of the swimming pool?"

_How has he not gotten food poisoning yet?_

"Urp! I'm gonna be sick!" Todd says gagging. "This guy's all yours!" He hurries back down the tunnel, and I turn to look at the commander.

"Still here?" He asks. "You're not just trying to steal my style, are you?" I roll my eyes.

"You can keep your style!" I tell him waving a hand. "I have my own. Beside, my goggles are way cooler than you glasses!" Cole glares at me.

"Listen," He says. "I've got a yacht-rock concert to get to, so lemme just make this quick..." He pulls out three Dino Medals. "Feast your eyes on my beautiful boneysaurs!"

"My epic vivosaurs are gonna break their bones!" I say throwing my team's medals in the air. Cole has a B-Lambeo, a B-Rex, and a B-Plesio. The B-Rex is built like a T-Rex, has yellowish tinted bones, and ghostly purple eyes. The B-Plesio is built like a Plesio, has blue bones, and eerie yellow eyes that look straight through me.

"B-Lambeo, Boney Chomp on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing ten damage. "B-Plesio, Boney Blur on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing one damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on B-Rex!" He attacks doing eighty-four damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Combo on B-Rex!" She attacks doing nineteen damage.

"B-Plesio, B-Plesio Poison on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing thirteen damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on B-Rex!" He attacks doing fifty-five damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on B-Rex!" He attacks doing twenty damage.

"B-Plesio, B-Plesio Poison on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing fourteen damage and poisoning him.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on B-Rex!" She attacks doing thirteen damage, sending B-Rex into his medal. "Air Strike, Spinax Fang on B-Lambeo!" He attacks doing ninety-two damage.

"B-Plesio, Boney Blur on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing one damage. "B-Lambeo, B-Lambeo Combo on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing twenty-nine damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on B-Lambeo!" He attacks doing sixty-two damage. "Now Cloud Cover! Use Shan Combo on B-Rex!" She attacks doing thirty-four damage, sending B-Rex into his medal. "Flamethrower, Enflame on Spinax!" He does it, boosting Air Strike's attack.

"B-Plesio, B-Plesio Poison on Spinax!" He attacks doing twenty-one damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on B-Plesio!" He attacks doing sixty damage.

"B-Plesio, B-Plesio Poison on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing fourteen damage.

"Flamethrower, Enflame on Air Strike!" He does it, boosting Air Strike's attack. "Now Air Strike! Finish him off with Spinax Combo!" He attacks doing eighty-two damage, sending B-Plesio into his medal.

"What?" Cole exclaims taking a step back. "N-no! This can't happening!"

"It is." I tell him catching my Dino Medals and putting them in my pouch.

"How could I be beaten by someone so terminally unhip?" He exclaims. "This is worse than the time that guy sold me off-brand shoes!" Tears stream out of his eyes as he runs past me.

"Ha ha ha!" I hear Todd laugh as he runs up to me. "Way to go Red! That hipster just ran off bawling his little eyes out, and the rest of the BB Brigade took off after him! I think the girls will leave when they realize no one's going to pamper them anymore."

"Let's go see." I tell him. We walk down the tunnel, into the pampering area.

"I'm never going to get that juice am I?" The woman who ordered some says. "Forget this. I'm going to go dig up some fossil rocks!" She walks out. The woman who was being massaged looks at me and Todd.

"Thank you for opening my eyes." She tells us. "I can't believe I fell into a dumb trap like this..." She leaves, and the young girl look around.

"Whatever." She says. "I was bored anyways." She leaves, and Pauleen walks up to us.

"Thank you Red, digadig. Thank you Todd, digadig." She tells us. "Now I can keep going in the Cup , digadig."

"Aw, you don't need to thank us!" Todd says happily. "We're happy to help! Oh, we also found the bowl you were looking for." Todd takes it out of his backpack, and hands it to her.

"Th-thank you, digadig." Pauleen tells him. "This is what I was looking for, digadig. But this isn't a bowl, digadig."

"Um... so what is it?" Todd asks.

_Wait..._ I realize it. _Her MASK?_

"This is a mask, digadig." Pauleen tells him. "It goes like this...digadig." She throws it up in the air, causing the fruit and flowers to fly out. The mask spins around a few times, then lands perfectly on Pauleen's face.

"WHAT?" Todd exclaims. He stumbles backwards, and falls down. "Y-you... You were Pauleen all along!" He says pointing at her.

"I sure was!" She says standing up straighter and putting her fists on her hips. "The one and only Pauleen! So what in the world took you two so long, huh? When a beautiful girl is in distress, you drop everything and come running to help her!"

"WE DID!" I roar at her. Todd and Pauleen look at me with surprise at my sudden outburst. "I mean, HONESTLY! You blame us for not getting your stupid mask back to you pronto, when it's YOUR fault since you got yourself kidnapped, and we stopped what we were doing to help you, and now you act like we didn't! You're a two-faced snob that doesn't know how to even CONSIDER being grateful, so just go jump off a cliff!" I stand there, an angry glare edged into my face, while Pauleen stands there shocked.

_'...WHOA.' _Cloud Cover says. _'That was... a BIT too harsh...' _I sigh, and turn away.

_'I know, I know.' _I tell her. _'I'm just... ANGRY...'_

_'At her? I can understand that, but-'_

_'Myself.'_

_'...What?'_

_'I'll explain some other time.' _I look back at Pauleen. "Look, I'm sorry."

"...What?" She asks.

"I'm just..." I sigh.

"Your friend!" Todd exclaims.

"What?" Pauleen asks.

"Red had a very close friend that he had to leave behind, and they were kidnapped!" Todd explains.

"I blame myself." I tell them. "I could've kept them from being taken, but I didn't. I dropped everything, and wasted no time rescuing them..."

"Oh..." Pauleen says. "I-I... I didn't know..."

"Well, well!" We hear a familiar voice say. "Looks like you're the big heroes once again!" We all turn to see Terry walking towards us. "A few kidnapped girls just wandered into back into town and told us their story. I can't believe you two ran off the BB Brigade all on your own! You must be some kind of Fighters!"

"Pfffft!" Pauleen says. We all turn to look at her. "The BareBones Brigade is no match for a beautiful teen idol like me!" She twirls around and does her pose. "Miss Pauleen is on the scene!"

"Um, yeah, except that you didn't do anything." Todd tells her. Pauleen looks at him.

"Did you say something?" She says with a hint of threat. I scowl, baring teeth and my face hardens.

"Back off." I tell her. "He's telling the truth unlike you." I stand there a second, then we all turn back to Terry.

"Uh...yeah." He says. "Well, thanks anyways. Now we can get the cup underway without any further delay. Keep an eye on your Paleopagers! We'll be having Round 4 info coming soon. Thanks again guys. Keep up the good work." He thumbs the bill of his visor, and leaves.

"Well, unlike some people," Pauleen says turning to us, I don't have any time to waste. I need to go find fossil rocks ASAP."

"If you don't have time to waste, then why did you get yourself kidnapped?" I ask her.

"..." She stand there. "Bye!" She turns and runs out. I sigh bitterly.

_If we fight a battle, I'll teach her a lesson..._

"Man, Pauleen is so weird!" Todd says. "It's like she's a different person once she puts that mask on..."

"Yeah." I say bitterly.

"Hey..." I look up at Todd.

"Yeah man?"

"Why were you so angry at her? I know it has something to do with being kidnapped, but..."

"The second she put that mask on, the glow you saw around her disappeared, didn't it?"

"..." Todd's shoulders slump, and he gets a sad look. "Yeah... The something she had vanished... I like who she is under the mask. Not what she looks like, but... under the skin. How she was nice... There was something I've never seen about a person when she didn't have the mask..." I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry." I tell him. "I'll help you anyway I can." He smiles a small, sad smile.

"Thanks Red..." He suddenly hugs me. "I don't care if we aren't related, you'll always be my brother." I smile, and hug him back. We hug for a second, then separate.

"C'mon." I tell him. "I brought some lunch, so we can eat that then do some digging. Alright?"

"Sounds good." Todd tells me.

At four...

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

I pull out my Paleopager, while my other hand rests on the end of my pick's handle. "The Round 4 matches will now begin. Lucinda has been selected as Red's Round 4 opponent. Please get ready, the check in at Cranial City's Fossil Stadium." I put my pager away, and turn to Todd.

"I know you can win this Red!" He tells me.

"Thanks man." I tell him with a smile. We walk back to Cranial City, go into the Fighter Station, and Todd goes to the stands while I go into the Commons Room. There's a Fighter being interviewed, while the few that are still in mingle among each other. I see a woman sitting on a bench near the door to the Battle Area. She has magenta, shoulder length hair, a green sweater with a white dress shirt under it, a black skirt, and magenta shoes.

"Yooo Hooo!" She calls waving. "I think we're battling each other!"

"Hey..." I recognize her. "You're that girl that was kidnapped by the BB Brigade and ordered juice!"

"Hey," She says recognizing me. "You're the Fighter that drove off the BB Brigade! They were terrible people. They promised me juice and never brought it to me."

"..." I stand there and blink. _Really?_

"Oh, and they kidnapped me and made me forget about the Cup." Lucinda says. "There was that too." I resist the urge to face palm.

"The next match is Lucinda vs. Red. Combatants should enter the stadium immediately." The announcer says.

"If I win, you have to buy me some juice. All right?" Lucinda says.

"Fine by me." I tell her. We turn, and walk out the door onto the Battle Area, then call out our teams. She has three Camaras of different colors. They're built like long necks, but one of them is pale baby blue with sky blue hoops on its back, blue leaves, lavender splotches, and a white underbelly. Another one is a pale spring green with green hoops, dark green leaves and lavender splotches, and white underbelly, then the last one is a pale light orange has orange hoops, red orange leaves, pink splotches and a white underbelly.

"Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Camara!" He attacks doing ninety damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Camara!" He attacks doing thirty four damage.

"Camara, Camara Stomp on Shanshan!" She attacks doing thirty-one damage.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Camara!" She attacks doing thirty-six damage, sending Camara into her medal. "Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Camara!" He attacks doing forty-seven damage.

"Camara, Camara Buster on Shanshan!" She attacks doing forty-four damage. "Camara, Camara Stomp on Shanshan!" She attacks doing twenty-four damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Camara!" He attacks doing seventy-three damage.

"Camara, Camara Buster on Shanshan!" She attacks doing forty damage, sending Cloud Cover into her medal.

_'NO!' _I catch her medal in both hands. _'Are you okay?'_

_'I'm okay Red.' _She tells me.

_'You did good out there. Get some rest.' _I carefully put her medal into my pouch, and I can feel burning anger in Air Strike and Flamethrower.

"Camara, Camara Stomp on S-Raptor!" She attacks doing twelve damage.

"Flamethrower, S-Combo on Camara!" He attacks doing twenty-five damage, and rotating them to where they're both in the AZ.

"Camara, Camara Stomp on S-Raptor!" She attacks doing four damage.

"Air Strike, Cyclone on the strong Camara!" I yell pointing at the one that hasn't been hurt yet and took out Cloud Cover.

_'GLADLY.' _Air Strike growls. He attacks doing ninety-four damage.

"Camara, Camara Buster on S-Raptor!" She attacks doing nineteen damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Combo on the stronger Camara!" He attacks doing one hundred forty-eight damage, sending Camara into her medal.

"Camara, Camara Buster on S-Raptor!" She attacks doing nineteen damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Camara!" He attacks doing eighty-nine damage, sending Camara into her medal. My two remaining vivosaurs release roars of victory, and I congratulate them.

In the lobby...

"Wow, you're really good at this!" Lucinda tells me. "I clearly spent too much time lying around and being kidnapped. If we ever meet again, let's have another battle, okay?"

"Sure." I tell her with a smile. "Oh, one more thing." I pull off my backpack, reach into it, and pull out a juice box, then hand it to her.

"Hey, thanks!" She says happily accepting it. She walks out of the Fighter Station, and Todd comes running up to me.

"You know what?" He asks. "I really think you can win this Red."

"Thanks Todd!" I tell him. "I won't let you down!" We hear footsteps, and turn to see Terry walking up to us.

"I suppose all this BB Brigade fighting has taken away from your fossil hunting, huh?" He asks. "And yet you STILL cleared Round 4! You're really something Red."

"Thanks Terry!" I tell him. He smiles.

"Oh, by the way," He says. "Here's your prize for winning Round 4." He hands me a peanut shaped fossil rock with a mirror smooth surface. "That's wondrous fossil rock. It can actually power up a vivosaur."

"So THAT'S this thing is." I say pulling another one out of my backpack. Terry blinks with surprise.

"Wow... You'll have to give me some digging pointers some time!" He tells me as I put the fossil rocks away. "But, I also come bearing a special message for you two." Me and Todd look at each other, then back at Terry. "It seems word of your heroic exploits against the BB Brigade had reached the highest levels. Joe Wildwest himself want to speak with you!"

Mine and Todd's jaws hit the floor.

"...SERIOUSLY?" We exclaim with excitement and happiness as we almost jump on Terry.

"THE Joe Wildwest?" Todd asks.

"He want to meet with US?" I ask. "REALLY?"

"He sure does." Terry tells us. "Now I-"

"OH MY GOODNESS JOE WILDWEST WANTS TO TALK TO US!" Todd yells with giddiness. We then start jumping around, flapping our hands with excitement, and saying how we're so excited and we can't believe this is happening while Terry stands there, watching us, not knowing how to react.

Five minutes later...

"OKAY." I say grabbing Todd's shoulders. "We need to calm down." My face hurts from how much I was smiling. We both turn to Terry, who's still standing there, still unaware of how to react.

"...O...K..." He says. "Now, I know you guys are busy, but I bet you can make a few minutes to see Joe up in his office, right?"

"Hey, I'm not doing anything right now!" I tell Terry. I grab Todd and get him under my arm. "LET'S GO!" I dash over to the stair case next to the Leader's office, and charge up it. Todd slips out of my arm a runs with me. I skid to a stop in front of one of the tubes that has the platforms going through them.

"WHAT?" I exclaim. Todd slams into me, and we fall on the ground.

"Oh no!" I hear a familiar voice groan. I push my goggles back onto my head, and look up to see Pauleen standing in front of the elevator door, looking down at me and Todd, who's readjusting his helmet. "Don't tell me Joe invited you two jokers along!"

"Hey!" I say. "We're not jokers!"

"Yeah!" Todd says in agreement.

"..." Pauleen stands there, looking down at us. We scramble to our feet, and look at her.

"We're not jokers!" I tell her.

"Yeah!" Todd says. "You're the one who just stood around and didn't do anything!"

"Whatever." Pauleen says.

"Besides, what are YOU doing here?" I ask.

"PLEASE tell me Joe didn't invite you as well!" Todd says.

"Well, too bad for you, he did." Pauleen says smugly. Me and Todd look at each other.

"Man, this is the pits." Todd says.

"I guess we won't be able to talk about old times..." I growl. "With Pauleen, that seems highly unlikely."

"Booooooo!" Todd says.

"Yeah!" I say in agreement. "Boooooo!" Pauleen sighs.

"Well?" She asks. "Are we going to do this, or are you two going to stand around and look depressed all day?" We all step onto the elevator platform, and the door slides shut. There's no elevator walls, but the walls around us are brown and cream striped with lights in them. The platform rises, and I just stand there with my arms crossed and a bitter look on my face. As we go up, excitement about getting to see Joe refills me. The elevator dings as we come up into Joe's office. The walls are mostly made of large windows, the room is a giant circle with green walls, and a light brown and brown floor with bright green light that literally run through it. On left and right sides of the room are stair cases, which probably go up to his living quarters, and around the elevator platform is brown railing open towards his desk which is made of brown wood, and a brown wooden chair facing us as well. On either side of the window behind his desk is a dark sea green statue with black lines and sharp teeth painted on. In next to the one on the right, looking out the window, is Joe.

I resist the urge to give him a death hug.

"Howdy folks." He says. "Sorry to take yer time, but I'm real tickled y'all came to see me." He turn around to face us, his warm smile on his face, and his light blue eyes looking at us. "I'm Joe Wildwest, owner and proprietor of this here Caliosteo Fossil Park."

_HE'S SO EPICLY AWESOME... _I think resisting the urge to go crazy with excitement. I keep a normal look on my face, and fight back my excitement. He comes around to the front of the desk.

"Now, I've been hearin' 'bout yer heroics from Terry, and I don't mind sayin' that he's a mite impressed." Joe tells us.

_HE'S TALKING TO US... _I think, still resting the urge.

"He told me how y'all rescued them girls from the BareBones Brigade." Joe continues. "If it warn't fer that, I mighta had to shut down the whole Caliosteo Cup."

_'Is warn't a word?' _Air Strike asks.

_'HE'S JOE WILDWEST.' _I tell him. _'IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE.'_

"So then," Joe says taking a step forward. "it seems I owe you my thanks." Pauleen steps forward.

"There's no reason to thank me!" She says cheerfully. "I just did what any beautiful and talented Fighter would do!" I smack the palm of my hand against my forehead, and shake my head.

"Yeah, like stand around and do nothing..." Todd says. Pauleen looks at him, mad.

"You stay out of this!" She snaps.

"Leave him alone." I tell her.

"Whoa there!" Joe says stepping forward. "Let's all just tucker down now pardners! Now, I can tell y'all are skilled Fighters with'a strong sense'a justice."

_'Fits you perfectly Red.' _Cloud Cover tells me.

"And that's why I've got an offer fer ya..." Joe says. "I want y'all to join the Caliosteo Patrol Team!"

"..." Me, Todd and Pauleen all stand there.

"Them BB varmints are as persistent as flies on a manure pile,"

_Ew._

"and I reckon they'll strike again before too long." Joe continues. "So I need y'all to keep yer eyes peeled for anything that looks like trouble. If ya smell anything fishy, just let either a staff leader or myself know, ya hear? That's the job of the Caliosteo Patrol Team." He look at me and Pauleen. "Of course, Red and Pauleen would continue fightin' in the Caliosteo Cup. Just consider this as a little side job to make life better for all the other Fighters."

"You can count on me sir!" Todd says stepping forward. "I'll do whatever it takes to stop the BareBones Brigade!" Pauleen twirls around and does her pose.

"It sounds like fun!" She says. "Plus, you'll need someone as beautiful and talented as me if you hope to succeed."

"Well shucks you two." Joe says. "Yer making' me as happy as a pig in slop."

_...What?_

"So how 'bout you Red?" Joe asks. "Can I convince ya to join the-"

"YEAH DAWG!" I suddenly yell with excitement, causing Todd, Pauleen and Joe to jump. "...Sorry." I say smiling awkwardly and scratching the back of my head. "I would love to join." I tell Joe letting my hand fall to my side and smiling normally. "I will not let the BB Brigade stop the Caliosteo Cup."

"I knew you'd say yes!" Todd says happily and looking at me. "Besides, this is our chance to pay Joe back for saving our lives!"

"Yeah dawg!" I say in agreement and looking at him.

"...Pay me back?" Joe asks with confusion. We look at him to see him with a confused look on his face. "What'n the world are ya talkin' 'bout small fry?"

"Don't you remember?" Todd asks. "You saved us from getting killed by a rogue Allosaurous!"

"Yeah!" I say in agreement. "You flew by on your Ptera and saved us!" Joe stands there, puzzled... and for some strange reason,

I can see a very small hint of panic in his eyes.

"...Don't tell me you've forgotten us!" Todd says snapping me out of it.

_I'm seeing things... I hope._

"Sorry pard." Joe tells him sadly. "But I don't remember nothin' like that."

"It... It's okay..." Todd says with disappointment. I feel it fill me as well.

"Right then!" Joe says, looking back at all of us. "I hereby declare the Caliosteo Patrol Team open for business!" Me, Todd and Pauleen jump in the air and high-five. "I'm expecting some great things from the three of you, so don't let me down, ya hear?" I hear a buzzing, take out my Fighter's License, and open it to see I've been promoted to Fighter Level 6.

"Yeah dawg!" I say jumping up in the air and spinning around.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in an unknown location somewhere near the Caliosteo Islands...<p>

Cole stood nervously in Don Boneyard's Quarters, looking up at his skeleton face. "I have a bone to pick with you my dear Cole..." Don Boneyard says coldly. "Our brilliant kidnapping scheme has been foiled by a pair of children. One of these children even defeated you in combat, despite my giving you a team of powerful boneysaurs... I am disappointed in you Cole." He growls. "VERY. Disappointed." Cole gulps.

"P-please forgive me, Don Boneyard!" Cole pleads. "It's a minor setback is all! It doesn't reflect on my natural style, or talent, or beauty! My hair wasn't messy enough, see? I... um... and... I... also forgot my lucky trucker hat at home!" He says smiling nervously.

"Gahar har har!" A deep, bellowing voice laughs. "You sure like makin' excuses Cole!" Cole whirls around, and a portly man pushes him aside.

"Lester!" Cole exclaims, offended. "How dare you interrupt-"

"Listen, Don Boneyard." Lester says taking a step forward. "What say you let me take a whack at this next? I got a rockin' plan! Once it's on, the Cup will be the last of their worries! Gahar har har!" Don Boneyard laughs a maniacal cackle.

"BWA HA HA HA!" He cackles. "...Very well. Lester, as one of my three trusted BareBones Brigade commanders, I will let you head this operation. Force the cancellation of the Cup, and drive those cursed Fighters from these islands!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back with our hero...<p>

Me, Todd and Pauleen step off the elevator platform onto the upper deck of the Fighter Station lobby. "The Caliosteo Patrol Team!" Pauleen says. "I'm getting excited just thinking about it. Soon, it will be time for Pauleen to shine! ...More so than usual!"

"If you're doing it for the fame and glory," I tell her. "then you should be doing it. We're in this to help people, not get glorified."

"..." She stands there.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

We all take out our Paleopagers. "All Round 4 matches of the Caliosteo Cup have been completed. A new dig site will be opening tomorrow: Hot Spring Heights. Hot Spring Heights is a hot-spring resort and dig site in a cold winter landscape. It's located on neighboring Ilium Island. If you wish to visit, please take a helicopter from the heliport." The staff tells us. We put our pagers away.

"They opened up Ilium Island!" Pauleen says. "That's the last island in the Caliosteo Fossil Park! Now, I know I'm on the Patrol Team and all, but that doesn't mean I'm going to neglect the Cup! Seeee yaaaaa!" She turns, and runs down the stair case.

"I can't believe Joe didn't remember us at all..." Todd says sadly, slumping his shoulders. "It was one of the best days of our life, and he just..." Todd sighs.

"Hey, cheer up." I say hugging him. "He's been really busy lately, and he probably had a lot on his mind when he saved us. He'll remember us."

"Yeah..." Todd says. I take a step back, and he looks at me. "Being disappointed won't make thing better! Here's the plan Red! We're going to be great at the Caliosteo Patrol Team, and also win the Cup! If we do that, Joe will have to remember us!"

"Yeah dawg!" I tell him.

"Yeah!" Todd says. "When I look at it like that, it makes me feel a lot better. Now come on! Ilium Island needs patrolling!"

"Yeah!" I say in agreement, throwing a fist in the air. "Tomorrow! Because we need the rest after this crazy day!"

"Yes!" Todd says. We leave the Fighter Station and go out to the Fighter's Camp, and to our bungalow. I make supper, we eat, Todd showers, then I shower. We brush our teeth, hang our bath robes up, and I get in my bottom bunk while Todd climbs up onto his top bunk.

"Night Todd." I tell him.

"Night Red." He tells me. I turn the light off, and lay there in the dark, unable to fall asleep, and listening to Todd sawing logs.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Yayz! Red has TWO Wondrous Fossil Rocks! LE GASP! Which Vivosaurs will he use them on? And I've noticed that I've made Red a bit more observant than the other characters. To thesecretkeeper11, Red still has the Aeros, which he named Sky Spine, but he just doesn't use it. To all of my readers, Red does have a lot of Vivosaurs, but he mainly uses Air Strike, Cloud Cover and Flamethrower. You will get to see one of his other Vivosaurs next chapter!<strong>

**Red: What happens then?**

**Me: No spoilers.**

**Red: GIMME SPOILER!**

**Me: NU!**

**Red: YUSH!**

**Both: *slap fight***

**Red's Team: *face palm***


	42. Childhood Memories

**AN-We'll be looking into Red's childhood in this chapter. You'll find out some things you wouldn't expect, and see another one of Red's vivosaurs. ONTO THE CHAPTER!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Forty-two-Childhood Memories<p>

I lay there in my bed, listening to the sound of Todd sawing logs on the bunk above me. I look at the clock in the wall to see it's midnight, then look back up at the bottom of Todd's bunk, and I just can't fall asleep. I push the covers off, get out of bed, and start getting dressed. I pull on a shirt that's just like my regular one, except the sleeves come down to my wrists, then pull on one of my suits, except this one's pants legs aren't bellbottoms, and are longer. I tuck the ends into my boots, pull on my gloves and goggles, then grab my back pack from the desk chair where I hang it, and quietly head out into the night. The desert air is chilly against my face, but the rest of me is kept warm from my clothes. I walk into Cranial City, over to the heliport, and take out a Dino Medal. I silently toss it in the air, and the vivosaur, a Thalasso, comes out in the middle of the heliport.

He's built like a Nycto, is periwinkle with bluish-purple on the sail on his head, on his arm bones, around his eyes, and under his chin. He looks at me. _'Something wrong Red?' _He asks.

_'...Yes.' _I tell him. _'I just need to think some things over, okay?'_

_'Okay...' _He tells me. I climb onto his back, and pull my goggles over my eyes.

_'To Ribular Water Logged.' _I tell him, using his name, Water Logged. He silently takes off, and flies through the velvet night with silver clouds, over the crystal ocean that reflects the sea of stars. He lands in Ribular Town's heliport, and I slide off. Water Logged goes into his medal, I pick it up, put it in my pouch, and walk onto the Fossil Lawn to the right of the heliport. I come to the Fossil Lawn, which is a small field with soft green grass, clusters of wild flowers, and a walk way of the light sandy gold slates leading up to a short set of stairs of a large raised platform, and on the middle of that is a smaller and shorter raised platform which holds the Fossil Cannon.

The Fossil Cannon is a rusty red color, and looks like a weapon they used in World War 2 to shoot down enemy planes, except this has a computer like object built into it that's black with green light that run down it length wise. It's twice my height, and is probably about ten feet long. There's a short wooden fence that surrounds the Fossil Lawn, and not too far from where I am near the entrance is a lone palm tree.

_'Red, why in the world did you come here in the middle of the night?' _Cloud Cover asks me.

_'...' _I go over to the palm tree, and stand there, looking at it while I let anger boil up inside me.

_'...Red?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'...' _I stare at the tree, and my face hardens with anger, I clench my fists, I bare my teeth in a scowl, and my brow knits with anger. _'NnnnnnnNNNNAAAAAAAARGH!' _I raise my fist and punch the tree as hard as I can. There's a low CRACK, and a small split runs up the tree about a foot, and pain erupts in my fist. I grab it with my other hand and a painful grunt escapes me.

_'WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?' _My vivosaurs yell at me. I ignore them, and slowly move my hand to look at my fist. The skin is split, and I undoubtedly damaged the ligaments and my knuckles are displaced, while warm blood comes from the wound. I grunt painfully again, and grab my fist again.

_'Oh...' _I grunt. I hear a vivosaur come out, and a gentle hand on my shoulder. I look up to see my Maia, Lullaby, standing over me. I hold my injured hand up to her, and she heals it using Healing Hand. I look at it, and there's no trace of the wound. _'Thank you...' _I tell her. She goes into her medal, and it put it in my pouch.

_'Red, why are you hating on the tree?' _Air Strike asks me.

_'I...Because I'm angry...' _I tell him.

_'Why?' _He asks.

_'Just... just because!' _I tell him.

_'Who or what are you angry at?' _Flamethrower asks. _'Pauleen?'_

_'No...' _I tell him, conflicted.

_'Us?' _Air Strike asks.

_'No! I'm just... ANGRY...' _I tell him.

_'Are you mad at Joe for not remembering?' _Cloud Cover asks me with worry.

_'No!' _I tell her. _'I'm not angry at anyone, I'm just... ANGRY...'_

_'At who?'_

_'Answer the question!'_

_'You can't just be mad for no reason!'_

My vivosaurs bombard me with questions and keep telling me I need to tell them why I'm so angry. My eyes squeeze shut with anger, and I clench my fists harder.

_"__**MYSELF!**__" _I roar mentally and verbally. My vivosaurs go silent. _'I'M ANGRY AT MYSELF BECAUSE I LET THE STUPID BB BANDITS TAKE ROSIE AWAY! SOMETHING TERRIBLE AND IRREVERSIBLE COULD'VE HAPPEN TO HER, SOMETHING __I__ COULD PREVENT, AND YET I LET THEM KIDNAP HER! And OH, let's not forget when Raptin and Dynal blasted her with their ray guns! THOSE COULD'VE KILLED HER, AND YET I LET THEM BLAST HER! Then, I didn't stop Raptin from activating the main idol-comp, so she could've been eaten by a terrible monster! And of course there's the fact that I left Vivosaur Island without telling her goodbye or ANYTHING! I'M THE WORST PERSON ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH!'_

_'Red, that isn't true!' _Flamethrower tells me sternly.

_'Oh yeah, you're right.' _I tell him. _'I'M THE WORST PERSON IN THE ENTIRE COSMOS!'_

_'Ugh... Red, listen-'_

_'NO! YOU listen!' _I snap at him. _'I'm a terrible person for all those reasons, and I know she'll never forgive me...'_

_'Listen to yourself!' _Flamethrower snaps back. _'You stopped the BB Bandits, kept Bullwort from taking over the world, and ever since you ran away, you've been helping people, and asking for nothing in return, yet you say you're a terrible person?'_

_'YES!'_

_'WHY?'_

_'BECAUSE I RAN AWAY WITHOUT TELLING MY PARENTS I LOVE THEM!'_

_'...'_

_'HAPPY?'_

_'...What about the letter you left when you left Vivosaur Island?'_

_'THAT...!' _I sigh. _'...Wasn't enough...'_

_'So, all this stuff that we've been talking about, is what's been making you so mad?'_

_'Yes...'_

_'...Red?'_

_'Yeah?'_

_'I've been wondering... When you went aboard the Dinaurian Starship to stop King Dynal, after you took out that Dinaurian squadron, why didn't you grab one of their blasters to use?'_

_'...'_

_'Well?'_

_'...I have a thing against guns.'_

_'Why?'_

_'...' _I take a deep breath. _'Because when I was five years old,_

_I was shot in the chest with one.'_

_'...__**SAY WHAT?**__' _My vivosaurs yell.

_'HOW...?' _Air Strike asks, while he and my vivosaurs have absolutely no idea how to react.

_'Like I said, when I was five, me and my parents were going for a walk through town after supper. It was nice out, the weather was perfect, and autumn was coming, so the leaves on the trees were colorful. We were coming near the bank, and a man in all black burst out with a bag of money in one hand, a pistol in the other, and a hostage in the crook of his elbow. He looked at me and my parents, and my mom put her hands on my shoulders, my dad put his hands on her shoulder protectively, and they pulled me out of the way. I remember how scared I was. I asked my mom what he was doing, but my dad gently told me I needed to not say anything. I was too little to understand why that man was doing what he was doing, but I understood that the person he had was in danger. The man turned his back for a second, and I charged at him, jumped, and grabbed his head. I pulled the mask off his head, yanked at his hair, hit the sides of his head, and clawed at his face. He knocked me off of him, and I fell to the ground...' _My breathing has grown shaky, tears stream out of my eyes, and I try to breath past the lump in my throat.

_'Everything after that is blurry. I remember hearing a gun fire, pain erupting in my chest, my mom screaming my name with worry, fear, and despair. My dad ran by me and attacked the man. All I remember of that is a brown, white and black blur charging at a black blur. I heard people yelling, more blurs helping my dad attack and subdue the man who shot me, and I heard my mom telling me everything was going to be alright while she stroked the side of my face and held my head in her lap. My hand was over the spot where the bullet hit me, and I could feel the blood coming from the wound. I heard someone yell for someone to call 911, and there were sirens going off from an ambulance. Everything went black, and I woke up in the hospital... I've never been more scared in my entire life.'_

_'...Wow...' _Air Strike says. _'That's...That's pretty intense for a five-year-old...'_

_'What happened after that?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'Well, I woke up in the hospital,' _I tell them. _'and the doctor was talking to my parents. I couldn't understand what he was saying, and they thought I was still asleep. My mom was crying, and my dad was hugging her with tears streaming out of his eyes. The only thing I could make out was that I had been in a coma for a week...'_

_'Then what happened?' _Cloud Cover asks with worry and sadness.

_'Well, I fell back asleep, and I woke up the next day with my wound gone. Not a single trace of it. Like it never happened.'_

_'How?' _Flamethrower exclaims.

_'Well, the doctor said that a person with a hood pulled over their face came into the hospital, and gave him some kind of contraption. They left without saying a single word, but I remember a blur... It was them. They got to see me, and they stood in the door way watching me, then left. The contraption they left had a note on it, and it could heal any wound without a trace, like it never happened. Everything... wait... THAT'S HOW!'_

_'What? How's what?' _Air Strike asks.

_'My hair!' _I tell him. _'Me getting shot was my earliest memory! I remember! That morning I looked in the mirror, and my hair was fiery red! When I got back home from the hospital, I looked in the mirror again, and my hair was this color! I remember! The shock from me getting shot made my hair turn this color!'_

_'Whoa...' _Air Strike says.

_'I know!' _I tell him.

_'Wait, you said your parents told you your hair naturally turned dark gray.'_ Cloud Cover points out. _'Why did they tell you that?'_

_'Well, it happened when I was young enough to not remember, but since what happened made it hard to forget, and you don't just forget how you hair goes from natural to unnatural color, I guess they told me that so they would hope I would forget being shot.' _I suggest.

_'Well, I guess that is a good reason.' _She says. _'But that doesn't mean they should lie to you about it.'_

_'They're my parents.' _I tell her. _'They love me, and they don't want me to remember something that was that terrifying and could've probably killed me. They lied for my own good, as little help it did... I sometimes still have nightmares...'_

_'Well, in my opinion, your hair looks better dark gray.' _Flamethrower tells me. _'It goes better with your deep blue, sapphire eyes.'_

_'...You know, you actually have a point.' _I tell him. _'A lot of people tell me that.'_

_'How do you feel?' _Cloud Cover asks me.

_'...Relived...' _I say letting out a relived sigh. _'I never told anyone that I've been shot. I remember people asking my parents why my hair is dark gray, and they always told them the same thing they told me.' _I yawn.

_'Tired?' _Air Strike asks.

_'Exhausted.' _I tell him. _'I think I'll be able to sleep now...' _I hear a vivosaur come out, and I look to see Water Logged next to me. He picks me up, puts me on his back, and takes off. We get back to Cranial Isle, and Water Logged flies straight to the Fighter's Camp, and silently lands outside mine and Todd's bungalow. I climb off, catch his medal, put it in my pouch, and go into our bungalow. I quietly strip down to my boxers, put the clothes away, and slip under the covers of my bunk, and drift asleep and into a dream of Rosie.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-...Well... As you can see, Red's life hasn't been all sunshine and lollypops as some of you guys might have thought. LEAVE A REVIEW. <strong>**And yes, TWO chapters in ONE day!**


	43. Lose a Princess?

**AN- Y U NO LEAVE REVIEW ON LAST CHAPTER? I want to know how you guys reacted when Red told his vivosaurs about him getting shot. And now, we head to Ilium Island, a place that feels like a desert compared to my heart.**

**Red: Tell me something I don't know.**

**Me: I can make you have a nightmare if you say something like that again.**

**Red: ...**

**Me: ONWARD TO THA STORY!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Forty-three-Lose a Princess?<p>

_I'm standing on the side walk in my home town wearing brown cargo pants, a white shirt, and a navy blue jacket. I look up at the sky, and I see my reflection in one of the clouds. My eyes are the same, but my hair is a fiery red color. I look back around the street, and there's people going about their daily lives, the colorful leaves glide along the cool, autumn breeze, and my parents appear on either side of me. They take my hands, and we all start walking down the side walk, I smile, and walk with a spring in my step. We come to our house, and the door breaks down. I look at the doorway with a frightened expression, and a person made out of evil, black shadows comes out. He looks at me and my parents with soulless red eyes, and he pulls a gun out. _

_ "M-mommy? D-daddy?" I look up at them to see blank looks on their faces, and they turn to stone. I look back and forth at them with a frantic look, then back at the man. The surroundings blow away to reveal hard, brown dirt, the sky darkens, and my parents crumble away, leaving me alone with this man. I look back at him, and he suddenly becomes a shadow on the ground, and charges towards me. I start to run, only to find I can't move my legs._

_ I look down to see my feet and ankles covered in some kind of black stuff, and the shadow reaches me, and turns back into the man. I look up at him, fear on my face, and in my eyes while tears weld up in them. He grabs my neck, and effortlessly lift me off the ground. His grip on my neck tightens, and I grab his wrist._

_ "Please..." I choke while tears stream from my eyes. "Let me go..." I look at him, and the hand with the gun comes up to his jaw, and he pulls off his mask to show his face._

_ Joe._

_ Joe Wildwest._

_ "WHAT?" I exclaim. I look straight into his soft, friendly, light blue puppy dog eyes. He has his warm smile on his face, which turns into an evil grin. "J-Joe?" He blinks, and my eyes grow wide, and my heart races._

_ His eyes are now a hard, cold, cruel ice-blue with reptilian pupils._

_ "Surrender." He says. It's not his voice. This voice is evil, threatening, booms like thunder, and I can just hear the cruelty in it._

_ "No!" I tell him. "You're NOT Joe! I don't know who you are, but I'm not going to surrender to you!"_

_ "..." His face hardens and his evil grin vanishes. He raises up the gun to my face, and put the end of the barrel between my eyes. I look at the end of the barrel, and then at him._

_ He pulls the trigger._

"**NO!**" I yell falling out of bed, hugging my pillow which I was clutching in hard fists while my teeth were bared, my face contorted with fear and my body is slick with sweat and is feverish from the nightmare. I hit the floor, yelling, and I hear Todd yell and feel him fall on top of me after falling off the top bunk. Him hitting me startles me, so I yell again, causing him to jump off of me and yell. Him yelling causes me to yell again as well as running for the door, and I slam into him as he starts yelling. We run around in the dark yelling for a few minutes before we slam into each other, causing us to fall to the ground. I hit the light switch and the light comes on to reveal we're in the living room, clutching our hearts and panting.

"...NEVER...DO THAT...AGAIN..." Todd tells me, panting for breath.

"I won't..." I tell him. "Just don't fall on top of me." We sit there for a second, then turn off the lights and I get back in my bed while Todd climbs up to his and gets back in bed.I fall back asleep after a bit, and we wake up at seven, have breakfast, and get dressed into snow gear for Ilium Island.

I put on a long sleeved shirt just like my regular one, the long legged suit, my gloves, and a black object like a toboggan, except it goes around my head, allowing my hair to stick up, then put on my goggles. I pull on my boots, tuck the ends of the pants legs into them, then pull on a parka suit styled like my regular suit, except this has a black fur lined hood rather than a collar. I wrap a blue and black striped scarf around my neck, and tuck the front into my parka suit while the ends hang over my shoulder. I pull on thick black gloves on over my regular gloves, and pull on my backpack, ready to go.

Todd has on his helmet over a light green toboggan, a white scarf around his neck, a green parka with light green sleeves and chest, then white fur in the hood, green snow pants with dark green on the inside and outside of the legs, and the ends tucked into his boots, and dark green gloves. He pulls on his backpack, and we walk out into the desert sun. We hurry to the heliport, climb aboard the helicopter, and it lifts off to Ilium Island.

A minute later...

I'm standing in the door way off the helicopter, my goggles over my eyes, and holding onto a handle on the ceiling while frozen air blows against my face. The helicopter lands on a light blue landing pad as the propellers make snowflakes blow away. Me and Todd hop off, only to let Todd bolt away, excited about the fossils to be found. I smile, and survey the area.

What I'm standing on is actually held up over a canyon, and the floor is made of ice blue stuff, while the solid railing is blue. The landing pad is on a small octagon with a path that leads away from it to the Fighter's camp, while in front of it is a small bridge to a much larger octagon with a building that must be the Fighter Station, and four paths branching off of it. The upper left one has a small building which must be the Fossil Guild, while the other three look like the lead to dig sites.

"Hey dude!" I hear a man say. I look to see a man with wild, brown porcupine hair, a teal and white visor of a turquoise thermal head band like mine, a thick, warm blue scarf, thick black gloves, a teal and white parka with turquoise fur in the hood, thick blue snow pants tucked into teal boots with white near the top, and a blue belt with a blue and white pouch on it. "Welcome to Ilium Island! We get some pretty gnarly weather here dude, so make sure you don't catch a cold."

_'...A surfer in a tundra biome...' _I think.

_'Does not make much sense.' _Flamethrower tells me.

"Wait..." The man peers at me. "Are you...Red?"

"The one and only!" I tell him.

"My name's Kent." He tells me. "I'm the Staff Leader here on Ilium Island. Terry and Stella told me you're a pretty radical dude, but if you need anything, just lemme know."

"Yes sir." I tell him. He points behind him.

"That's the Fighter station." I look at the building with a shallow sloped steel colored roof, dark ice blue walls and pillars, icicles hanging off the roof, piles of snow around it, and the two snowmen outside the door, one with a yellow hat and one with a red hat, and ice white arch above the automatic door, and the building is perfectly round. "Then that building is our Fossil Guild." I look at the branched-off building, which is a hexagon shape, has a deeper sloped steel colored roof, then dark ice blue at the top two feet of the walls, then the rest is ice white. "If you wanna get to Hot Spring Heights, just take the bridge to the lower left." I nod, and Kent looks back at me. "You're a Patrol Team dude, so I'm expecting some totally tubular things from you. We gotta stop those gnarly BB types from messin' up the Cup, you know? 'Cause that would be a bummer."

"I won't let you down!" I tell him with a smile. He smiles, and walks back to the Fighter Station. I get a notice on my Paleopager saying a pay-to-dig site a Treasure Lake is open. I put my pager away, and walk over and down the bridge to Hot Spring Heights. I arrive at the dig site, which is one actual land with snow everywhere, except for around some large holes in the ground with steam coming out of them. There's some evergreen trees, and a small cave opening to the left of a large digging area, and then there's a wall made of rock with snow on top and a wide arch in the middle, allowing access to the second half of the site. _MUST DIG! _ I think pulling out my pick and sonar. I run around, digging up every fossil I can find in the first half, then walk through the arch to the second half. At the back is a cave entrance with a staff member, which must lead to the hot spring. To the right is a cluster of evergreen trees, while the rest of the area is covered with snow.

I do more digging, and when I get close to the evergreen trees, I hear someone talking. _What? _There's only one voice. _...Is someone talking to themselves? _I get on my stomach under the branches of one, and peek out from under them.

"Okay, breathe girl, digadig!" Pauleen says. She's not wearing her mask, has on a yellow toboggan with her pigtails sticking out of it, a gold colored scarf, red parka with large white polka dots, thick, dusty red gloves, brown snow boots, a dull yellow skirt over thick green snow pants, and her satchel.

She's talking to a snow man.

_'...' _Me and my vivosaurs say nothing.

_'The more I see her, the less I want to.' _I tell them.

_'A snow man.' _Cloud Cover says. _'A. SNOW MAN. Is she THAT desperate to have someone to talk to?' _

_ 'Eats me.' _I tell her. The snow man is made of three, perfectly made large snowballs, has a long white and green scarf around its neck, a purple bucket on its head, pebbles for eyes, a carrot nose, and branches for arms. Pauleen takes a deep breath.

"Hello, digadig!" She tells the snow man. "My name's Pauleen, digadig! It's nice to meet you, digadig!" She stands there for a second. "I can talk normally to a snow man, digadig. It's really nice, digadig. But, when I talk to people, I get all flustered and nervous and my face turns red, digadig." She pulls her mask out of her satchel, and puts it on. "I hope I can get rid of this mask soon..." She turns and runs off.

_'...What?' _Air Strike asks. _'Why does-'_

_ 'That's it!' _I exclaim with realization.

_'What's it?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'Don't you two get it?' _Flamethrower asks them. _'She wears the mask because it then she can talk to people better.'_

_ 'Without it, she can't barely talk without getting nervous.' _I tell them. _'...Wait...'_

_ 'Wait what?' _Flamethrower asks.

_'...If the mask allows to not get nervous, do you think it also makes her act completely different then her true nature?' _I ask.

_'...' _We all think about it for a second.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

_Hmm? _I take out my Paleopager, and the small screen has a picture of Joe on it.

"Joe Wildwest here with a message for my new Caliosteo Patrol Team." He says. "I got a little job for ya. Can y'all meet me in my office in Wildwest Tower? I'll be waitin'!" The screen goes blank, and I put the pager back in the side pocket.

_Whelp, I can think about it later. _I think. I slide out from under the tree, stand up, brush the snow off me, and rush into town. I turn to the heliport, and see Rupert standing there. "Hi Rupert!" I say cheerfully. He looks at me with his usual flat, bored look. He has on a toboggan the same color as his parka, which is the same red color as his coat, he has thick, black gloves, a royal purple scarf white a white 'R' stitched on it, white snow pants with thick red lines going down the front, with the ends below his knees tucked into his boots, and a royal red, royal purple, and white backpack.

"...Oh." He says. "Hello Red."

"What'cha doin'?" I ask. He raises an eyebrow.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" He asks. I shrug.

"We've had disagreements in the past, but that doesn't mean I should hold to them." I tell him. "What's the point of holding onto a petty hate when you can make amends?"

"..." Rupert stands there. "...You... don't act like a normal person..."

"So?" I ask. "Being different is awesome! I don't care what others think. Nobody should."

"..." He stands there, looking at my smiling face. "...Well... Since you asked, my Father is taking a moment out of his schedule to come by the fossil park. I have been ordered to wait here for him."

"...Don't you mean 'asked to wait here'?" I ask. He blinks, and we hear helicopter blades. Rupert looks at the approaching helicopter.

"This must be him now." I look to see a helicopter with white blades, royal purple doors while the rest is royal red and white, with **FossilDig Inc. **in bold gold letters on the side. The door opens, and a man steps out. He's probably in his late thirties, has neatly combed back, brown hair, sunglasses that are the same gold color as Rupert's eyes and shine like ice, an expensive suit which must maintain his temperature, which has a purple-pink collar and the same color on his shoulders and upper back, bluish purple on the top of his sleeves and the middle of his back, then the pink purple on the inside of the sleeves and the edge of his coat.

On his right lower arm is a shiny, white devise that looks like a bracer from a suit of armor, the front of his pants are white and the back is lavender, he has white shoes and gloves, a small yellow ascot, a bluish purple shirt with a pink purple stripe down the front, and a brown belt.

"Thank you for coming to see me Father." Rupert says as the man, Mr. Regius, walks up to him. "I know your time is most valuable."

"I heard you are making steady progress through the Cup, Rupert." Mr. Regius tells Rupert. "However, I expect you to continue and win. I will accept no less than total victory."

_...DID HE JUST TALK TO RUPERT LIKE THAT? _I exclaim. _I can't BELIEVE this guy! I bet he's the reason Rupert's pessimistic! I oughtta give this guy a piece of my mind! He can't treat a child prodigy like that!_

"Your unbeaten streak is the finest advertising FossilDig Inc. could want, and it must continue at all costs." Mr. Regius tells him. "Don not fail me in this Rupert." Rupert nods.

"...Y-yes Father." He tells his Father.

"Very well." His Father tells him. "Perhaps I will take a tour of this little park before I leave." He turns away, and I let anger spread across my face. "Since this is the grand prize, it will inevitably become a part of the FossilDig Inc. empire. As such, it would behoove me to know a little something about the place..."

"Then you might want to visit the Caliosteo Museum on Cranial Island." I say coldly. Mr. Regius turns and looks at me.

"...Who are you?" He asks.

"Red." I tell him. "But I guess you won't care about my name since you seem to only think about your company."

"...Did you just talk to me like that?" He asks.

"Yes." I tell him. "Yes I did." I see Rupert jerkily shake his head, looking at me with wide eyes out of the corner of my eyes. "I can't believe you talk to your son like that. You don't deserve to have him as your son."

"..." Mr. Regius undoubtedly glares at me from behind his one-way sunglasses. "Rupert, do you know this boy?" Rupert tenses, and his eyes dart back and forth between me and his Father.

"...N-n-no... N-no sir..." He stammers.

"See that is stays that way." Mr. Regius tells him. He turns away, and boards the helicopter. Rupert takes a couple steps towards it, and watches it lift up and fly away.

"...Well..." He says. "...As you can see, my father is a very...driven man." He keeps looking at the landing pad. "How can FossilDig be more profitable? How can it corner the market on all fossil-related industries? These are the things that my father thinks about... They are all my father thinks about." His voice is distant, cold, and I can hear a small hint of sadness in it. He stands there for a second, then looks at me, a bit of sadness in his eyes, while I have pity in mine. "Yes, well, this is really none of your concern Red. Please forget any of this happened." He walks away into the Fighter Station.

_...That must be the only way he can coup with it... _I think. I climb onto the helicopter, and buckle into one of the seats as the helicopter blades start up. _I can't believe his dad talks to him like that. The only reason he cares about Rupert is because he's so good at Fossil Fighting, he can advertise his company..._

_ Should I win the Cup?_

_ If I win, I can tell the world who I am, and I'll keep my promise to Todd, but if I don't, Rupert's dad won't hate him. If he doesn't already. I'm on this world to help and protect people. How can I help Rupert with his dad? ...Wait... Rupert...is he afraid of his dad? He showed fear, but I know his dad hasn't hurt him. Is Rupert so worried about making his dad happy that he LETS his dad control him? Is he too scared of what might happen if he stands up to him?_

_ ..._

_ I need to help Rupert. He's been mean to me and Todd in the past, but now I know why. He's been unable to have fun. I need to help him learn how to have fun, and help him get the bravery to stand up to his dad. _The helicopter nears Cranial City, and I take off my snow gear. I'm wearing my usual outfit under all of this, so I take off my long-legged suit, and long sleeve shirt to my usual outfit, and store the extra clothes in my backpack. The helicopter lands, and I hop off, rush into the Fighter Station, and get in the elevator to Joe's Office. the sliding panel opens, and the elevator platform comes into place, and I step off.

"Took you long enough Red!" Todd tells me.

"Sorry." I tell him.

"The Caliosteo Patrol Team is FINALLY accounted for." Pauleen says. They're both in their usual outfits, telling me they took off their snow gear.

_At least I wasn't talking to a snow man..._ I think. I get in place between them, and we all look at Joe, who's to the left front of his desk with a man I've never seen before in the middle of the front. He has neat, dark brown porcupine hair, a mustache, an expensive blue suit with a green tie, black shoes, and is round in the middle. Joe steps forward.

"I'm glad y'all made it." He tells us. "Sorry 'bout ropin' ya here on such'a short notice, but lemme introduce y'all to someone." He looks at the man. "This here's Minister Pomposa from the Kingdom of Nomadistan." The minister steps forward, puts his fists on his hips, and thumbs up his nose.

"Harrumph!" He says. "I am Minister Pomposa! See that you address me by my full and proper name!" I look over at Joe to see he has one arm crossed while his other one is pinching the bridge of his nose. I hide a snicker.

"Geez, all right." Todd murmurs very quietly. "No need to act like a big shot..." I hide another snicker, and Joe steps forward.

"Now listen up." He tells us. "Minister...um...He's got somethin' real important he wants to tell y'all."

"Harrumph! The words Minister Pomposa will now speak are of vital importance to the Kingdom of Nomadistan." He tells us in his snobbish voice.

"...Psst!" Todd murmurs to me. "I've never even hear of the Kingdom of Nomadistan!"

"Duh! It's a country in the west!" Pauleen murmurs. "...Or maybe it's up north. Actually, I don't know."

"What kind of name is Nomadistan anyway?" I murmur.

"HARRUMPH" Minister Pomposa says loudly. We all quickly look back at him and stiffen. "No one may whisper when Minister Pomposa is speaking!" We all smile awkwardly and nervously.

_'Boy...' _Air Strike groans._ 'Minister Pompoms needs to lighten up...' _Cloud Cover mentally face palms.

_'It's not Pompoms, its Pombo... Pomposity? Uh... Pomona? No...' _She says.

_'His name should be Minister Pompous rather than Minister Pomposa since he's so snobbish.' _Flamethrower tells us. I hide a snicker.

"Now, if you are done being rude..." Minister Pomposa says. "The Kingdom of Nomadistan has a lovely princess whom the people treasure above all else. However, our beloved princess has recently gone missing! This is simply unacceptable! Minister Pomposa has searched far and wide in search of the princess, but with no success."

_Can't this guy use a pronoun for himself? _I wonder.

"However, we now believe we are close to finding her whereabouts." He continues. "It seems she has entered herself in the Caliosteo Cup! This means she is here in this very fossil park. Minister Pomposa is sure of it! Harrumph." Joe steps forward.

"As y'all can see, this is a matter of some sensitivity, and we've been asked to keep it under our hats." He tells us. "But, I figured if anyone could track down this little lady, it would be my Patrol Team!"

"I don't mind looking for the princess," Todd murmurs. "but Minister Jerkface there is really starting to bug me!" I hide a snicker.

"What did you say?" Minister 'Jerkface' says stamping right up to Todd and getting an inch away from his face.

"I...um..." Todd panics, and I pull Minister Pomposa away from him.

"I would appreciate it if you would stay out of Todd's personal space please." I tell him. Minister Pompsa looks back at him.

"Still, what did you say?" He asks Todd.

"...You, uh...have...a...very nice mustache sir!" Todd tells him smiling awkwardly.

"Harrumph!" Minister Pomposa says. He then fingers his mustache and smiles. "Yes, it is quite fine. Minister Pomposa bushes it with 100 strokes every night." I look at Joe to see him rolling his eyes. I hide yet another snicker. "Now then, if you return our princess, you will be rewarded most handsomely." Me, Todd and Pauleen look at each other, then back at him. "You will be given a miraculous fossil rock so fine, Fighters shed tears of joy just to be near it."

"A MIRACULOUS FOSSIL ROCK?" Todd and Pauleen exclaim, running straight up to Minister Pomposa, making him jump back from surprise. I look at Joe to see him with the brim of his hat covering his eyes while trying not to laugh.

"...A say what now?" I ask.

"A miraculous fossil rock can make vivosaurs transform or evolve on the spot." Pauleen tells me, then looks back at Minister Pomposa. "I can't believe they'd give away something so valuable..."

"You have the word of the great and terrible Minister Pomposa himself." He tells us. "And his word is stronger than oak!"

_What kind of oak? A dead, wet one, or a dry, living one?_

"Okay, it's a deal!" Todd says doing a determined fist-pump and clap. We all look at him. "I'll find your princess!"

"Step off shorty!" Pauleen says doing a cheerleader jump. We all look at her. "You need someone beautiful and clever to find a missing princess. Someone like ME!"

"You and Todd are the same height minus your pigtails..." I tell her. She and Todd both whirl around, and charge towards the elevator. "Uh, guys?" I ask. The both stop in front of it, and look at me. "Forgetting something?" They both stand there, and I look back a Minister Pomposa. "What does she look like?" Todd and Pauleen look at each other, then get back on either side of me.

"Yeah..." Pauleen says. "I'm good, but I'm not that good." I sigh and roll my eyes.

"Harrumph." Minister Pomposa says. "Yes, it seems that information would be helpful." He takes a photo out of his pocket, and holds it out to us. We all take a step forward and look at it. "Behold, our beloved princess!" Me and Todd gasp.

It's a picture of Joanie.

She's standing there with a beautiful blue sky in the background with some trees as well, she smiling and is holding Madame Pooch.

"Wha?" Todd exclaims.

"Zuh?" I exclaim.

"It seems you two appreciate true beauty!" Minister Pomposa says. "Your lips utter the cry that your heart cannot." Me and Todd look at each other with that 'this guy is crazy' look, and I look over at Joe to see him face palming. He then takes a step forward.

"Sorry to drop this on y'all," He tells us. "but I don't know who else to trust. Ya might wanna ask around first. See if some of the townsfolk know anything. But fer heaven's sake, don't tell 'em yer lookin' for a princess!"

"Yes sir!" Me, Todd and Pauleen say simultaneously.

"All right team." He tells us. "Get out there and scare up that missin' lady!" We all nod, and ride down the elevator. We all step out onto the upper deck of the Lobby when the elevator arrives. Todd looks at me.

"Hey Red?" He asks. "That girl in the picture was Joanie, wasn't it?"

"Yep." I tell him. I shake my head in disbelief. "I can't believe she's a princess..."

"Look," Pauleen says. We look at her. "if you guys want to stand around and chew the fat, you're more than welcome. But I'm going to find the princess and earn the miraculous fossil rock! Seeeee yaaaa!" She turns and runs off.

"Ha!" Todd laughs. "That miraculous fossil rock is MINE! No one's gonna beat me this time!" He runs off, and I face palm.

_'This won't end well...' _I think. I walk out of the Fighter Station to see Todd and Pauleen asking people about Joanie, only to find out they know nothing. I sit down on a bench outside the Caliosteo Museum, and look at the sky. _Oh dino... Three Island to search, two people after her for a fossil, and people who don't know a thing... _I watch a cloud pass by. _...Huh... Lemme look at it this way: I'm a prince from the Kingdom of Nomadistan, I'm fighting in the Caliosteo Cup, and I don't want people to know I'm royalty, and I don't want to go back to Nomadistan...I would hide somewhere not many people go, but also has plenty of nice fossils to dig up... _I sit there a second, then get up, grab my backpack, and board a helicopter to Ribular Island. It arrives, and I head straight to the Jungle Labyrinth, and start heading to the deepest part.

_'Why do you think Joanie's there?' _Air Strike asks.

_'Think about it.'_ I tell him. _'Ever since the fake monster incident, people are still too worried to go too far in, and it's full of really nice fossils.' _

_ '...That actually makes perfect sense.' _Cloud Cover says. I come to the deepest part, and look around.

"No no, widdle doggy!" I hear a man say.

_'Zuh?' _I look in that direction, then duck into some bushes. I pop up, and I see Joanie, Madame Pooch, and a man that I recognize from one of his matches, Pat Bull. He has a dark green, wide brimmed hat, dark green vest, brown hair and beard, black sunglasses, black pants, brown boots, and a white shirt He's giving Madame Pooch a death petting that she's not enjoying too much, while I can tell Joanie's worried.

"Don't squirm now!" Pat Bull says. "You have to be a nice widdle doggy!"

"STOP IT!" Madame Pooch barks at him.

"Stop zis!" Joanie says stepping forward. "Madame Pooch, she does not like you!"

"Wrong again sister." Pat Bull tells her, not looking up from Madame Pooch. "All dogs love me! I have this natural way with animals, see? Don't you wove me, widdle poochie? Who's a happy puppy? Huh? Whoooo's a happy puppy?"

_Not her. _I think.

"You're coming home with me," Pat Bull continues. "aren't you, widdle snookums? Yes you are! Yeees, you are!"

_Wouldn't that be stealing or kidnapping? _I wonder. Pat Bull looks up at Joanie.

"...Hey lady?" He asks. "You're starting to mess with my dog bonding here, so why don't you get lost?" He punches a fist into his hand. "That is, unless you want me to clean your clock in a Fossil Battle!" Madame Pooch stands there, too dazed and dizzy to do anything. Joanie takes a frightened step back.

_HE CAN'T THREATEN HER! _ I think. I jump up, grab a tree branch, swing off of it, and kick Pat Bull in the gut. I land in a crouch while Pat Bull flies and skids ten feet.

"You should know better than to threaten her and take Madame Pooch from her." I tell him.

"Carte blanche!" Joanie says. "It is my friend Red!"

"Yeah dawg." I tell her looking over my shoulder with a half smile.

"You are here at just the right time, no? Please, you must make with ze rescuing of Madame Pooch from zat terrible oaf of a man!" Joanie tells me. "I cannot fight ze Fossil Battle, but are very good at it!"

"My pleasure to help." I tell her. I stand up, and walk towards Pat Bull, and stop a few feet away. He sits up, and straightens his hat.

"I oughtta smack you with a rolled-up newspaper kid." He tells me. He stands up brushes some dirt off of him, then looks at me. "But if you want a Fossil Battle, bring it on!"

"Please," I tell him rolling my eyes and pulling out my team's medals. "you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn." He scowls, and I hear Joanie quietly laugh.

"All right, kid." Pat Bull says pulling out some Dino Medals. "Time to show you who the real alpha dog is!" I smack my hand against my forehead at what he just said. We let out our teams, and I look at his. He has two Machai, one regular while the other one has green scars and fur on its spine and end of the tail. Then there's one I've never seen before, and looks like a super evolver. I take out my Fighter's License, open it, and it scans the vivosaur, and information for it appears. It's the super evolved form of Tricera. It has a yard long horn that dominates its face, black and blue layered, armor-like skin on its head, some blue on its ankles, shoulders, wrists, and knees.

"Machai, Machai Twist on Shanshan!" He attacks doing twenty-six damage. "Machai, Machai twist on Spinax!" He attacks doing ten damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Heracles!" He attacks doing one hundred twenty-two damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Combo on Heracles!" She attacks doing forty damage.

"Machai, Machai Twist on Shanshan!" He attacks doing twenty-nine damage. "Machai, Machai Twist on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing twenty-three damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Fang on Heracles!" He attacks doing one hundred and twenty-two damage, sending Heracles into his medal. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Machai!" He attacks doing eighteen damage.

"Machai, Machai Twist on Shanshan!" He attacks doing twenty-six damage. "Machai, Machai Twist on Spinax!" He attacks doing twenty-two damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Combo on Machai!" He attacks doing seventy-six damage, sending Machai into his medal.

"Machai, Machai Twist on Spinax!" He attacks doing thirty-two damage.

"Flamethrower, use Enflame on Air Strike!" He does it, boosting Air Strike's attack. "Now Air Strike, use Spinax Fang on Machai!" He attacks doing ninety-nine damage, sending Machai into his medal.

"N-no!" Pat Bull says. "How can this be when I wove my widdle bubsy-wubsy so much?" I smack my hand against my forehead.

"Dude," I tell him. "she hates your guts!" As if in agreement, Madame Pooch bites his leg.

"Gyaaa!" He says jumping back. "You bit me! My widdle fluffy-wuffy bit me on my leggy-weggy!" I smack myself again.

"Will you PLEASE knock off the baby voice?" I ask him.

"...I'm starting to think this dog doesn't like me." Pat Bull says. I face palm again, and he turns, and runs away crying.

_Oh dino... _I mentally groan.

"Joanie!" Madame Pooch says happily. I look to see Joanie kneeling down, gently hugging Madame Pooch.

"Madame Pooch!" She says. "You have suffered ze terrible ordeal, no? But now, all is well." She Madame Pooch down, stands up, and they both look at me. "I cannot zank you enough Red! Had you not made with ze coming by just now..."

"Actually, I was looking for you two." I tell her.

"Excusez-moi?" Joanie asks with slight confusion.

"There's a man here from the Kingdom of Nomadistan named Minister Pomposa." I tell her. She gasps.

"A la carte!" She says. "Minister Pomposa, he is HERE?"

"Yes, and he asked Joe to send me, Todd and another Fighter to find you two." I tell her. "I can understand if you don't want me to take you to him, so if you don't want to go, I won't make you, and I'll help you avoid Todd and Pauleen." She stands there for a second, then lets out a small sigh of relief.

"You are very kind Red." She tells me. "I have not met a person like you, and I zank you. But, you are mistaken."

"Ma'am?" I ask her.

"I-"

"There she is!" I hear Todd yell.

"No!" Pauleen says. "I saw her first!" They both appear and run up to Joanie, Todd bowing and Pauleen doing a curtsy.

"Minister Pomposa is waiting for you princess!" Todd says.

"Please, Princess!" Pauleen says taking Joanie's hand. "You must let me escort you to Wildwest Tower!"

"No," Todd says taking her other hand. "let me!" Joanie has a worried look on her face.

"Oh, I am sorry," She tells them with worry. "but you are making ze mistake. I am not... Er..."

"Guys!" I say. They all look at me. "What about if she doesn't WANT to go? Did you ever think about that?"

"..." They all stand there.

"I'll take you to Wildwest Tower, princess!" Pauleen says.

"No, I will!" Todd says. They both run of with her, as she tries to stop them.

"..." I face palm.

"Joanie..." Madame Pooch whines. I gently pat her head.

"Don't worry." I tell her. "I'll take you to Joanie." She wags her tail, and puts her front paws on my knee.

"Carry me." She tells me. "I'm still a bit dizzy."

"Alright, alright." I tell her picking her up. I begin making my way out, and she curls up against my chest. _...I think she's enjoying this TOO much..._

A few minutes later...

I stand there in the elevator going up to Joe's Office, and I can already hear arguing.

"I brought the princess back!" Todd says.

"No, I brought the princess back!" Pauleen says.

"You have to give me the miraculous fossil rock!" Todd says. "You promised!

"No! I saw her first!" Pauleen says. "I'm the one who gets the fossil rock!" They undoubtedly have an angry stare down.

"SILENCE!" I hear Minister Pomposa yell. They undoubtedly jump back. "...Now then. Where is the princess?"

"...Um...what?" Todd asks with confusion.

"What do you mean?" Pauleen asks. "She's right here! Joanie is the princess!" My mind quickly registers something, and I almost burst out laughing.

_All the crazy stuff that's happened to me, and I didn't see this one coming! _The elevator comes up into Joe's office, and I see Todd and Pauleen standing on either side of Joanie with minister Pomposa in front of her and Joe to his left. "I believe I know where the princess is." I tell them stepping off the elevator platform holding Madame Pooch. Minister Pomposa sees me, and his face lights up.

"Oh joy of joys!" He says. "She has returned! It is Princess Pooch!" He pushes Joanie, Todd and Pauleen out of his way, runs up to me, and pets Princess Pooch, who I'm still holding. "Minister Pomposa is so very relieved to see you safe Your Highness!" Utter confusion and shock cover Todd's, Joe's, and Pauleen's faces.

"...WHAAAAAAT?" Pauleen exclaims. "Okay, somebody better explain what's going on here, and fast!"

"I am sorry, no?" Joanie says. "But ze princess you have been searching for is Madame Pooch." They all blink with surprise. "She was called Madame Pooch to hide ze identity, but her true name is Princess Pooch Poochian. I am...how you say? Her attendant?"

"..." Todd looks at me. "Red, how are you not shocked by this?"

"Well," I tell him. "I thought about it, and I know that the Kingdom of Nomadistan isn't French, and Joanie's accent is too fluent to be from Nomadistan, and when we were getting Pauleen's mask back, she obeyed Princess Pooch rather than just giving us the bowl."

"...Oh..." Todd says.

"Yes, yes." Minister Pomposa says. "Perhaps Minister Pomposa can explain. For many years, the Kingdom of Nomadistan was constantly at war. The people grew weary of conflict and came to believe it was caused by the frailties of human leaders. So one day, they decided to make a dog the new king."

"...That seems desperate." Pauleen says.

"Perhaps," Minister Pomposa says. "but in the end, the plan was a success. The wars ended, and the people reunited in peace. Since that day, the Kingdom of Nomadistan has always been ruled by a dog. And of course, our royal family is all canines as well."

"...You know..." Todd says. "this would have been REALLY good information to have earlier!" Minister Pomposa looks back at Princess Pooch.

"Your people have been so concerned for you, Princess Pooch!" He tells her. The dear Queen Mother has refused to play with her favorite ball, and His Majesty the King cannot even gather the strength for his daily territorial markings."

_...I don't want to know._

"I'm sorry..." Princess Pooch whines. I frown. I can somehow coup with her situation since I ran away from home and my parents are worried sick about me.

"Minister Pomposa!" Joanie says interrupting my train of thought. "You should not make with ze chastising of Princess Pooch! It was I who allowed her out of ze palace. She asked for my help, and I could not refuse." Minister Pomposa looks back at Princess Pooch.

"Is your desire to engage in Fossil battles really so strong, Princess?"

"Yes!" Princess Pooch barks. "I love Fossil Fighting! More than anything!"

"..." Minister Pomposa stands there for a second. "...Very well. In that case, Minister Pomposa sees no harm in staying here until your next match." Everyone gasps, especially Princess Pooch and Joanie.

_Whoa. He just did something nice! _I think.

"But first, you must hear this message from His Royal Highness King Poochund..." Minister Pomposa says pulling out a piece of paper. He opens it, and reads it. "If the princess is serious in purpose and pure in spirit, I give her my blessing to follow her dream. However, Minister Pomposa must Confirm this passion personally."

"Ah, Princess Pooch!" Joanie says. "Zis is so wonderful, no? If Minister Pomposa sees your passion for Fossil Battles, you can continue in the Cup!"

"YES!" She howls with glee. She licks my cheek, and I put her down. She runs in happy circles around the room, and I wipe my arm across my cheek where she licked me. We all watch her, and Joanie goes over to her, and kneels down in front of her.

"Now then!" Me, Todd, Pauleen and Joe all look at Minister Pomposa. "It seems you are the one who found our missing princess. As Minister Pomposa is a man of his word, you shall now receive your reward. He hands me a hexagon shaped fossil rock that's extraordinarily smooth.

"Red?" Princess Pooch says. I look at her. "Thank you for helping me get away from that man earlier."

"Princess Pooch wishes to zank you for your assistance of earlier, no?" Joanie tells me. I smile.

"Anytime." I tell her.

"Harrumph!" Minister Pomposa says. We all look at him. "Well then, perhaps Minister Pomposa will see what charms this fossil park has to offer..."

"I'll show you around!" Princess Pooch barks. They both step onto the elevator platform.

"Bon mot!" Joanie exclaims. "Princess Pooch, she wishes to give ze Minister a tour! How delighted she must be!" She walks towards the elevator platform.

"Um, hold on Joanie." Todd says. She stops, and turns around to look at him. "There's something I don't understand...You're the one doing the actual battling, right? Is Princess Pooch all right with that?"

"Au contraire!" Joanie tells him. "The battles, zey have been waged by Princess Pooch herself." Me, Pauleen and Todd all jump with surprise. "Myself, I have only been pretending to be ze Fighter, no? Ze princess could not let people know her true identity. Also, I do not think zey would allow a dog to enter ze Cup, no? Adieu!" She turns back around and rides down the elevator platform.

"...So a dog advanced in the Cup, but I got beat?" Todd asks. "Aw, man..."

"How do you think the people who got beat by Princess Pooch feel?" I ask.

"Line up team." Joe tells us. We get in line with me in the middle, Todd to my left and Pauleen to my right. "Well Red, looks like you up done went and saved the day again." I smile. "But thanks to y'all as well Todd and Pauleen. I know y'all gave it yer best shot."

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

Me, Todd, and Pauleen all take out our Paleopagers. "The hot spring at Hot Spring Heights is now open. Park guests are welcome to use this free facility." The staff member says. We put our pagers away, and look back at Joe.

"Well, it took a good long time, but we finally got the durn hot spring open. Y'all should check it out. It's good place fer soakin' yer bones and clearin' the dust from the trail."

"Hey, yeah!" Todd say excitedly. "A hot spring would be just the thing to heal my wounds."

"I'm never been in a hot spring, but I hear they work wonders." I say folding my arms behind my head.

"You two have fun splashing around in the pool." Pauleen tells us. "I'm going to get ready for Round 5! Since I didn't win the prize, I'll have to earn my victory the good old-fashioned way." She turns, and rides down the elevator platform.

"Say Todd," I tell him. "how about I make us some lunch, then we head to the hot spring?"

"You had me when you mention your cooking!" He tells me.

"Lets-a go!" I say we run towards the elevator platform.

"Where have I heard that before?" Joe asks. We stop, and I realize it does sound familiar.

"Maybe it was a video game or something?" Todd asks.

"..." We all stand there. "Nah."

* * *

><p><strong>AN-DONE! Whew! Okay, REALLY EXTREMELY sorry about how late this is, my computer got a flippin' virus that won't let me connect to the internet, so I'm going to have to move this file around to get it you guys, and I lost motivation from playing Skyrim,(again) and I was also working on another story and a new story.<strong>

**Red: You need a vacation.**

**Me: Don't tempt me. LEAVEZ A REVIEW! (I love reading them! :D)**


	44. Jelly Springs

**AN-...No comment.**

**Red: Magma? Are you felling okay?**

**Me: Yeah. Why?**

**Red: You don't have a comment to make.**

**Me: *face palm* Here's one: Disclaimer: I do not own Fossil Fighters or Fossil Fighters Champions. ONWARD!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Forty-four- Jelly Springs<p>

Me and Todd hop off the helicopter onto Ilium Island. We're in our snow gear, and we head walk off the landing pad down the bridge to the Fighter's Camp. We come to it, and see that the bungalows here look like large igloos. They're white with dark ice blue steps and ice blue doors. We go to ours, and open it to a living room with white walls, ice blue base boards, dark ice blue rug, ice blue floor boards, white sofa, white coffee table and a TV hanging above a dark ice blue fire place. We go in the bed room to store away the rest of our stuff in our duffle bags. It has white walls with ice blue base boards, dark ice blue carpet, ice blue desk and chair, dark ice blue bunk bed with ice blue blankets and white sheets. I look in the bath room to see it's white with dark ice blue accents, and we go into the kitchen to see it's white with ice blue accents.

We take off our outer snow gear, and hand the stuff on a coat rack in the living room. Beneath his outer snow gear, Todd's wearing a long sleeved shirt-coat that looks like his regular one, a long sleeved shirt like his regular one, and long legged pants like his regular ones. I put a pot on the stove, and start making some soup while Todd helps me by cutting up some vegetables. When it's finished, I pour into two bowls, and we sit at the table and eat it. Todd enjoys every bite.

"You could open your own restaurant and make a fortune!" Todd tells me between bites. I smile, and e has three bowls of soup.

"Did you just inhale the soup?" I ask as he gets a forth bowl.

"Nope." He tells me. "I just have a bottomless pit for a stomach, especially when it's your cooking!" I chuckle, and after we finish eating, we get our outer snow gear back on and head out to Hot Spring Heights. I see Rupert in his snow gear sitting by a steam vent, hugging his legs, chin rested on his knees. I frown and my pace slows. "What is it Red?"

"..." I just stand there, looking at Rupert. I can't help but feel bad for him. Todd notices I'm looking at Rupert.

"Why are you watching him?" Todd asks me. "He's a jerk!"

"Todd..." I look at him. "did you ever think that maybe he's like that because he's had a rough life?"

"..." Todd blinks with surprise. "Well...no. He's rich, how could he have a rough life?"

"Well, think about it Todd." I tell him. "His dad is the CEO of a huge corporation for Fossil Fighters, and Rupert's a Fossil Fighter. So that means that since Rupert is so well known and such a good Fighter, a lot of the company's advertisement come from him. If he does something that would disrupt that image, then couldn't the company lose advertisement? Don't you think that's a lot to carry for an eleven-year-old?"

"..." Todd stands there for a second, then puts his right hand on his chin and the other hand on his right elbow. "Well when you put it that way..." He shrugs. "I guess it would..."

"Yeah..." I look back at where I saw Rupert to see him gone. "...C'mon. Let's get to the hot spring." We walk to the back of the dig site, and head into a the cave. It instantly gets hotter, and there's a wooden building for changing, and pools of the hot spring water with people relaxing in them.

"This is the biggest hot spring I've seen!" Todd exclaims.

"Come on!" I tell him. "Let's get in a start soaking!" We run over to the changing booths, and go into separate ones. I completely strip down, take my swim trunk out of my back pack and pull them on. They're black with a light blue and ice blue white-capped wave on the left pants leg. I pull a white sort sleeved shirt on, and open the door to the changing booth right as Todd comes out of the one he was in. He's still wearing his helmet, not to my surprise, and is wearing green swimming trunks with a Stego on the left pants leg.

"...Why do you still have you goggles on?" Todd asks. I left my goggles on my head, and I look at them the best I can.

"Why do you still have your helmet on?" I ask him.

"..." His eyes narrow. "Hmmm... I see what you did there."

"Challenge accepted." I say narrowing my eyes.

"...Who's issuing challenges?"

"No one, I've just always wanted to say that."

"Ah..."

"Come on, you know you want to say it."

"CHALLENGE ACCEPTED."

"Now THAT'S how you say it."

"Challenge complete."

"Yeah dawg! Now let's get in that hot spring!"

"YES!" Todd runs, and jumps right into the spring. He surfaces, and lowers himself down to where the water is at his chin. "Ooooh yeaaaaah..." He sighs with bliss. "That's the stuff... I feel my blues just washing away... I may never leave..." He looks at me. "Hurry up and get in here Red!"

"Yeah dawg!" I say. I run, and jump in the air right over the spring.

_'WAIT!' _Air Strike yells. I stop in mid air.

_'What's with the water...?' _Cloud Cover asks. I look down at the water to see it's going from a crystal light blue to a purplish color.

_'...ZUH?' _I exclaim. I land back on the edge of the ground in front of the spring. _'Wait...' _I look at where I was in the air. _'...DID I JUST DEFY THE LAWS OF GRAVITY?'_

_ 'Wait, you did what?' _Flamethrower asks with panic. I replay what just happened in my head. _'...You jumped off the ground into the air over the hot spring, stayed right there in it for ten seconds, then went back wards and landed on the ground?'_

_ 'That is correct.' _I tell him.

_'...' _He sits there for a second. _'THAT DEFYS ALL LAWS OF GRAVITY! THAT MAKES ABSOLUTLY NO SENSE WHATSOEVER! HOW DID YOU DO THAT? YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT!' _He goes into complete panic, and sends me a mental picture of him running in a circle, panicking. I mentally slap him, then shake him by his shoulders.

_'GET A GRIP!' _I yell at him.

_'...Thank you, I needed that.'_ He tells me.

"Huh?" Todd asks. I look at him to see he's still in the water. "What's... EEEEEEEW! The water's turned all gloppy and gross!" I look to see he's right. The water is more of a gel than a liquid. "I'm outta here!" He moves his head up, then stops, and his head moves back down. He does the same thing again. "Aaaaah! The water's sticky! Red, help me! I can't get out!" A memory jumps to the front of my mind...

"I was just out here digging, when I looked up and I was surrounded by sharks!" Rosie yells to me. "These things swim up to you super fast and will knock you out with one blow! And if you really slow, they'll just eat you on the spot!" She frantically waves. "Red, I can't get out of here! HELP ME!" I take put my pick ax.

I quickly shake my head to snap out of it. I get in front of Todd, and kneel down on the edge of the ground. "Wait," Todd tells me. "The water's all...jiggly."

"...Say what now?" I ask raising an eyebrow. I don't think gel is suppose to be like that. I can't remember since I quit using hair gel after the first time. I just had to run my finger through my hair to get it to stick up. Todd sniffs the water.

"...Oh my goodness," He says. "it's not water. It's JELLY!"

"...ZUH?" I ask.

"Wait, hold on." Todd tells me. He takes a bite out of the jelly.

_Ohm nom nom. _I think.

"It's grape jelly!" Todd says. He looks at me. "Red, I don't care how tasty this is, you gotta get me outta here!"

"Red to the rescue!" I say. I grab his shoulders, and pull. The jelly refused to release its grip, and I immediately stop when I hear Todd grunt painfully. "Who, man...That jelly has really taken a liking to you..."

"What do we do?" Todd asks.

"..." I think, then my face brightens. "Idea!" I run into my changing booth, get my team's medals, and run back over to the spring. I let Air Strike, Cloud Cover and Flamethrower out, then kneel down in front of the spring.

_'What are we doing?' _Air Strike asks.

_'We're going to EAT the jelly!' _I tell him scooping some in my mouth.

_'...That's a terrible idea.' _Cloud Cover tells me as I continue to eat the jelly.

_'Why?' _I ask.

_'That jelly was made from the hot spring water, right?' _Flamethrower asks.

_ 'Yes.' _I tell him.

_'The hot spring water people have been soaking in?' _He asks. I stop, and my brain processes what he just said. I immediately spit out the jelly in my mouth, and have a completely disgusted spaz.

_'OH, I-! NAAAAAaaaaaaAAAAAA!' _I think with disgust. _'That-! Oh, GROSS! I ATE that! BLEEEEEEEeeeeeeEEEEEH!' _I notice Todd's laughing. "What's so funny?"

"What you just did." He laughs. I sit there for a second.

"Well, we still need to figure out how to get rid of this jelly." I tell him sitting down. My team goes into their medals, and I catch them.

"Hey, wait!" Todd exclaims. I look at him. "Remember what Joe said when we joined the Patrol Team? How if we saw anything suspicious, to report it to a Staff Leader?"

"Yeah dawg!" I tell him. "I'll go get Kent!" I run into my changing booth, change into my clothes and snow gear, pull on my backpack, and run out of the hot spring to the dig site. I run towards the entrance, when I hear someone say my name. I stop, and look behind me to see Rupert standing by a cave opening. "Yeah?"

"...Where's Todd?" He asks.

"The hot spring's been turned into jelly." I tell him. He blinks with surprise. "He's stuck in it, and I'm going to get help." I continue running, and I come to the bridge which I run across to Ilium Village. I run into the Fighter Station, and over to the door that has a sign next to it saying: **Staff Leader's Office**. I run into a room with ice blue walls, dark ice blue and teal floor, a desk with a dark ice blue top at the back that has a phone, two stacks of paper, and a wooden cup with pens and pencil in it on the top of the desk. There's a periwinkle, white, and ice blue rug on the floor, two wooden coffee tables, a small book shelf, and four small teal sofas with purple stripes. Kent's sitting on the top of the desk, waxing a snow board. He looks up and sees me run up to him.

"Hey there little dude!" He says happily. "Whatcha need?"

"The hot spring's water's been turned into grape jelly, and Todd and a bunch of other people are stuck in it!" I tell him quickly. He blinks with surprise.

"...Bummer dude." He says. I facepalm, and he sets his snow board aside. "Well, if there are ant Fighters trapped in goo, we gotta help 'em out. Come on, dude!" He hops off the top of his desk. "Let's shred tail and get over to the spring!"

"I have no idea what you just said, so I'll just run as fast I can!" I tell him as we run out of the office. We run out of the Fighter Station, over the bridge, onto the dig site, and into the hot spring cave. Kent looks around, then goes over to Todd, grabs his shoulders, and tries to pull him out, to no success.

"No good dude." Kent says standing up. "He's stuck in there like a dude stuck in a pool of jelly."

_...Riiiiiiiiiight... _

"I bet the BareBones Brigade is behind this." Kent tells me. "It seems like their style. They probably messed around with the hot-spring water supply or something, yeah?"

"Water supply?" I ask.

"Yeah little dude." He tells me. "The water comes down an undersea pipeline straight from Mt. Krakanak over on Cranial Island. You'll probably have to visit Mt. Krakanak's crater to a solution. You mind going dude? It's way too hot there for a snow guy like me."

"Yeah dawg." I tell him nodding.

"I heard they installed a gondola that'll take you into the crater." Kent tells me. "Sounds like a killer ride, yeah? Anyway, I'm gonna run back to Ilium Village and see if I can round up some rescue staff. Once we're sure no one's gonna drown in jelly, I'll head over and help you out. Cool, dude?"

"..." I blink. "...I'll go check the hot spring water supply." I run out of the cave, and to Ilium Village. I stop, and look at the Fighter Station. _...I'll clean these super revival rocks first._ I run into the Fighter Station the floor is dark ice blue, the walls are a grayish periwinkle with teal base boards, dark ice blue stairs with ice blue railings, light teal and purple sofas on a dark periwinkle and dark teal rug, and grayish periwinkle doors. I go into the cleaning room whish has ice blue walls, light, dark, and normal periwinkle floor. I take out the miraculous fossil rock, and the two wondrous fossil rocks that I have, and look at them.

_'Whatcha thinkin' 'bout?' _Air Strike asks me.

_'How should I use these?' _I ask them.

_'Use the wondrous fossil rock you found on Cloud Cover.' _Flamethrower tells me.

_'Why me?' _Cloud Cover asks. Flamethrower mentally smiles awkwardly.

_'No reason.' _He says with a bit nervously. I hide a chuckle at it.

_'Alright. Is this okay with you Cloud Cover?' _I ask her.

_'Yep.' _She tells me. I nod, and pick up the one I found, and put it in one of the cleaning grids. I check how hard it is with my drill to find it's like cotton candy on my tongue. I clean it very carefully, and get a one hundred. I pick up the silver foot fossil, and gently place it in the revival chamber with Cloud Cover's medal. The door closes, and I turn around to see Air Strike and Flamethrower standing there, out of their medals.

_'...Why...?' _I ask them.

_'We just want to see what happens.' _Air Strike tells me. Flamethrower nods in agreement. I shrug, and begin to enter the revival commands.

"SUPER revival!" I say hitting the revive button. The chamber hums to life, and silver sparks crackle around it. after a second, it subsides, the chamber opens, and Cloud Cover steps out.

_'...WHOA...' _Me, Air Strike, and Flamethrower all think at the same time. Her main color is now teal, her eyes are gray, her jaw is white, the spines above her eyes are green, her claws are black, the spines coming off her legs and tail are now red with white tips, the skin around her claws is red, and the clouds on her thighs are yellow.

_'How do I look?' _She asks happily.

_'AWESOME!' _I tell her.

_'...' _Air Strike and Flamethrower remain silent, but look at each other with wide eyes, then back at Cloud Cover.

_'Who's next?' _I ask.

_'ME!' _They both say at the same time.

_'...'_

_ 'Sorry,' _Flamethrower says. _'pick which one of us.'_

_ '...Flamethrower.' _

_ 'Thank you.'_

_ 'Aw...' _Air Strike says. I clean the other wondrous fossil rock, a head, then put it in the machine with Flamethrower's medal. The same thing as with Cloud Cover happens, and the front opens. Flamethrower steps out, and the fiery red on him has been replaced by a deep blue while his underside remains snow white along with his teeth, and his eyes are still yellow.

_'I am revived...again.' _He tells me proudly from his new look. I smile, and clean the miraculous fossil rock, which is a gold head fossil. I place it in the revival machine with Air Strike's medal, and the same thing happens, except with gold sparks this time. He steps out, and we all gasp.

_'WHOLE...LEE...DINO...' _I think. _'YOU LOOK...TOO AWESOME...' _Just from how amazing he looks, tears spring to my eyes. He's a bit bigger now, has a bit more humanoid form, dark purple skin, very pale sea green under side which is layered like armor, his teeth are razor sharp, he has red eyes, a thicker tail, green claws, and sea green crystals running down his spine and tail, on his fingers and toes, his back, tail, and thighs are studded with the crystals, there are much longer ones sticking out of his elbows, shoulders, and on the sides of his head in line with his eyes and are angled back, and more of the crystals as crests above his eyes, on his snout, and one like a spike on his chin. He's not a Spinax, but a Giga Spinax.

_'What? What do I look like?' _He asks excitedly. He's still the exact same vivosaur that I got back in April on Vivosaur Island on the inside. I send him an image through our mental link. _'Oh man you're right! SO HAPPY!'_

_ 'Well, come on guys!' _I tell them. _'Let's go show the BB Brigade your new looks!' _They go into their medals, I catch them, and put them in my side pouch. I run out of the Fighter Station, climb into the helicopter and ride the it to Cranial. As it heads there, I take off my snow gear to my regular clothes. It arrives, and I jump off and run down the main stair way to Mt. Krakanak. I arrive, and start to run down the volcanic rock bridge.

"Wait." I hear a voice say. I stop, and turn around to see Rupert walking towards me.

"Yeah?" I ask.

"Kent told me you're going into the volcano to check on the hot spring's water supply." He tells me.

"Yeah dawg." I tell him. "What about it?"

"Um...I..." Rupert stands there for a second, then takes a deep breath. "I'll go with you."

"...Zuh?"

"I feel pity for Todd. No man deserves to be trapped in jelly."

"Oh..."

"Let's go." Rupert walks past me, and I turn to look at him.

"Rupert?" He stops, and looks at me. "Thanks." He blinks with confusion. "For helping. I hope this means that we can put how we've acted towards each other in the past behind us, and start anew." I tell him with a half smile. "Now let's go." I run past him, and we run across the rope bridge, up the red volcanic rock path, and to the summit of the volcano. On the rail that goes partly around the lip of the crater, is an object that looks like a long mine care with a low riding platform in the middle, and attached to it is the gondola.

"There's the gondola." Rupert says. "It should take us all the way down to the crater floor. Let's go Red." I nod, and we run over to it, and step onto the mine car. It starts, and goes around to the end of the track, then lowers the gondola down to where we can get in. We step in, and I use the controls to make it go down as fast as possible. We hit the bottom, I see one of the metallic colored shield generators, we climb out of the gondola, and Rupert points to the other side of the crater. "Look there Red!" I look, and see a machine pumping the grape jelly mixture into a pool of water, and three BB Brigade goons working, and another man, most likely a commander, watching them.

"I knew I detected the stench of the BareBones Brigade on this plan." Rupert tells me. "We need to stop them and destroy that machine. Let's make haste."

"But doesn't that make waste?" I ask as we start to head towards them. I hear Rupert quietly chuckle with amusement. We run along the winding red volcanic rock bridges over the craters lava, and come to the water supply. They BB Brigade doesn't notice us.

"Heave, ho! Heave, ho!" I hear one of the goons say. "I work all day and get no pay! Heave, ho!"

"Har har!" The commander laughs. "Faster, my roadies! Faster! Keep dumping that jelly powder in the hot spring well!"

"Halt, fiend!" Rupert says. They all stop and look at us.

"Well, looky here!" The commander says with a deep, boisterous voice. He has a neon green mohawk about the length of my arm while the rest of his head is bare, black eye shadow around his eyes, black leather wrist bands, a black collar around his neck with long, sharp spikes, a black leather vest, a white, very low cut shirt that stops at the bottom of his rib cage with a skull on it, a black belt, white pants, black boots, and is about eighteen. "You got some guts showin' your ugly mugs in a place like this!"

"And you have A gut!" I say pointing at him. He is portly after all. "As for the ugly mugs, you're just jealous of how good-lookin' we are!"

"Well, since you came all this way," The commander says. "I'll tell you a little secret... I'm one of the three BareBones Brigade commanders!"

"We know that already." Rupert tells him flatly. I nod.

"..." He stands there a second, then draws in a deep breath, puffing out his chest, then hunches over and flexes his arms. "The name's Lester, and I'm gonna rock your world!"

"..." Me and Rupert just stand there.

_A talking skull with an evil laugh, a vain hipster, and now a creepy rocker._ I think. _What next? A ditzy hippie?_

"My plan's tighter than a snare drum." Lester tells us. "I just fill the hot spring with jelly so the Fighters can't move! If they want out, they'll have to EAT their way out! By the time they're free, they'll be too fat to compete in the Cup!" He laughs an evil laugh. "Man, I'm pretty great."

"...That's... actually not a good plan..." I tell him. He looks at me with confusion. "Think about it, that jelly was made with water that people had been soaking in, so that's just plain gross, but if a person gets past that and do eat their way out, wouldn't they work it off by digging up fossils? And besides, what if staff members just remove the jelly so they can get out?"

"..." Lester just stands there. "Uh...well...don't even think about trying to stop my plan, or I'll stomp your head into jam!"

"We'll see who's talking when I'm through with you." I tell him taking out my team. "You trapped my best bro in jelly, and NOBODY messes with him."

"Think you can handle this Lester character Red?" Rupert asks me.

"Yeah dawg." I tell him.

"I'll take out these lackeys guarding the machine." He tells me taking out some Dino Medals. Lester laughs evilly and loudly.

"My boneysaurs are gonna play you the B-flat chord of pain!" He tells me.

"My vivosaurs are gonna play you so hard you'll break." I tell him. He glares at me.

"Then let's get ready to raaaaaaaawk!" He says. I toss my team's medals in the air, and they come out. Lester's team contains a B-Rex, B-Brachio, and a B-Tricera. The B-Brachio is built like long neck, has bleached white bones, ghostly purple eyes, and has five sharp spikes at the end of its tail. The B-Tricera is built like a triceratops, has red bones, and angry blue eyes that sends a shiver down my spine.

"Pass!" Lester says.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on B-Rex!" He attacks doing one hundred twenty four damage.

"B-Rex, Bare Tactics on Shanshan!" He attacks doing fifty-five damage.

"Flamethrower, S-Combo on B-Rex!" He attacks doing thirty damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on B-Rex!" She attacks doing sixteen damage.

"Pass!" Lester says.

"Flamethrower, S-Combo on B-Rex!" He attacks doing thirty one damage, sending B-Rex into his medal.

"B-Brachio, Boney stomp on Giga Spinax!" He attacks doing eight damage, but rotating my team to where Flamethrower is in the AZ by himself. "B-Tricera, Boney Rush on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing thirty-one damage.

"Rotate back to normal!" I tell them. They do it. "Now Air Strike, use Spinax Mega on B-Brachio!" he attacks doing eighty-eight damage.

"B-Brachio, Boney Tsunami on Giga Spinax!" He attacks doing twenty-one damage. "B-Tricera, Boney Rush on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing thirteen damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on B-Brachio!" He attacks doing ninety damage.

"Pass!" Lester says.

"Flamethrower, use Enflame on Cloud Cover!" He does it, boosting her attack. "Now Cloud Cover, use Shan Fury on B-Brachio!" She attacks doing forty-three damage.

"B-Brachio, Boney Tsunami on Giga Spinax!" He attacks doing nineteen damage. "B-Tricera, Boney Smash on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing six damage.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on B-Brachio!" She attacks doing forty-two damage, sending B-Brachio into his medal. "Flamethrower, use Enflame on Air Strike!" He does it, boosting Air Strike's attack.

"B-Tricera, Boney Smash on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing six damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on B-Tricera!" He attacks doing eighty-three damage.

"B-Tricera, Boney smash on S-Raptor!" He attacks doing six damage.

"Flamethrower, use Enflame on Air Strike!" He does it, boosting Air Strike's attack. "Air Strike, Spinax Mega on B-Tricera!" He attacks doing ninety-six damage, sending B-Tricera into his medal.

"Whaaaaaat?" Lester asks. "Aw, man! My boneysaurs got beat like the bass player at an easy-listening concert." He peers at me. "...Hey, hold the phone." I get ready to run. "You're the Fighter who beat Cole, aren't you?" I mentally sigh with relief.

"Yeah dawg!" I tell him. "I guess you did recognize my team since they just got super revived." All the BB Brigade goons suddenly step back away from Rupert, who has his medals in his hand.

"We got pasted!" One of them says. "These old bones were no match for the young blood!"

"Di66-R!" Rupert yells over his shoulder. "Destroy that machine!" I look to see Di66-R floating there on the edge of the chuck of land.

"Of course, sir or madam." He says. "It will be my pleasure." He floats past us, Lester watching him with unhappiness and shock. Di66-R reaches the machine, and begins destroying it. "CONTROL ALT DELETE!" The machine explodes, and jelly powder stops pumping into the water supply. I look at Lester to see he has a look of utter shock on his face.

"Noooooooooooooooooooo!" He yells grabbing the sides of his head and shaking it. "Operation Fill Hot Spring with Jelly is ruined! Ruuuuuuined!"

"I think a shorter operation title is in order." I tell him. He looks at me, anger in his eyes. "May I suggest Operation Jelly Springs? Or this on which is more fitting: Operation Obvious Failure?"

"Don't think I'll forget this punk!" He tells me pointing at me. "You and I will have a reunion special someday!" He turns and runs down the volcanic rock bridge.

"Wait sir!" One of the lackeys says. "Wait for us!"

"Don't leave us here to die!" Another one says running after him, waving his arms like a maniac. The remaining two follow his lead in running away. Me and Rupert look at each other.

"The hot spring should be okay now." Rupert says.

"Yeah dawg." I say happily.

"Wow. You okay little dudes?" We look to see Kent running towards us down the volcanic rock bridge without his snow gear, revealing a uniform just like Terry's but with a blue belt, pouch and scarf.

"Yes sir." I tell him. "The BB Brigade was using that machine," I point at it over my shoulder. "to pump jelly powder into the hot spring water supply. We stopped them, and Di66-R destroyed the machine.

"I knew those BB Brigade hosers were behind this mess!" Kent says raising a fist.

_...I'm sorry, what?_

"Sorry it took me so long to get here dudes." Kent tells us. "But you seemed okay without me. The rest of the jelly in the spring should totally melt away now. You dudes wanna head back to Ilium Village?" Me and Rupert both nod, and follow Kent out of the crater.

A few minutes later...

"Heeeeeeey!" I hear Todd call. Me, Rupert and Kent are standing in Ilium Village's Fighter Station Lobby in our snow gear. I look to see Todd running towards us in his snow gear.

"Todd!" I call. I run towards him, and we both jump up in the air into a hug.

"You guys hug?" Kent asks.

"And we are not ashamed!" Me and Todd tell him at the same time.

"Besides, it's a man hug!" Todd tells him.

"I'm glad to see you got out of the spring." I tell Todd.

"Yep!" He says happily. "The jelly melted and I was able to crawl to safety. But hooo-ee! I smell terrible!" I smell his shoulder, and jump back.

"Aw, MAN!" I say. "You smell like sweat covered grape candy! The second we have time, you're taking a shower!"

"I just hope vivosaurs don't mistake me for dessert." Todd tells us. Me, him, and surprisingly Rupert all laugh.

"Well dudes," Kent tells us. We look at him. "you totally saved the day once more. The reputation of the Caliosteo Patrol Team is growing by the day! Total gnarlitude, dude!" He tells us doing that surfer finger motion. "Anyway, yeah. I gotta go wax my snow board, so I'll cheese ya later."

_Cheese? _I wonder. He turns and walks towards his office.

"Hey!" We hear a familiar voice say. We all turn around to see Pauleen in her snow gear running towards us. "I heard! I heard all about it! We're supposed to be a team guys! I mean, I'm the most beautiful member and all," I face palm and shake my head. "but we're STILL a team!" She turns to Todd, and stamps right up to him, making him get nervous and red. "So why was I not informed? Huh?"

"I would appreciate it if you would get out of Todd's personal space." I tell her with some seriousness. She takes a step back from him.

"Uh..." Todd tells her. "because I was stuck in jelly?" Pauleen takes another step back, and looks at me.

"Oh, I see." She says. "So it was Red who did all the work, huh?"

"Actually," I tell her. "Rupert helped me."

"...Rupert helped you?" She asks. She looks at him, then takes a step forward. "Ha! What made the little rich boy decide to help? Were they carrying gold coins or something?"

"Back off." I tell her with a small glare. Rupert takes a step back, worry on his face, then quickly looks away.

"I'll not defend myself to you!" He tells her. "I just...felt like helping. That's all."

"..." Pauleen takes a step back. "Huh. Well, whatever! I guess the reason doesn't really matter. She stands up a little straighter and puts her fists on her hips. "There's no backing down now Rupert!" We all look at her. "You fought the BB Brigade, and you protected the Caliosteo Fossil Park for the sake of the Cup! There's no doubt about it! You're the newest member of the Caliosteo Patrol Team!" Me and Todd look at Rupert as he lets out a small gasp, and shock appears on his face.

"That's a great idea!" Todd says. "We'd love to have you join us!"

"Yeah dawg!" I say in agreement. Rupert takes a step forward.

"You want me to...join you?" He asks. "To become your...friend?" His face brightens some, and a small smile appears on it.

"Wow Rupert." Pauleen says. "You look almost happy. It's so unlike you." Rupert gets a slightly worried look on his face.

"It's..." He says. "it's not that. I'm just... I mean..." He stands there for a second. "...Oh, very well." He says with a small smile. "I suppose I might just be a little bit happy."

"Great!" Pauleen says. We all look at her. "Then from now on, the four of us are the Caliosteo Patrol Team! Just remember I'm the pretty one. All right?" I face palm. "Okay, let's do the Patrol Team cheer!"

_The what?_

"Go, team, go!" Pauleen says moving her arms like a cheerleader. "Fight, team, fight! We fight the creeps all day and night! Goooooo, Patrol Team!" I resist the urge to facepalm as me, Todd and Pauleen jump in air while doing a fist pump.

"..." Rupert stands there, watching us. We all look at him.

"...Um, Rupert?" Todd asks. "We all have to do this together, all right?"

"Okay, let's try this once more..." Pauleen says. "Go, team, go! Fight, team, fight! We fight the creeps all day and night! Goooooo, Patrol Team!" All four of us jump in the air while doing a fist pump. A smile spreads across Rupert's face, and he laughs quietly some.

"Heh heh..." He laughs. I smile.

_He's learning to have fun... _I think happily.

"What is this nonsense?" I hear a familiar, but unfriendly, voice ask with anger. Me, Todd and Pauleen all turn around.

"F-Father!" Rupert stammers. His Father walks up to us with a hard face, and Rupert timidly walks up to him.

"What do you think you are doing Rupert?" Mr. Regius demands. "I've heard reports that you helped another Fighter take on the BareBones Brigade! Need I remind you that you are the public face of FossilDig Inc.?" Rupert stands there, looking up at his dad, with his arms crossed behind his back, and slightly slouching. "We cannot have you going off on such fool's errands! You might have destroyed our image! This is a sad day for me as your Father." I stand there, looking at Mr. Regius with a hard, angry face and teeth bared in a scowl.

"I'm..." Rupert starts. "I'm sorry Father. I only-" Mr. Regius raises a hand, making Rupert stop.

"Apologies are worthless without action!" He tells Rupert. "If you are truly sorry, you can prove it by winning Round 5 of the Caliosteo Cup. Crush your enemies Rupert. Or I will know where your loyalties lie." He turns and walks out, and Rupert's shoulders slump, his arms fall to his sides, and he looks at the floor. Todd takes a step forward with anger and disbelief on his face.

"Wow Rupert." Todd says. "Your dad is a real hard case. I can't believe he said that stuff to you."

"Don't concern yourself with it." We look at him to see he's still looking at the floor. "...I'm used to it." He looks at us. "I'm sorry, but I won't be able to join the Caliosteo Patrol Team. From now on...just leave me alone." He takes a few steps towards the exit, then stops, still looking away from us.

"...You know," He tells us. "I remember when a time when I thought Fossil Battles were fun. I loved my vivosaurs. And I felt...excited...when I battled with them. He turns his back to us, and I feel tears brimming my eyes. "But at some point, I stopped being a carefree child and became a walking advertisement for FossilDig Inc. And the more famous I got, the less I was allowed to be myself. That's when Fossil Battles stopped bring fun. They were just work. And eventually...they bored me." He turns his head to look over his shoulder some. "And yet, when I was with you... For just a moment..." He turns and looks at us, tears brimming his sad, golden cat eyes. "I remembered how I used to feel." A tear streams down my face, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Todd has tears streaming out of his eyes. Rupert turns back towards the exit. "Thank you...my friends. And good bye." He runs out, and I think I see a tear hit the floor.

"...Good bye?" Todd asks. "Aw man. That's never a good thing to hear at a time like this!" I wipe my arm across my eyes to wipe the tears.

_Poor guy...He finally had a bit of happiness...and it was taken from him._ I think sadly.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

We take out our Paleopagers. "The Caliosteo Cup's Round 5 matches will now begin. Joanie has been selected as Red's Round 5 opponent." The staff member is quiet for a second. "We have a correction. Princess Pooch will be Red's opponent. Please prepare, then check in at Ilium Village's Fossil Stadium." We put our pagers away.

"I know you're probably feeling sad," Pauleen says unable to hide the sadness in her voice. "but it's time to step up! I'm going to prepare for my battle, and I suggest you do the same." She looks at me. "Red, you better fight with everything you got! I'm planning to battle you in the final round, so I won't forgive you if you lose!" She runs off towards the Cleaning Room. Me and Todd look at each other, sad looks on our faces.

"I think Pauleen was trying to cheer you up." Todd tells me, sadness in his voice. "...In her own way. But seriously Red! Go out there and have a fun Fossil Battle!" He runs off. I stand there, and I just can't help but feel bad for Rupert. I turn and slowly walk towards the Commons Room. I go in, and see Joanie and Princess Pooch waiting for me. The commons room has a dark ice blue floor, teal and ice blue benches, and a few Fighters standing around, waiting to be called. I walk over to Joanie and Princess Pooch, who both look at me. They're both wearing snow gear, which for Joanie is a tan parka and snow pants, a red scarf and gloves, and a blue toboggan under her helmet, and for Princess Pooch is a tan parka and small red scarf.

"Hi Red!" Princess Pooch barks. "Joanie, please give him the message."

"Princess Pooch wishes for me to give you zis message, no?" Joanie tells me. "Fate, she is cruel to make us battle each other so. But if it must be, know zat I shall not be defeated."

"We'll see about that." I tell her.

"The next match is Joanie vs. Red." The announcer says. "...Er, sorry. We have just been informed that Princess Pooch will be battling instead. Combatants should enter the stadium immediately.

"Soup de jour!" Joanie says with excitement. "I am so very excited to see you make with ze Fossil Battle!" We all turn to face the door, which opens, and as we walk out onto the Battle Area, the crowd cheers, and I notice girls screaming for me.

_Oh...NO... _I mentally facepalm. _I have more fan girls to deal with now... _I take out my team's medals, let them out, and look at Princess Pooch's team. She has two Gomps, which are built like elephants, and one is teal with yellowish green pear shaped spots on its shoulders and thighs, one on its back and on its face, then the other one is a dark yellow with pale yellow spots. Her remaining vivosaur is...well...looks like a baby plesiosaur. It's a super evolver, is pale yellow with periwinkle eyes and small yellow flowers on its sides and face, and I think it's called a Marple. Princess Pooch's team slips on the ice, and she rotates them back to their original positions.

"Marple, Rat-a-Tat on S-Raptor!" She attacks doing forty damage. My team slips on the ice, putting Cloud Cover and Flamethrower in the AZ. I rotate my team to where Air Strike and Cloud Cover are in the AZ.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Marple!" He attacks doing one hundred twenty-four damage, sending Marple into her medal. Princess Pooch's team slips on the ice, moving both of her remaining Gomps into the AZ.

"Gomp, Gomp Romp on Shanshan!" He attacks doing twenty-five damage. "Gomp, Gomp Romp on Shanshan!" He attacks doing twenty-four damage. My team slips on the ice, putting Flamethrower in the AZ. I rotate them back.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Gomp!" He attacks doing one hundred fourteen damage. Princess Pooch's team slips on the ice, putting her vivosaurs in the SZ.

"Gomp, Ice Crusher!"

_'Get ready guys!' _I tell them. Gomp attacks doing seven damage to Air Strike, fifteen damage to Cloud Cover, and thirteen damage to Flamethrower. She rotate her team, putting her other Gomp in the AZ. "Gomp, Gomp Romp on Shanshan!" He attacks doing thirty-eight damage. My team slips on the ice, putting Flamethrower in the AZ.

"Flamethrower, S-Fang on Gomp!" He attacks doing eighty-three damage, sending Gomp into his medal. Princess Pooch's Gomp slips on the ice, putting him in the AZ. She rotates him to the very front AZ.

"Gomp, Gomp Romp on Shanshan!" He attacks doing twenty-five damage. My team slips on the ice, putting Air Strike and Cloud Cover in the AZ.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Gomp!" He attacks doing one hundred nineteen damage, sending Gomp into his medal. The crowd cheers, and my vivosaurs roar with victory.

In the Lobby...

"Great job Red!" Todd happily tells me. "I always get so excited watching you battle!" I smile, and he turns to Princess Pooch. "And you really gave your all out there!" Princess Pooch whines, and shakes her head.

"Ah, but the loss is the loss, no?" Joanie asks sadly. "Zere is nothing more we can do." She looks at Princess Pooch. "Come Princess. It seems we must be leaving back to ze Kingdom of Nomadistan."

"Awwww..." Princess Pooch whines. Minister Pomposa walks over to us, we all look at him, and he kneels down in front of Princess Pooch. He's in snow gear as well, which is a fancy blue parka and snow pants, green scarf, white gloves, and black boots.

"Your Highness!" He says. "That was magnificent! Minister Pomposa has been most inspired this day! Minister Pomposa curses himself for ever doubting the wonderfulness of Fossil Battles. One can see how Princess Pooch has become so enamored with them." He stands up, and stands there for a second. "Very well! Minister Pomposa can see that your passion for battling is both true and strong. Princess Pooch is hereby granted permission to remain at the fossil park as long as she wishes." Princess Pooch's ears prick with happiness and Joanie's face brightens.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAY!" Princess Pooch howls jumping up and down. I nod, and Todd makes the 'alright!' motion with happiness.

"Ah!" Joanie exclaims looking at Princess Pooch. "Zat is most exciting for you, is it not?" Princess Pooch jumps up and down again.

"C'mon!" She barks. "Let's go dig up some fossil rocks!"

"Cordon bleu!" Joanie exclaims. "Zat idea, it is fantastic! We will go excavate ze fossil rocks right away!" They both excitedly run out of the Lobby, and Minister Pomposa watches them, a smile on his face.

"It has been far too long since Princess Pooch has been so happy..." He says. He then looks at me. "Minister Pomposa expects to see you succeed at this Cup. Do not let him down! Now, with your permission..." He turns, and walks out of the Lobby.

"Dudes, that was a seriously smokin' battle." We look to see Kent standing there. "You made it all the way to the semifinals!"

"What? Really?" I exclaim.

"Yeah little dude!" Kent tells me happily.

"YUSH!" I yell.

"Oh yeah!" Todd squeals excitedly while jumping in the air. We hug, jumping around in circles. After a minute we calm down, and look back at Kent to see he has no idea how to react.

"Uh...Well, I know you're not in it for the money and stuff," He tells me. "but here's a prize anyway little dude." He hands me a red mask with white over the mouth, and a black, one way eye piece.

"Cooooooool..." I say looking at it.

"That's a special mask dude." Kent tells me. "It has total eerie powers! If you wear the mask when you excavate fossil rocks, you'll totally see what I mean." I hear a buzzing noise, pull out my Fighter's License, and open it to see I've been promoted to Fighter Level 7.

"Yeah dawg!" I exclaim jumping in the air.

"Good luck with your next match dude!" Kent tells me. He walks off to his office, I put my license away, and me and Todd look at each other.

"THE SEMIFINALS..." Todd says excitedly.

"SO EXCITED..." I say with an extremely excited look on my face.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

Me and Todd pull out our Paleopagers. "All Round 5 matches of the Caliosteo Cup have been completed. Also, a new dig site will be opening tomorrow: Icegrip Plateau. Icegrip Plateau is a frigid dig site of massive ice floes on a vast sea. Fighters are urged to travel there and prepare for the semifinals.

"Icegrip Plateau?" Todd asks. "Oh, wow! That's were mythical fossils from ancient times await you in the ice! Just thinking of it gives me chills!" I raise an eyebrow. "...And not because of the cold. But because I'm excited." I yawn.

"Well, it's not opening until tomorrow, and after today, we could use some sleep." I tell Todd, who yawns as well.

"Yeah..." He says sleepily rubbing an eye.

"How about we head back to the bungalow, have a nice hot supper, long, hot showers, then watch a movie with some popcorn, hot chocolate, and a fire?"

"Yeah..." Todd says. He holds out his arms. "Carry me."

"Wha...WHAT?" I exclaim. "Why?"

"I'm too lazy." He tells me. I laugh.

"Alright Mr. Lazy Bones." I get him in a fireman carry, and walk out of the Fighter Station.

Meanwhile, in Don Boneyard's Quarters on a small, unknown island somewhere near the Caliosteo Islands... (man, that was too long.)

Lester stood there with Cole in Don Boneyard's Quarters, looking up at him with an awkward, nervous smile on his face, while Cole stood there, arms crossed and waiting to see what would happen.

"It seems our little jelly plan has ended in abject failure..." Don Boneyard tells Lester coldly. "First Cole, now Lester... The idiocy of my commanders is becoming a real bone of contention!" The says angrily, making Lester shirk away.

"I'm s-sorry Don Boneyard!" Lester tells him quickly with panic and fear in his voice.

"Don't take it so hard there chum." Cole tells Lester putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure your little brain worked as hard as it possibly could." Lester looks at him with a flat, unamused look. Cole looks up at Don Boneyard. "Please, Don Boneyard! Hear me out! I have a new plan that's bound to work! See, this time we distract all the male Fighters with hip electronic gadgets so they'll forget the Cup! I just need video games, DVD players, about 300 cell phones, and the world's largest flat screen TV!"

"Don Boneyard, wait!" Lester suddenly says. "My new plan is gonna rock your socks off! See, this time I'm gonna sneak chocolate pudding into the hot spring! I call it Operation Dump Gooey Pudding into the Hot Spring! And then that's followed by Operation Laugh Maniacally."

"..." Don Boneyard looks away. Lester and Cole look at each other.

"Stick THAT plan in your mirror, wannabe!" Lester tells Cole. Cole glares at him.

"You're so tragically unhip it hurts!" Cole growls. Lester glares at him.

"Oh, wooooow." A girl's voice says. "It's like both of you are the exact same guy." Cole and Lester turn to look at her, while Don Boneyard turns.

"Ah, Lola." He says. "Where have you been?"

"Huh?" She asks walking towards all of them. Lester steps aside, and Lola stands where he was. "Oh, riiiight. Sorry Don B. but I had to do a little karaoke. See, if I sing for six hours or so, it aligns all my energy and gives me maximum power. Sooooo, yeah. I think you can relax now Don B. I've got a plan that'll cancel that Cup in a flash. It's groovy, man. You're gonna LOVE it."

"I wouldn't be so confident sister!" Cole tells her.

"Yeah!" Lester says in agreement. "I mean, I had a great plan, and look how it turned out."

"Yeah, but your plans were, like, totally useless. Riiiight?" Lola asks them without looking at them. "You gotta be more like me, guys. You gotta, like, expand your mind."

"...I must admit," Don Boneyard says. "after seeing these two fools flail about, I have doubts your plan will succeed so easily. However, you are one of my three commanders, and I suppose you deserve at least one chance..." He stands there for a second. "Very well. We shall execute Lola's plan immediately!"

"Aw, thanks Don B." Lola tells him happily. "But I could maybe use a little help from the boys..." Don Boneyard looks at Cole and Lester.

"Cole! Lester! You will give Lola whatever assistance she requires." He commands them. "and make no bones about it... I will NOT accept another failure!"

"O-of course Don Boneyard!" Cole says with worry. "...Whatever you wish."

"Aw, man." Lester says sadly. "I don't wanna play second fiddle to some backup singer! ...But yeah," He sighs. "all right. I'll do it..."

"You're totally gonna loooove this plan Don B." Lola tells him. "I promise. All the Fighters'll be, like, 'Bummer!' and then we'll be all, like, 'Wooooo!'."

Meanwhile, back with our hero...(and Todd)

I pour me and Todd each a bowl of chicken noodle soup, then put them on plates that also have grilled cheese sandwiches. I pick up the plates, and set them on the table, on in front of Todd, who's eagerly waiting with a spoon in hand. We're in our under snow gear in the kitchen. I set my plate down and start eating, and Todd thoroughly enjoys the soup and sandwich. He has three more helpings, while I just have one more.

_When he said bottomless pit for a stomach, he wasn't kidding. _Todd takes his shower, which is quite long, and comes out wearing his helmet, light green fleece pajamas with long sleeves and pants legs, with white around the collar, and near the end of the sleeves and pants legs, a fluffy polyester green bath robe, and green slippers. "...Why...?"

"It's a gift to the Fighters." Todd tells me. "It'll keep us warm."

"Ah..."

"It's so fluffy..." He says happily as he hugs himself. I smile, and go into the bathroom to shower. I take a long, hot shower, then fill the tub with warm water and lay down in it. The tub has those massage jets, so I turn them on, and enjoy it. After a bit, I get out and pull on my pajamas that have been given to me. Mine are a deep sapphire blue like my eyes with black around the collar and near the ends of the pants legs and sleeves, black slippers, and a black bath robe.

_He's right... _I think. _IT IS FLUFFY! _I think happily hugging myself. I go into the kitchen and make us some hot chocolate and popcorn, then go into the living room, sit down next to Todd, and we start watching a movie while enjoying the popcorn and hot chocolate with a roaring fire in the fire place.

One hour later...

I pull off my robe and hang it on my hook on the bunk bed, while Todd hangs his up. I take off my slipper and get under the covers of my bunk while Todd lays under the covers on the top bunk.

"Night Todd." I tell him.

"Night Red." He tells me. I smile, then drift asleep into a dream of Rosie.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-THA FLUFFY ROBES! You all know you want one...<strong>

**Red: SO FLUFFY~.**

**Me: YUSH! Leave a review!**


	45. Lights Out

**AN-To the Guest who left the review about the machine turning Red into a vivosaur, the reason why it didn't do that is because it wasn't design to do that by the maker. And to the Guest who left the review about loving my story, THANK YOU! I love typing this and trying to make this as enjoyable as possible to read! :D ONWARD TO THA CHAPA! *continues listening to music***

* * *

><p>Chapter Forty-five- Lights Out<p>

I wake up the next morning and get dressed into my clothes and under snow gear, and make me and Todd a breakfast of bacon, eggs, biscuits and grits. Todd comes in wearing his under snow gear over his regular clothes, we eat breakfast, then pull on our over snow gear, then head out to Icegrip Plateau. Todd heads to the Fighter Station to clean some fossil while I walk down the upper right bridge to the dig site.

I arrive, and look around at the large ice flows covered with snow and big ice crystals that are connected by ice bridges. The one farthest away has a cave on it, and I see Pauleen in her snow gear, talking to an ice crystal that resembles a human.

"Hello, digadig." She says. I notice she's not wearing her mask. "It's very cold here, isn't it, digadig? Take care not to catch a cold, digadig." She stands there a second. "Aw, digadig! Practicing like this isn't helping me at all, digadig."

"Pauleen?" I ask. She looks at me with confusion.

"...Huh?" She asks. I stand there a few feet away, and her mind process something. "GYAAAAAAAA!" She yells running behind a chunk of blue ice.

_...Zuh? _I wonder. She reappears wearing her mask.

"You were spying on me!" She says angrily while pointing a finger at me accusingly.

"No, I was merely observing you talk to an inanimate object like how you did at Hot Spring Heights while I was observing." I tell her casually.

"...Wait, WHAT?" Pauleen exclaims. "You spied on me at Hot Spring Heights?"

"Yeah dawg." I tell her.

"Y-you are a terrible person!" She tells me angrily. "Do you know that?" I look at the ground.

"...Don't remind me..." I say as the memory of me running away and leaving Rosie enter my mind.

"Well, you don't spy on people when they're embarrassing themselves!" Pauleen tells me, still mad. "And you especially don't do it twice!" I stand there, a frown on my face. I do feel bad about watching her, I know better than to spy. "...I'm sorry. I guess it's not really your fault." Pauleen tells me apologetically. "So, um...I guess you want to know what I was doing just now, huh?"

"I guess." I tell her. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"Well, I feel like I have to tell someone." She tells me. "I was...practicing how to talk to people."

"...What?"

"Oh, I admit it!" She suddenly says with distraught. "I'm a fraud! I act boastful and snobby, but I'm actually really shy and terrified! I can't even talk to people! I get all nervous and jittery and then everything just..." Her shoulder slump some. "...falls apart. Whenever I meet someone I don't know, my face gets red and my tongue starts tripping on itself. The only way I can get around is by wearing this mask. It's a magical mask, see?" She says fingering the edge of it with her hands. "It gives whoever wears it a cheerful, sunny personality. It's one of my village's greatest treasures." She turns away. "And yet, I want nothing more than to be free of this mask forever. I want to talk with my own voice and see with my own eyes, but..." She stands there a second. "...I'm too scared to do it. So that's why I was practicing." She turns around to face me. "What do you think Red? Do you think I'll ever be able to take this off?"

"Well, it's not something that can happen overnight," I tell her. "but I know you'll be able to."

"R-really?" She asks. "...You really think so?"

"Yeah dawg." I tell her with a half smile.

"Huh..." She tells me. "I feel little braver now..." She stands there a second. "I'm going to keep trying, and I'm going to fight with everything I have. And before the Cup ends, I'm going to take this mask off for good! I promise Red, I'm not going to let myself fail. Just...Maybe you could cheer me on when I do it, okay?"

"I'll help anyway I can." I tell her.

"I'm glad it was you Red." Pauleen tells me with happiness in her voice. "I think I would have died if it was anyone else."

"What about Todd?" I ask. She tenses some.

"Uh..." Stands there for a second. "I... should probably find a place more secret to practice, huh?"

"Probably." I tell her.

"See ya Red." She tells me. "And...thanks for listening."

"Anytime." I tell her. She runs past me towards the bridge to Ilium Village, and I begin to dig up fossil rocks. After a bit, I head over to the an ice bridge to the next ice flow, and I see Professor Scatterly on it, laying on his side, fast asleep. He snores. LOUD. He's wearing a black toboggan under his helmet, has a red scarf, light brown parka, and brown snow pants and boots.

"Hmmm... a roaring fire and snuggly blanket..." He says in his sleep before snoring again. "Mmm... Fresh hot chips and pickled kippers...Yes, quite..." He snores again. I walk over to him.

_...How am I not surprised? _I think.

"Hey Red!" I hear Todd call. I turn to see him running towards me from over the ice bridge. "Brrr! It's cold here! I bet if you fell asleep here, you'd never wake up."

"..." I stand there a second, then step aside to where Todd can see Professor Scatterly. "Holy crow, someone DID fall asleep! We need to wake up this old guy before something terrible happens!" I turn around to look at Prof. Scatterly, and crouch down next to him while Todd get beside me. I grab the professor's shoulders, and shake them.

"PROFESSER SCATTERLY WAKE UP!" I yell. He suddenly jumps in the air, causing me to jump up and back while Todd jumps back.

"Burgle bargle!" Prof. Scatterly exclaims as he lands on his feet. "Hurrrrg! ...Hmm? ...Wha? Good heavens! I appear to have fallen asleep! How terribly careless of me, eh wot?" He notices me and Todd, and looks at me. "By my star! If it isn't Red! I appear to be in your debt yet again, my young rescuer."

"My pleasure to help." I tell him with a smile. He looks at Todd.

"And you are a friend of Red I presume?" He asks.

"Yes sir!" Todd tells him happily. "I'm Todd. Nice to meet you."

"Todd's my best bro and wing man!" I tell Prof. Scatterly happily.

"Well meet old bean!" Prof. Scatterly says happily. "I am Professor Nigel Scatterly, curator of the Caliosteo Museum. I have dedicated my life to studying the history of these islands." He gets an idea. "I say, I have a capitol idea! I should acquaint young Todd here with the history of the Calio Slablets!"

"Um, actually," Todd start to tell him frantically. "you don't really have to-"

"Ahem! Yes, well, in the distant past of long ago, the Kingdom of Caliosteo was ruled by King Zongazonga..." Prof. Scatterly starts.

One (very long) lecture later...

"And that is everything we know so far! Yes, quite." Prof. Scatterly tells Todd happily, while Todd just stood there the whole time with a 'please kill me now' look, while I stood there with a smile. I've always liked learning about history. Todd sighs miserably.

"Ugh. That was like sitting through history class." Todd moans.

"But hold! There's more!" Prof. Scatterly tells us happily. Todd gets a look of horror on his face. "For you see, I have discovered yet another Calio Slablet on this very spot! So without further ado, please allow me to translate it for you both." He takes out the Calio Slablet, and looks over it. "...Aha! This is Slablet number two! You couldn't stay hidden forever, you cheeky little artifact could you?"

_...I'm sorry, what?_

"Yes, well, now then..." Me and Todd get on either side of Prof. Scatterly, and look at the Slablet. It has an image of Zongazonga on the front. "**Zongazonga's immortality spell unleashed a great and terrible power. With this magic, he could force his skull into the head of another, thereby assuming his very being. By taking over new bodies as his current on aged, Zongazonga assured himself of eternal life.**" He turns over the slablet to show an image of a person and Zongazonga, and the person looks like they're defying him. "**The unfortunate victim chosen to give their body to Zongazonga was known as a Majestic Vessel.** **To be chosen as a Majestic Vessel was a fate worse than death, and the people feared it above all else.**" Me and Todd stand there, disturbed looks on our faces while Prof. Scatterly has a worried and slightly horrified look on his face.

"Good heavens!" The professor says with horror. "It seems Zongazonga was nothing more than a common magical body thief! ...Not that there's anything common about that, eh wot?" He looks at me. "I say, this is all quite fascinating, don't you think?"

"I'll say..." I tell him, still slightly disturbed. "I'm just wondering how..."

"How what?"

"Well, something must've happened to him, right? After all, if he can take over a new body, then that means he can use his magic to heal himself, right? So, if he couldn't die, then how come the Kingdom or he isn't here?"

"..." We all think about it.

"You're right," Prof. Scatterly says. "but do you think the people of ancient times endured Zongazonga's rule across countless generations? Or perhaps they were clever enough to confront and defeat this terror?" We think about it. "By my knickers, this gnaws at me! I must know what happened to those poor people!" He says with determination.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

Me and Todd pull out our Paleopagers. "Howdy there pards. It's me, Joe, and I'm afraid we got a problem on our hands. I need the Patrol Team to mount up and gather in my office immediately." Joe tells us with slight worry in his voice.

"Joe sounded worried..." Todd tells me.

"Yeah dawg." I tell him putting my pager away. "We better get over there pronto!"

"Yeah...ah...ah...AH..." He quickly turns away from me and the Professor, and sneezes a monster sneeze, and keeps sneezing. He hugs himself, shivering. "Uuurgh...My head hurts..." Prof. Scatterly puts the Calio Slablet in his parka, pulls a glove off his hand, and puts it against Todd's forehead.

"Sweet fish and chips! This lad is running a dangerously high fever!" He exclaims.

"What?" I ask with worry.

"Don't worry Red." The professor tells me. "I'll see to it that Todd is up and full of health again in no time!" Todd sneezes another monster sneeze.

"S-sorry Red." He tells me. "I d-don't think I'm gonna make it to s-see J-J-Joe..."

"I'll fill him in." I tell Todd. He nods, and I get him in a fireman carry. "I'll help you get him to Cranial." I tell Prof. Scatterly. He nods, and me and him with Todd riding on my back head back to Ilium Village and climb aboard the helicopter to Cranial. We remove our snow gear on the way, and I get Todd out of his snow gear. The helicopter lands, I help Todd off, then head to the Fighter Station while Prof. Scatterly leads Todd towards the Museum. I go into the Fighter Station, go up to the upper deck, and get on the elevator platform. I ride up it to Joe's Office, and step off when I arrive. Joe and Pauleen look at me, and I get in place to the left of Pauleen.

"Thanks for comin' Red." Joe tells me. "Now we just gotta wait for Todd and-"

"About Todd," I say cutting him off. "He's gotten sick, and a friend of mine, Professor Scatterly, is taking care of him until he gets better."

"Poor feller went and got 'em self sick?" Joe asks. "Now don't that just beat it all?" While his voice is disappointed, I think I see relief in his eyes. I push the thought out of my mind. "Well then, I reckon this is all the Patrol Team we're gonna have today."

"Actually," Pauleen says. "Rupert should be here too."

"Yeah..." I think back to the last time we saw him, and I can't help but feel pity for him. "Well...what's this about?" I ask looking up at Joe. "You said it was serious and you sounded worried when you contacted us."

"Keep this under yer hat," Joe tells us. "but some varmint went and stole our Super Electrominites."

_Electrominites...? _I wonder. The familiar word triggers a flashback...

"VERY well done." McJunker says. "You do good work junior. Now let's fix the mine cars!" He turns to the mine cars, then stops and faces me again. "I nearly forgot. Think you could head back to town and pick up an Electrominite for me? I can tinker with this all day, but it's not going anywhere without a battery."

"No problem!" I say.

"Great!" He says. "Just go to the Junk Depot and talk to my apprentice. He'll give you the Electrominite I need."

"Yes sir." I say. "I'll be right back!" I turn to run, but he stops me.

"One thing though." He says. "You'll need a V-Raptor as proof that I sent you. If you don't have one, check Greenhorn Plains."

"Yes sir." I say. I run out of the tunnel, across the plateaus and rope bridges, out of the dig site down the path to the boat, and hop on to the boat. When I arrive at the Fighter Area, I hop off the boat and run into the Guild Area. _It's not in the park, so it has to be here. _I think. I walk down to an octagonal shaped flower bed between the Police Station and Richmond Building when I notice a dirt path going into a grassy area with a cluster of trees, some trees scattered around and some patches of tall grass. I walk down the dirt path and see a little girl standing behind a tree watching the cluster of tree's. She had light blonde hair pulled back into pigtails, a light blue dress with long sleeves, and blue shoes. I walk up to her. "Excuse me, but could you te-"

"Shhh!" She says cutting me off. "Keep it down! I'm spying on that building and I don't want you to give me away! I think there's somebody inside of it!"

"What building?" I ask.

"The one behind the cluster of trees!" She says pointing.

_That must be it! _I think. I walk down the dirt path, turn left and follow it to a dome-shaped building made of thick, metal plates wielded together. Above the door way in a sign that says _JUNK_. _Yep. This is it. _I walk in and see a bunch of scrap heaps, tools and crates. I notice a boy my age working on some sort of contraption.

"HOLT?" I ask surprised. He looks at me and smiles.

"Hey Red!" He says. "Long time no see!"

"I'll say!" I tell him as I walk up to him. "But what are you doing here?"

"I'm my uncles apprentice." He explains.

"McJunker's your uncle?" I ask with surprise.

"Yep." He says. "When I came here to be a Fossil Fighter, I moved in with him into his house. One day he asked me if I wanted to be his apprentice, I said yes. There I was thinking I would be learning about Fossil Battles, but all I've done is learn about tools and stuff. Anyhoo... Whatcha doing here?"

"Someone broke McJunker's mine cars and stole his tools, so I found his tools for him and then he sent me here to get an Electrominite." I tell him. He stands there.

"Hmph..." He says. "McJunker sent you for an Electrominite, eh? Seems a little fishy..." He says as his eyes narrow. "There's only one thing you can show me to prove what you say is true."

"A V-Raptor?" I ask. He blinks.

"Yep." He says. "V-Raptors hate liars, so you should only trust people who can keep them."

"Here you go." I say as I hold up my V-Raptor Dino Medal.

"Fantastic!" Holt says with a smile. "Here's the Electrominite!" He holds out a large battery that has a brown top half and a black bottom half.

"Thanks Ho-"

"BUT..." He says taking it back. "before I hand it over, there's a favor I want you to do for me..." I raise an eyebrow. "Let's battle!" He exclaims with a smile. "I don't get enough battle practice working for my uncle. If you beat me, I'll give you the Electrominite!"

"You mean, AFTER I beat you." I say as I take out my Dino Medals.

"A what?" Pauleen asks, snapping me out of it.

"An Electrominite is a fossil that works like a battery." I tell her. "I'm guessing Super Electrominites are the same thing?" I ask looking at Joe. He nods.

"Close." He tells me. "Super Electrominites are extremely rare fossils that put out a near preposterous amount of energy. In fact, this entire fossil park runs on just three of 'em." I whistle. "Yep. But, a little while ago, three intruders busted into all the park's Fighter Stations. They went straight to the generator rooms and made off with the Super Electrominites. We're runnin' on regular Electrominites right now, but I reckon them boys ain't gonna last much longer."

"...Wh-what happens then?" Pauleen asks with worry.

"Nothin' good, I'm afraid." Joe tells her. "Lights'll go out... Auto-doors won't open... KL-33N and all them VMMs will fail... We'll pretty much be sittin' in the dark, I reckon. And forget about cleanin' or revivin' yer fossil rocks!" ME and Pauleen both gasp.

"That's terrible!" Pauleen exclaims with distraught. "It would be the end of the entire Caliosteo Fossil Park!"

"They've gone too far this time..." I say clenching my fists.

"I know. That's why we gotta recover them Super Electrominites as soon as possible." Joe tells us. "I've heard that the culprits are hidin' out at one'a the dig sites. I sent Stella, Terry, and Kent out to try an' track 'em down, and I'm hoping y'all can join the search."

"Of course!" Pauleen says. "I won't stand by while a bunch of jerks shut down this park!"

"I made a promise to help protect this park, and I don't break those kind of promises." I tell Joe.

"It does my heart good to hear that y'all." Joe tells us with a faint smile. "I'd like both of you to go search out at Icegrip Plateau. Good luck y'all." We both nod.

"Let's go." I tell Pauleen with seriousness. I made a promise to protect this park, and I made a promise to Todd that I would win the Cup, and I intend to keep both of those promises. We ride down the elevator platform, step off when arrives at the upper deck of the Lobby, and run down the stair case closest to the exit. We reach the door, and Rupert comes in. We all stop. Rupert stands there, looks at me and Pauleen only moving his eyes, then walks between us towards the cleaning room, but stops when he realizes we're following him.

"What?" He asks looking at us. "I told you I wanted nothing more to do with you people. Now if you'll excuse me-"

"We need your help Rupert." I tell him.

"...Help you?" He asks. "I'm sorry, what part of 'leave me alone' was confusing to you?"

"Listen Rupert," Pauleen tells him. "someone stole the Super Electrominites that power this park. If we don't get them back, no one will be able to clean or revive their fossil rocks. Joe asked Red and me to search in Icegrip Plateau, so that's where we're headed. Come on, Rupert! We need your help!"

"..." Rupert stands there for a second. "This is none of mine concern. Excuse me." He turns back around, and stars walking forward again.

"You say that, but I know it's a lie!" Pauleen tells him, causing him to stop. "Deep down, you love battling Rupert. I know you do, and you'd be heartbroken if they canceled the Cup! It's time to be honest about how you feel! It's time to show some backbone and stop being your father's puppet!"

"..." Rupert says nothing.

"Rupert," I tell him, my voice soft and pleading. "remember what you told us yesterday. How you loved battling and your vivosaurs. Remember how you told us how when you were with us, how you remembered how you used to feel? Isn't it worth fighting for? Isn't it worth standing up to your father? Aren't you willing to throw off your shackles and to free? To have fun?" Rupert says nothing. "...To be our friend?"

"..." Rupert stands there a second, then breaks out running towards the Cleaning Room, and runs into it. I run after him a few steps, then stop, my face sad and tears brimming my eyes.

"...I can't believe I told him to show some backbone." Pauleen says. I turn around and look at her. "I'm not even brave enough to take this stupid mask off. I don't have the right to yell at anyone..." She turns around towards the door. "Well, this is no time to sit around feeling sorry for myself. We've got to get to Icegrip Plateau. I'm going ahead. I'll see you there." She runs out the exit, leaving me there alone, tears streaming from my eyes.

_'What's wrong Red?' _Cloud Cover asks me with worry.

_'I'm conflicted.' _I tell her with sadness. _'My mind is telling me what I know I need to do, but my heart is telling me what I need to do.'_

_ 'How so?' _She asks.

_'I need to help Rupert. I need to stay with Todd. I need to stop the BB Brigade. I need to go to Icegrip Plateau... ...I need to get back to Rosie. She's been in my mind this entire time. Whether it was at the front, at the back, or somewhere in between, she's been somewhere. And despite everything that's been happening, I still only have the void in my chest that brings my never ending pain and refuses to leave... I feel like I need to be in several places at once...'_

_ 'Red,' _Flamethrower tells me. _'we know you're needed in a lot of different places, but you've made it far. You've done things in just these few months that people haven't been able to do in centuries. If you can do all of the things you've done, then we know that you can make it through this.'_

_ '...'_

_ 'He's right Red.' _Air Strike tells me. _'I'm not one for speeches, but you're still helping Todd and Rupert by stopping the BB Brigade, and if you stop them and win the Cup, you'll be helping Rosie because you'll have the fossil park, and will be able to tell the world who you are and be reunited with her.'_

_ '...' _I take a deep breath. _'You guys are right. Now look out BB Brigade, I'm coming for you guys.' _I run out of the Fighter Station with new found vigor and determination. I quickly get on a helicopter to Ilium Village, and get my snow gear on as I ride over. When it arrives, I jump out and sprint to Icegrip Plateau. I come onto the first ice flow, cross the bridge to the next one, then cross the bridge to the next on. I go across the next ice bridge to see Pauleen in her snow gear waiting for me.

"There you are Red." She tells me. "There's some creepy people up here, so we should probably go together." I nod, and we continue on. We pass by the entrance to the cave I saw, and I can feel something sinister in the air. With it, comes a bad feeling in my stomach.

Like something terrible is going to happen.

I stop, and put my hand on my pouch. Pauleen looks at me, and I keep looking forward. I stand there for a second, then continue walking. We look around as we walk, and I see someone standing two feet away from the edge of the ice flow, watching us. Pauleen sees them as well, and we run over to them, stopping a few feet away.

They're a girl about thirteen with fiery orange hair done into a spiral corkscrew on the top right side of her head, held up by a large skull shaped object with the skull having a small crown, one red eye and the other black, her green eyes are half-lidded, giving her a casual, bored, uninterested look, she's wearing a parka with a black torso and white sleeves, with a white spine going up the front of it. She's also wearing white snow pants with a black skirt, black snow pants, and her right hand has a black glove while the other has a regular white cut-off glove on it. She stands there, her jaw moving like she's chewing gum and her right hand on her hip, while the other just hands by her side.

"Oh, heeeey." She says in a flat voice. "You made it. Cool. I kinda thought you'd be here sooner, but...yeah." She turns and slowly walks to the left a bit before stopping. "Yeah, like, this is a PRETTY big deal and all, so I was like expecting someone to find us sooner."

_'I'm already annoyed with this girl.' _I tell my vivosaurs.

_'With how she talks? I don't blame you.'_ Air Strike tells me.

"You're with the BareBones Brigade!" Pauleen says.

"Toootally." The girl tells us. "Although actually, I'm one of the three BareBones Brigade commanders."

"I can tell by your crazy clothes." I tell her. Her left hand suddenly shoots out to the left at shoulder height, then folds behind her head, she puts all over her weight on her right foot, striking a pose.

"I'm the grooooovy chick, Lola!" Lola tells us. Pauleen just stands there, and I smack my hand against my forehead. She get back how she was standing, her left arm hanging by her side and her right hand on her hip. "Soooo, did you dig my plan to steal the Super Electrominites? 'Cause I thought it was tooootally wicked."

"Wicked as in bad." I tell her, my face hard. She blows a bubble using the bubblegum she's chewing, and it pops.

"See, 'cause if you can't clean or revive, then, like, there's not going to be a Cup, man." Lola tells us. "It's tooootally gonna harsh the mellow of every Fighter in this park, man. I can't waaaait."

"You won't get away with this, hippie!" Pauleen tells her. "Give back those Super Electrominites!"

"Yeaaah, but noooo." Lola tells her. "I don't think you were listening to me. Remember the part where I, like, said I wanted Fighters to be all sad about the Cup? So then, I'm prooobably not gonna give the Super Electrominites back."

"Then I'll just take them from you!" I tell her pulling out my team.

"Oh, man." Lola says. "Like, that's toooo funny."

"..." I raise an eyebrow. "How so?" She smirks, then walks to the left a bit more, faces us, raises her left hand and snaps her fingers. On cue, Cole and Lester both walk out from behind a blue chunk of ice, and get on either side of Lola. Cole's wearing a white parka just like his coat, with a hood that has black fur inside of it, and white snow pants with black at the top and at the knees, while Lester's wearing a black parka with the white outline of a skull on the front, white fur in the hood, and white snow pants.

Me and Pauleen both jump, and take a step back. Cole immediately recognizes me. "Well, well!" He says taking a few steps towards us, making us take a few steps back. "If it isn't the Fighter who ruined my awesome plan!" He growls. "I am VERY excited to see you again kiddo. You have NO idea." He tells me giving me a death glare. Lester laughs his loud laugh, and takes a few steps towards me and Pauleen, making us take a few steps back.

"I'm gonna thrash you good for what you did to me at Mt. Krakanak!" He tells me with a bit of threat in his voice.

"Uh-oh." Pauleen says worried. "I don't know if we can take all of these creeps Red." She tells me.

"We can do it." I tell her getting ready to fight.

"We've won before it's even begun!" Lola tells us taking a few steps forward. "...Oh, man. That, like, rhymed. Cooooooool." I bare my teeth in a scowl, my face hard, ready to fight them, and protect m friend should anything happen.

"It looks like all three BB Brigade commanders suffer from a terminal case of over confidence!" I hear a familiar voice say. We all let out small gasps and look to see a blur of red, white, silver and a small bit of gold running straight towards us, his coat tail that sticks out from his parka flapping in the wind. He skids to a stop right next to me, ready to fight with Dino Medals in hand.

"Rupert!" I exclaim with surprise.

"B-but...why?" Pauleen asks with bewilderment. Rupert looks at her.

"Because you were right." He tells her. "Because I need to start being more honest with myself. I love this Cup, and I'm looking forward to facing Red in a Fossil Battle. So I've decided I would be most disappointed if it was canceled."

"Rupert," I tell him with a smile on my face. "you're the best!" He smiles a faint smile, then turns to the BB Brigade commanders.

"Ha! Now it's three-on-three losers!" Pauleen tells them.

"Man, this is like totally, like, annoying." Lola says.

"The way you TALK is annoying!" I tell her. She glares at me and my smiling, determined face.

"Cole? Lester? It's time to take out the recycling, man." She says.

"With pleasure!" Cole says.

"Yo!" Lester says.

"Come at us BRO!" I yell throwing my team's medals in the air. I'm battling Lola, Pauleen's fighting Cole, and Rupert's against Lester. Lola's team consists of a B-Brachio, B-Lambeo, and a B-Jara, which is a winged boneysaur with green bones. Lola's team slips on the ice, putting her B-Jara in the AZ.

"B-Jara, like, Boney Screech on Shanshan." He attacks doing eleven damage, and making Cloud Cover fall asleep. "B-Lambeo, Boney Choooomp on Giga Spinax." He attacks doing six damage. My team slip's on the ice, putting Flamethrower and Cloud Cover in the AZ. I rotate them to where Air Strike and Flamethrower are in the AZ.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on B-Jara!" He attacks doing ninety-one damage. Cloud Cover suddenly wakes up, and Lola's team slips on the ice, putting B-Lambeo and B-Jara in the AZ.

"B-Jara, like, Boney Screech on Shanshan." He attacks doing twenty-two damage, and making her fall back asleep. "B-Lambeo, Boney Choooomp on Giga Spinax." He attacks doing ten damage. My team slips on the ice, putting Cloud Cover in the AZ. I rotate my team to where Flamethrower and Cloud Cover are in the AZ.

"Flamethrower, S-Combo on B-Jara!" He attacks doing sixty-one damage, sending B-Jara into his medal. Cloud Cover wakes up, and Lola's team slips on the ice, putting B-Brachio in the AZ.

"B-Lambeo, Boney Coooomboooo on Giga Spinax." He attacks doing eleven damage. "B-Brachio, Boney Stomp on, like, Shanshan." He attacks doing twelve damage. My team slips on the ice, putting Air Strike and Cloud Cover in the AZ.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on B-Brachio!" He attacks doing one hundred twenty nine damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on B-Brachio!" She attacks doing fifty-nine damage. Lola's team slips on the ice, putting B-Lambeo in the AZ.

"B-Lambeo, Boney Choooomp on Shanshan." He attacks doing twenty-one damage. "B-Brachio, Boney Stomp on, like, Shanshan." He attacks doing forty-eight damage, and rotating my team to where Air Strike and Flamethrower are in the AZ. My team then slips on the ice, putting Cloud Cover in the AZ. I rotate my team to where Air Strike and Cloud Cover in the AZ.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on B-Lambeo!" He attacks doing sixty-eight damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on B-Lambeo!" She attacks doing thirty-two damage. Lola's team slips on the ice, putting B-Brachio in the AZ.

"B-Brachio, Boney Stomp on, like, Giga Spinax." He attacks doing six damage, and rotating my team to where Cloud Cover and Flamethrower are in the AZ. They then slip on the ice putting them in their assigned positions.

"Flamethrower, use Enflame on Air Strike!" He does it, boosting Air Strike's attack. "Air Strike, Spinax Mega on B-Lambeo!" He attacks doing eighty-three damage. Lola's team slips on the ice, putting B-Lambeo in the AZ.

"B-Lambeo, Boney Choooomp on Shanshan." He attacks doing twenty-two damage. My team slips on the ice, putting Flamethrower and Cloud Cover in the AZ.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on B-Lambeo!" She attacks doing forty-six damage. "Flamethrower, S-Combo on Brachio!" He attacks doing thirty-seven damage, and rotating B-Brachio to the very back SZ. He then slips on the ice, putting him in the AZ.

"B-Brachio, Boney Tsunami on, like, Giga Spinax." He attacks doing forty-five damage. My team slips on the ice, putting them in their assigned positions.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on B-Brachio!" She attacks doing twenty nine damage, sending B-Brachio into his medal. Air Strike and Flamethrower roar with victory, while I stand next to Cloud Cover. She bends down to look me in the eye, and I smile. _'You guys are right. I have come far.' _I put my hand on Cloud Cover's cheek, right over the three bars which are now red.

"This is a toooootal bummer, man." Lola says. I look to see That Rupert and Pauleen have beaten Cole and Lester. My team goes into their medals, I catch them, and put them in the pouch at my hip.

"Gya!" Cole says taking a step back, shock on his face. "All of this losing is really starting to cramp my style!" Lester takes a step back, rage on his face.

"I AM SO ANGRY!" He yells. He acts like he's strangling an invisibly object, shaking his hands. "NNNRRGGGHH!"

"All right, chumps!" Pauleen says taking a few steps forward, making them take a few steps back. "Hand over the Super Electrominites!"

"We've beaten you," Rupert says taking a few steps forward, making them take a few steps back. "so I suggest that you do as we ask."

"Give me the Electrominites." I tell them taking a few steps forward, making them take a few steps back. "Or else."

"Like, or else what?" Lola asks. I open my mouth to say something, when the ground suddenly rocks beneath our feet, and we hear a loud BOOM. "OKAY, OKAY! WE'LL GIVE YOU THE ELECTROMINITES!" The shaking stops.

"I DIDN'T DO THAT!" I tell her.

"Then what was that?" Pauleen asks, her voice slightly shaking. We all look around, trying to find the source of what just happened.

"I don't like this!" Lester says, his voice panic stricken. "It don't feel right!" The ground rocks beneath our feet again, and we manage to remain standing.

"WH-WHAT IS **THAT?**" Cole yells, his voice full of panic, worry and fear. We all look to see he's point out at sea.

_I don't see- _A giant, light yellow object suddenly rises out of the water, and the ground beneath us rocks again. We struggle to remain standing, and I see the object is gone. Another object the same color bursts out of the water, and it opens up to reveal darkness inside of it. _**HOLY DINOOOOOOO! **_I yank my goggles over my eyes, hold my arms up to protect my face, and I feel the ground under me break apart. I start to fall, open my eyes to complete darkness, and foul smelling air. I feel like I hit a brick wall.

I black out, not knowing what's going to happen.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-And that's all for this chapa!<strong>

**Red: Wait, you-! YOU CAN STOP HERE! I need to know what happens!**

**Me: I can stop when I want to! And relax, you'll find out what happens. Next chapter.**

**Red: What gives you the right to stop when you want to?**

**Me: Cuz I'm the one writing this; that's why. And WHOOO! OVER ONE THOUSAND PAGES Y'ALL! **


	46. A Vivosaur's Mind

**AN-Aaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnd... We're back.**

**Red: TYPE! I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS!**

**Me: Okay, okay. Sheesh...**

**Red: *rage face***

**Me:...Wat? ?_?**

* * *

><p>Chapter Forty-Six- A Vivosaur's Mind<p>

_'RED!' _My vivosaurs yell, bringing me to consciousness. Where I feel like I hit a wall, my right side and by back, hurts, my head is pounding, and I'm lying on my stomach in...something. It smells terrible, and I have the taste of dead fish and salt in my mouth.

_'Ohhhhh...' _I think. I open my eyes, only to bring a wave of pain to my head, and see something blurry. I squeeze my eyes shut, and try to roll on my side, only to bring myself more pain. I mentally moan again.

_'Don't try to move!' _Flamethrower tells me.

_ 'Oh man, what do we do?' _Air Strike asks, with complete panic.

_'Lullaby did all she could, but we couldn't do much with you unconscious.' _Cloud Cover tells me.

_'Uuuhhhhhhnnnn...' _I groan.

_'Red,' _Flamethrower tells me. _'I have an idea of how to help, but you need to relax your mind. And don't ask how, just relax, and open your mind to me wider.' _I lay there for a second, then think of Rosie. My mind relaxes as I think of her, and I open my consciousness to Flamethrower. I feel...something. Like a cloud soft blanket being pulled over my mind. I feel it wrap around me, and I feel the pain go away.

_'Now, this isn't so much as injury, but soreness.' _Lullaby tells me. _'Flamethrower's blocking the pain, but I'm going to have to go into your mind to fix this stuff.' _I feel her enter my mind, and probe around, looking for the nerve endings to fix. She goes down the nerve core in my spine, and finds the nerve endings that are causing the soreness. I feel extreme worry from my vivosaurs, and the second Lullaby touches the nerve endings with her mind, pain erupts from them, tearing straight through the blockage Flamethrower put in my mind. I roar with pain, and panic erupts from my vivosaurs.

_'Red, please forgive me for what I'm about to do!' _Flamethrower tells me with seriousness and panic in his voice. I suddenly feel something pulling at my mind, causing panic to fill me. It reaches deeper, and my mind recognizes them, feeling like they were arms from a loving hug. I let it take hold of my consciousness, and I feel it be pulled into a another.

_Music. No, not music, colors? No. Something soothing. Like a sunset on a crystal ocean. Like a mountain range. Like the sound of rain drops. Like the smell of a freshly made pie, or cake, or some sweet dessert._

'Where am I?' _I ask._

'In me.' _Flamethrower says._

'...What?' _I ask._

'Well, you are, and you aren't. Your body is still in front of me, but your conscious mind is in my mind.' _He explains._

'Then...What was that?'

'What was what?'

'The...music, the colors, the soothing sights and smells.'

'Ah...That was my consciousness.'

'...What?'

'Vivosaurs minds work much differently. Since we are still a form of dinosaurs, we can't comprehend words like humans do. We can use them, but it's hard to...well...it's hard to explain.'

'Have you guys always been able to do this?'

'No. All Fighters can hear their vivosaurs thoughts, but only those who have bonds like you do can interact like we can, and only very select few can do what I just did.'

'Oh...W-what is your mind like?'

'Let me show you.' _He wraps a mental blanket around me, and I feel his thoughts and emotions enter my mind. The sheer complexity of it all amazes me. What they don't comprehend in words, they use in sights, smells, taste and hearing. Flamethrower opens his eyes, and I see him standing over my body, Air Strike and Cloud Cover watching it with worry, and Lullaby standing over my body with a hand on my head. More of Flamethrower's thoughts enter my mind, and his eyes close._

_ How well he comprehends and understands things._

_ Music, colors, smells, and tastes enter my mind._

_ But not how I'm used to them._

_ I'm able to see the music._

_ Not as music notes, but as a whirls wind of shifting colors._

_ The pure essence of it._

_ Everything merges together, creating something so indescribably amazing, I feel awestruck that anything could do this._

_ Being able to see music._

_ Being able to taste colors._

_ Being able to taste the night sky._

_ Being able to see the sounds of the forest._

_ Being able to hear the sun rise._

_ Being able to smell the rush of the wind._

_ Being able to hear a rainbow._

_ Being able to smell music._

_ Being able to smell the sun._

_Seeing soothing things. _

_Like a sun drenched field of wildflowers._

_Like a shady creek in the forest._

_Like an apple grove in the fall._

_Like my grandparent's lake house._

_How muched I loved spending two weeks of my summer there._

_How I would watch the sun rise._

_How I would help my grandma make strawberry preserves._

_The sweet smells wafting from the kitchen._

_How I loved running through the trails in the forest._

_How my grandpa would taking me fishing._

_How I loved sitting in the garden beneath a peach tree, listening to the birds sing while I felt the soil with my bare feet._

_How I always wanted to live there when I grew up._

_The summer camp me and Zeke went to._

_How we shared a cabin._

_How we would swim in the lake._

_How we loved the nights around the campfire._

_ Being able to experience this stuff rather than just use one of my senses._

_ Bliss._

_ I feel Flamethrower take me even deeper into his mind..._

* * *

><p><em> Blue-Fire-Flamethrower opens his eyes, and looks down at Sapphire-Eyed-Master-Red. Worried fills him for the straight-standing creature who loved him. He didn't understand why the Black-White-BareBones Brigade tried to stop the Cup. Why the darkness-filled-yellow-dome swallowed them. Why the Skull-Face-Cackle-Voice-Don Boneyard wanted them to leave. He and the Black-White-BareBones Brigade could fight Vivosaur-Fossil-Battles, right? Couldn't they see how much fun they are?<em>

_ Blue-Fire-Flamethrower looked at the-vivosaurs-he-must-not-fight, Crystal-Covered-Air Strike, Kind-Heart-Cloud Cover, and Music-Note-Lullaby. They had concern in their eyes for Sapphire-Eyed-Master-Red. He looked at the two other straight-standing creatures, Silver-Golden-Blood-Rupert and Masked-Shy-Sunny-Pauleen. He thinks back to before they received the message from Monster-Hat-Cowboy-Joe, and wished they had not received it. They could be back at Ice-Cold-Ilium Island, with Excited-Hungry-Green-Todd drinking hot chocolate in the small-living-igloo-den with a roaring fire. Or be talking to Forgetful-Smart-Professor Scatterly. He was slightly happy Master's-Nonrelated-Brother was not here, he would not have to worry about where they were, but he knew Excited-Hungry-Green-Todd would always want to be with Sapphire-Eyed-Master-Red no matter what, just like Pink-Hair-Loved-Rosie would. _

_ He thought about how Sapphire-Eyed-Master-Red loved her. How he fought Horrible-Planet-Eater-Guhnash and Reptile-Human-Dinaurians to protect her. How he fell, broken when Velociraptor-Raptin hit the switch that would wipe away humans. Blue-Fire-Flamethrower looks at Kind-Heart-Cloud Cover, and thought about how he would do the same for her._

* * *

><p><em> ...<em>

I suddenly wake up, taking a deep breath, realizing I had just been deep into a vivosaur's consciousness.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Huh. Short chapter...<strong>

**Red: *awestruck* THAT WAS SO AWESOME...**

**Me: I wish I could've done that...LEAVE A REVIEW!**


	47. Bonehemoth, A Whale Tale

**AN-We're back. Again.**

**Red: So...Where are we?**

**Me: Let's find out. ONWARD!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Forty-Seven- Bonehemoth, A Whale Tale<p>

I blink, and what just happened rushes through my mind. How I went into Flamethrower's mind. I sit up, the soreness gone, and look at him. _'That...Oh dino, that was too amazing!_

_ 'Thank you.' _He tells me. My four vivosaurs go into their medals, relief that I'm okay. I put them in my pouch, and my hair falls down, filled with some kind of goo.

_Oh, gross. _I think. I look to see I'm in goo ankle deep, and push myself up. I whip my head back and forth, causing the goo to fly out everywhere, then run my fingers through my hair, making it stand on end. I fix my goggles, pushing them back up, and stand up. I have the goo all over me, but the only thing bothering me about it is the smell. Pauleen and Rupert stand up, Pauleen completely disgusted and Rupert just trying to get the goo off his coat. We take off our snow gear, to our clean clothes under them and put the gear away into our packs.

"Where are we?" Pauleen asks. We look around, and see rocks, coral, pieces of ships, lampposts, rocks, and more pools of the goo.

"Well," I say. "we were Icegrip Plateau, and then there was that huge wave, and..."

"We've been swallowed by WHALE!" Rupert exclaims with shock.

"NOOOO!" Pauleen cries. She buries the front of her mask in her hands, and cries. "W-we're gonna be diiigeste-ed-ed-ed! I don't wanna be whale food! I'm too beautiful!" I smack the palm of my hand against my forehead and shake my head.

"Well slap a fish and call me roughy!" I hear a man voice say. It has a bit of a whistle to it, suggesting that he's missing a front tooth, and sounds like he hasn't talked much in a very long time. "I come over here to investigate all this racket, and instead I find company!" We all let out small gasps and look to see a gaunt man with long, brown hair with bangs that cover his eyes, an unkept beard, a very wide brimmed sandy brown hat, a sailor style, blue handkerchief around his neck, a ragged white shirt, a pale gray over coat with patches, a tan satchel, blue pants that come down to below his knees, and ragged black boots. In his left hand is a fishing pole, and in the other...well...under his other arm in a green kick ball with a face drawn on it.

"Oh." Pauleen says. "Um, hello. Do you...live here?"

"Th' name's Robinson." He tells us. "And it's a right pleasure to meetcha. This whale's called the Bonehemoth, see, and he likes to chew on ice cubes. So, there I was, doing a bit'a fishin' on an ice flow, when up he swims, cool as you please. Dangnab fish up and swallowed me in one bite! That was nearly ten years ago now, give or take a few." Me, Rupert and Pauleen all gasp as complete shock fills me.

"TEN YEARS?" Pauleen exclaims with shock. "You've been in here for ten years by yourself?"

"Naw, I ain't by m'self!" Robinson tells us. "I done gone and made a friend, see?" He smiles to reveal I was right. He's missing a front tooth, and two other teeth. He holds up the green kick ball under his arm. "Lemme introduce you folks to m'best friend in the whole wide whale...Balliver!"

"..." We all stand there, looking at the green kick ball.

"Hi." I say with a smile. Rupert and Pauleen slowly look at me. Robinson looks at Balliver.

"Now Balliver, where's your manners?" He asks. "Go on and say hello to th' nice folks now! ...Uh-huh." He says nodding. "Yeah, I know. It's gonna a lot louder with all these folks here. ...Well Balliver, that's good to hear. I'm happy to have company m'self."

"...That's just a ball with a face drawn on it." Pauleen whispers to me and Rupert.

"Perhaps his loneliness was so great he felt the need to invent a friend." Rupert whispers back.

_Poor guy... _I think. _Having to spend ten years in this place..._

"Aw, look at me." Robinson says looking at us and holding Balliver under his arm. "Flappin' m'gums while you stand ankle deep in chum." I look down at my feet to see that I am standing ankle deep in it.

_THAT'S what that goo was... _

"You folks should wander around!" Robinson tells us happily. "See the sights! Get acquainted with your new home. This here Bonehemoth swallows all kind of stuff, so if you want it, you can probably find it. In fact, take a look over yonder." He points with his fishing pole, and we all look.

"Oh. My. Goodness..." Pauleen says. She then runs over to the VMM with KL-33N floating next to it, and types something in on the key board. "Aw, man. The teleporter is broken! ...But you can still switch Dino Medals in and out, so that's something."

"Hello." KL-33N says. "I was swallowed along with this revive machine. Even in this terrible place, I can help you with all your cleaning needs."

"Oh, hey!" Pauleen says. "That's handy. Thanks!" She runs back over to us.

"Robinson, is there any way to escape from this place?" Rupert asks.

"E-escape?" Robinson asks taking a step back. "Fish guts!"

_Ew._

"Why would you wanna go and do a thing like that?" He asks. "...Well, if you're serious, I s'pose you could take it up with Lord Tonzilla."

"...Sir?" I ask.

"He's what'cha might call the supreme ruler of this place, see? He's at the top of the food chain and the top of the Bonehemoth's digestive tract!" He turns around and looks at a tunnel that must lead to Lord Tonzilla, then looks back at us. "If you folks could defeat Lord Tonzilla, you might be able to leave this place." He tales another step back. "But I can't imagine why you'd wanna do such a thing! ...And neither can Balliver." He runs off.

_...Why did he sound scared?_

"Okay," Pauleen says. "I don't care what the crazy man thinks. We have to beat Lord Tonzilla and get out of here!"

"I hate to play the optimist," Rupert tells us. "but at least we can excavate, clean, and revive fossil rocks here. Now, we should split up and prepare ourselves. We'll meet again in the Bonehemoth's digestive tract." We all nod, then split up. I immediately head straight for the tunnel, and head up it. There are lampposts everywhere, lighting up the place. Out of curiosity, I take out my sonar and activate it, to find out there are fossils in here. I go along, digging up fossils, and a ways in, I hear talking, and look up the see the BB Brigade commanders. They've removed their snow gear to reveal their regular clothes.

Lola's real clothes are a black collar with metal studs on it, a black shirt with frilly, short white sleeves and a white spine going up the front and back of the torso, a black band around her right arm and a white cut off glove that comes to her elbow on the other hand, a short white skirt with frilly black cloth at the end, white socks that don't hug her skin and come up to the middle of her upper legs, and black shoes. They're all covered in goo, much to Cole's dismay.

"Maaan," Lola says. "this place is so not groovy. It's all dark and smelly and gooey. And I keep smelling, like, fish? Toootal drag man."

"Grrrrr... I totally HATE enclosed spaces!" Lester says. "I think I have closetphobia!" He looks around at the walls with that 'the walls are closing in' look on his face.

"Even MY hair can't handle having this much goo in it!" Cole says feeling his goo filled hair. "We have to get out of here before I lose my just-woke-up look!"

"Hi." I say walking a bit closer. They all look at me, get closer, and glare at me.

"This is, like, all your fault." Lola tells me angrily. "You're a tooootal buzz kill."

"Yeah!" Cole says in agreement taking a step forward. "If you hadn't meddled with our plans, none of this would have happened! We'd be ruling the Caliosteo Islands and not trapped in some stupid fish!"

"Okay, first of all, I can't control this thing, so I didn't know it was about to swallow us." I tell them. "Second of all, this is a whale, so it's a mammal, not a fish. Third of all, if you guys hadn't of tried to stop the Caliosteo Cup, then I wouldn't of had to stop you, then we wouldn't be here. Fourthly, why do guys want the islands anyways?" Lester laughs.

"Like I'd tell you!" He tells me. "We've got plans! Big plans! Really...really big plans."

"You guys have no idea why, do you?" I ask with a flat look on my face and arms crossed. Cole sighs.

"Okay, okay. Look, our boss Don Boneyard told us to cancel the Cup and drive off the Fighters, so that what we're doing. We'll deal with the other stuff when the time comes." Lola blows a bubble with her bubble gum, and pops it.

"Soooo, like, you're not even a member of Don Boneyard's evil gang, right?" Lola asks.

"Yeah dawg." I tell her.

"So maybe you should stay out of this and, like, stop asking questions." She tells me.

"Yeah." Cole says in agreement. "I don't have the energy to answer questions all day. So blow."

"I have a quick question." Lester says. We all look at him. "With mine and Cole's plans, you pointed out a bunch of flaws in them after we told you, but you didn't point any out with Lola's plan."

"Actually, it's a good plan." I tell them.

"WHAT?" Cole and Lester exclaim at the same time.

"Come on! I mean, taking the Super Electrominites that power the park was pretty genius." I tell them.

"I toooold you guys." Lola tells them smugly. They both stand there, and I continues heading towards the top of the digestive tract, digging up fossils as I go. Some parts of the tract are darker than others, but I notice that I can somehow see a bit better in the dark than before. It winds back and forth, I walk through puddles of chum, thankful my boots are leak proof. I come to a part where the tract gets a bit smaller, and see Rupert and Pauleen standing there.

"Hey guys." I tell them. They look at me.

"Hey, we think that Lord Tonzilla thing is up ahead." Pauleen tells me.

"Are you ready?" Rupert asks.

"Yeah dawg." I tell him.

"Right. Let's go." He says.

"We're coming for you, Lord Tonzilla!" Pauleen says.

"Charge!" I say running ahead of them. They catch up to me, and we continue running. We run into the mouth, and I look at the teeth, which are twice the size of Air Strike, and probably weigh twice as much. We look to see...something... in the middle of the mouth. It's smooth, three times my height, has coral for a mouth, two giant barnacles for eyes, and a large dropping fossil on top of it.

"That must be Lord Tonzilla." Rupert says.

"Whaaaat?" Pauleen exclaims. "It's just a giant tonsil!"

"How did I not see this coming?" I ask myself.

"Stand back!" Pauleen says holding her arms out. "Pauleen's gonna perform a litter oral surgery on this loser!" We all get closer to it, and Pauleen kicks it. It suddenly turns red.

"...Tooooonziiiiiill?" It asks.

_...OKAY, I HAVE NOW OFFICIALLY GONE INSANE! _I yell mentally.

"Pauleen!" Rupert yells jumping in front of her, forcing her to stop kicking it. "Stop kicking it!" Tonzilla sudden whacks them, sending them flying across the mouth, and into the wall, then to the floor.

"GUYS!" I yell.

"TOOOONZIIIIIIL!" Tonzilla yells.

"Nothing hurts my friends and gets away with it!" I tell it. It's too big for me to fight, so I pull out my team. "Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Lord Tonzilla!" He attacks doing one hundred forty-five damage. Lord Tonzilla attacks Air Strike, doing eighty-two damage. "Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Lord Tonzilla!" He attacks doing two hundred three damage. Lord Tonzilla falls over, defeated.

"I never thought I would be pummeled by a giant pink tonsil." I turn around to see Rupert and Pauleen standing there. "...It's a little embarrassing."

"I fail to understand how this will help us to escape the whale." Rupert says.

"Tell me about it." I tell him. Robinson suddenly runs up to us, and shock covers his face.

"Y-you actually did it!" He exclaims with shock. "You knock out Lord Tonzilla!"

"So?" I ask.

"There's a flood a'comin' now, and no denyin'." Robinson tells us. "Come on Balliver! We've gotta get to the boat! All aboard who's goin' aboard!" He quickly runs back down the tract, leaving us there confused.

"...I think Robinson's lost his mind." Pauleen says. "How can knocking over a tonsil cause a flood?" The ground suddenly shakes, surprising us, then stops.

"...What was that?" I ask. "Do you guys think Robinson is really crazy?"

"Perhaps not." Rupert says. "You do know that the gag reflex can be triggered by simulating the tonsil? Well, perhaps..." The ground shakes a bit more.

"Wait a second..." Pauleen says. "So you're saying..." She looks down the track, raising a hand to her chin with worry and realization. She looks back at us. "What's going to happen is..." The shaking under us suddenly grows increasingly stronger, and we all look to see water rushing straight towards us as shock appears on our faces. I pull my goggles over my eyes.

The water hits us, causing us to swept off our feet, and spin around wildly in the water. I open my eyes to find that I can see some, and I spot Rupert. I quickly swim over to him with powerful strokes, and grab his hand. Pauleen slams into us, and I grab her hand. We suddenly get shot up, casing us to let go of each other's hands, They water around us turns to mist, and I feel freezing air rush over me. I open my eyes to see us airborne near Icegrip Plateau, and Rupert and Pauleen close to me.

"THIS IS CRAZY!" Pauleen yells.

"TELL ME SOMETHING I DON'T KNOW!" I yell to her.

"WOO-HOO!" Rupert yells with glee.

We start to fall.

"WHAT DO WE DO?" Pauleen yells.

"GO WATER LOGGED!" I yell throwing his medal out. He comes out, flies at a down ward angle, allowing us to safely get on his back, then angles up, and flies us to the ice flow where we fought the BB Brigade commanders. "Is everyone alright?" I ask sliding off of my vivosaur. I was in front with Rupert behind me, and Pauleen behind him. Pauleen slides off.

"I'm freezing, but okay." She tells me. Rupert slides off, and Water Logged goes into his medal.

"You okay Rupert?" I ask him.

"..." He stands there, and I put the medal in my pouch. "...LET'S DO IT AGAIN!" Rupert yells with excitement. I look at him with that 'seriously?' look. "...Right." He says smoothing out his coat. We quickly get our snow gear back on, and I see Robinson standing on the ice flow, looking out to sea. We all walk over to him, and he looks at us.

"There you are!" He says. "Thought you folks were gone for good, I did."

"We were in the Bonehemoth, and then there was this giant wave and...yeah." Pauleen says.

"I told you not to go messin' with the natural order'a things!" Robinson scolds. "You lot are lucky to be walkin' around, you are." He stands there a second. "Still, I'm a free man once more, and I suppose I owe you m'thanks." He looks back out to sea. "It's been ten years since I last smelled fresh air. Ten long years..." He takes a deep breath of the air, then looks back at us. "Well, I best be gettin' back to my trade, eh? Them fish won't catch themselves."

"Aren't you cold?" I ask him.

"No." He tells me. "I'm quite used to th' cold. Good day to you folks." He turns, and walks back towards Ilium Village, whistling a merry tune.

"Okay," Pauleen says. Me and Rupert look at her. "so that was kind of a low point for the Patrol Team. But what matters is that we're out! I should thank my lucky stars we're even alive. Oh, and Lord Tonzilla too I guess." Me and Rupert nod, and he looks around.

"I hope the BB Brigade trio escaped." He tells us. "Despite their intentions, no one deserves to be trapped in a whale." We all look around some.

"Wait. You're worried about me? Reeeeally?" We all look to see the BB Brigade Commanders all walking towards us in their snow gear. "What a trip man." Lola says. "Maybe this means the rich kid, like, likes me." I see Rupert roll his eyes out of the corner of my eyes.

"So, made it out did you?" Pauleen asks.

"Yeah, some Robinson guy came along and rescued us." Lester tells us.

"He was attracted to my style like a sailor to a siren!" Cole says happily. I facepalm.

"Yeah, so I gotta, like, split the scene and go hose myself off." Lola tells us. "Soooo, here. You should have these." She hands me three cases, each about one foot long and six inches tall, and one's green, another is red, and another blue.

"Are these...?" I look at her with confusion. She nods.

"I don't understand." Pauleen says. "Why are you giving these back to us?"

"Like, we heard it was you guys that made the Bonehemoth horf us up, right?" She asks. "Soooo, that means you saved our lives, which is weird, because you're, like, our mortal enemies. Anyway, it's bad juju to leave a debt like that unpaid. So we're all square now, riiiiight?"

"Are Cole and Lester oaky with this?" I ask.

"Hey this is Lola's crazy plan." Cola says holding up his hands. "I just do what she tells me." Lester laughs.

"Yeah. And the more she fails, the better I look!" He tells us.

"Soooo, this is, like, a one-time kind of thing, dig?" Lola tells us. "Next time we meet, I'm toooootally going to flip your wig."

"We don't wear wigs." Rupert tells her.

"Well, I'd love to stay and give you guys some style tips. ...Goodness know you need them." Cole tells us. "But yeah, I'm outta here."

"Watch your backs, losers!" Lester says. They walk off.

"...What's wrong with our style?" I ask. Rupert and Pauleen both look at me. "...What?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Pauleen tells us. "but... They're not all that bad."

"We can discuss the relative merits of our enemies later." Rupert says. "Right now, each of us should take a Super Electrominite to an island." We all nod. I hand Pauleen the green case and Rupert the red case, and we all start running back towards Ilium Village. I near the exit to the dig site, when a strong hand grabs my shoulder, forcing me to stop. I look over my shoulder, and see a boy about thirteen standing there with his hand on my shoulder.

His hair is white as snow, spiky, and comes down to his neck, he has black goggles with orange lenses with a white crescent moon on the left lens, tan skin, an X shaped scar on his right cheek, a black sleeveless shirt, a brown coat with white fur lining the hood and edge, and the coat is covered with pockets. His pants a camouflage cargo pants with several pockets, a black shoulder bag, and black steel toed boots. His eyes a bright crimson color that sends a shiver down my spine, but I can tell he's a good person.

"...Yes?" I ask him.

"Could you please tell me who you were talking to earlier?" He asks. "That girl with the orange hair and green eyes?"

"Her name's Lola." I tell him. "She's one of the BareBones Brigade commanders." He blinks.

"BareBones Brigade?" He asks.

"...What?" I ask him. "They're trying to stop the Cup! How do you not know them?"

"I was in that whale for a bit." He tells me. "I came here from an orphanage, and the whale swallowed me while I was swimming."

"Oh..." I tell him. "I...I'm sorry. I...didn't know."

"It's alright." He tells me.

"Well, the BareBones Brigade is lead by...well, I'm going to sound crazy, a talking skull called Don Boneyard who wants to stop the Cup and take over the islands."

"Hm." He says. "Well, thank you for that info." He lets go of my shoulder, and walks past me towards Ilium Village.

"Hey!" I call to him. He stops, and turns around to look at me. "What's your name?"

"Kaze Shiratori!" He calls. He continues walking.

"...Hm." I say. "...Nice kid." I say with a smile. I run to Ilium Village's Fighter Station, and straight to Kent's office. I give him the Super Electrominite, which makes him give me a death hug, then climb aboard the helicopter to Cranial Isle. I remove my snow gear on the flight over, and head straight to Joe's Office. Rupert and Pauleen catch up with me at the elevator, and we all ride up. We arrive and step off the elevator platform. Joe's standing there in front of his desk, his warm smile on his face. I look at his eyes, and for some reason, they look...off...somehow. I push it out of my mind.

"Yeeee-haw!" Joe exclaims doing a victory fist pump. "Y'all done recovered the Super Electrominites from them BB Brigade varmits! Thanks to y'all, we've got power back in the entire park. That's some fine work there, Red and Pauleen. You too Rupert." I smile at the praise, and Rupert steps forward.

"Pardon me Joe, but...I have a favor to ask of you." Rupert tells Joe. We look at him. "I...I would like to join the Caliosteo Patrol Team." We all let of out gasps of shock. "I want to protect the Caliosteo Cup, no matter what."

"You kiddin'?" Joe tells him with a wide smile. "I oughtta be on my hands n' knees beggin' ya to join!" I try to picture it in my head, and hide a chuckle at it. "Rupert, I hereby name ya as a full-fledged member of the Caliosteo Patrol Team."

"...Thank you." Rupert says with a faint smile.

"WHOOOOOO!" I exclaim giving him a tackle-hug. I hug him, lifting him off the ground and jump around in a circle, while Joe and Pauleen laugh, and Rupert looks at me with confusion. I put him down. "Dude, this is gonna be great! If only Todd was here..." I say raising up a fist, putting my arm around Rupert and look at one of the windows with a sad face.

"..." Rupert stands there a second, trying to figure out what just happened, then starts laughing.

"Ya gotta love random joy out bursts." Joe chuckles. We all calm down, me and Rupert get back in line with Pauleen to my right, and Rupert to my left, and get serious again. "Now, we only got two rounds left in this here Cup." Joe says with seriousness. "The BB Brigade's runnin' outta time, and there's nothin' more dangerous that a cornered rat! Y'all gotta be on yer guard, all right? Do whatever it takes to save the Cup for Fighters everywhere!"

"Yes sir!" We all say nodding. We then all ride down the elevator platform to the upper deck of the lobby, and step off.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Rupert?" Pauleen asks him. "Your father's going to be furious."

"Most likely." Rupert tells her. "But that's all right. I've decided it's time for me to show some backbone. I'm going to tell my Father what I think, and let the chips fall where they may."

"..." Pauleen stands there for a second. "...All right! If you can do it, then so can I!" She looks at me. "Remember my promise Red? Well, I'm going to be brave and take this mask off for good!"

"You can do it." I tell her with a nod. Rupert just looks at us, confused.

"I'll probably blush like crazy and stammer when I talk to people, but...I think I' okay with that now. For the rest of the Cup, people will see my face! Here we go!" She reaches up to her mask, and pulls at it. She pulls harder. "...Okay, that's weird. It's won't come off."

"...What?" I ask. She pulls at it again, grunting with effort. "Let me try." I tell her. She looks at me, lets her hands fall to her sides, and I grab the edge of the mask with my hands. I pull, and it won't come off. "...What?" I pull harder, only to make Pauleen slide towards me some. Rupert gets his arm around her neck and holds her back. I keep pulling, Rupert pulls her back, but it won't come off.

"It's not coming off!" Pauleen tells us.

"We know that!" Rupert tells her. I pull with all my might, and Rupert pulls with all his might, but my fingers slip out from under the mask, causing Pauleen and Rupert to slam against the wall, and me to slam against the railing.

"..." We all sit there for a second.

"Did that thing super glue itself to you?" I ask Pauleen.

"..." She sits there for a second. "OH MY GOODNESS THAT MASK WON'T COME OFF! What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?" She says with worry and distraught as she jumps up. "I'm cursed! I'm gonna have this mask on for the rest of my life! Nooooooooooooo!" She runs away, and me and Rupert jump up.

"I don't understand." Rupert tells me. "Is that some kind of special mask?"

"It's a magical mask. It allows her to talk to people without getting nervous and flustered, but also makes her overconfident and snobbish." I quickly explain.

"I see." Rupert says nodding.

"We need to go find her before something happens." I tell him. "If she can't take the mask off now, who knows what else it'll do."

"Let's go." Rupert says. We run down the stairs, and we see a man looking at the door.

"Pauleen, digadig!" He yells. "Wait, digadig! Pauleeeeeeen, digadig!"

_...He...sounds...familiar. _I think. He notices us, and turns to look at us. Panic fills me.

It's the Digadig Chieftain.

From Vivosaur Island.

_... _Complete, wild panic fills me. _OH MAN! He knows what I look like, he knows what I sound like, he knows how I act, he...! He...! HE'S GONNA RECOGINZE ME!_

"You are...friends of Pauleen, digadig?" He asks. We nod, and every instinct in me is yelling at me to run. "Ah, it seems you are, digadig. I...am the chieftain of the Digadig people from Vivosaur Island, digadig. I am also...Pauleen's grandfather, digadig. The...mask that Pauleen wears is enchanted with a spell of ill will, digadig. It gives the wearer...confidence and cheer, digadig. But there is...a price, digadig. Once it takes hold, it is...impossible to remove, digadig. The mask...becomes the master, digadig." Me and Rupert let out small gasps of shock and slight horror. "When I learned Pauleen...took the mask, I came right away, digadig. But, I came...too late, digadig." He takes a step towards us. "I cannot pursue her, digadig. I am too old, and my back is too sore, digadig. Please, you must help my dear Pauleen, digadig!" We nod, and look at each other.

"Time is short Red." Rupert tells me. "I'll search Mt. Krakanak if you take Rainbow Canyon. Agreed?"

"Yeah dawg." I tell him with seriousness. "Let's go." We run out of the Fighter Station, then split up, Rupert going to Mt. Krakanak as I head to Rainbow Canyon. She'll undoubtedly be hiding somewhere, so I immediately run across the rope bridge, into the BareBones Grotto where they had the kidnapped girls, and head down the tunnel where I fought Cole to see Pauleen standing there, scared and worried. "Pauleen!" She whirls around and sees me.

"No Red!" She tells me taking a step back. "Stay away from me! I...I have no control over my body! The mask makes me attack everyone I see! P-please... You have to...run..."

"No." I tell her with seriousness. "You're my friend, and you need my help. I'm not going to leave you to fight this battle alone." She tears out three Dino Medals from her satchel.

"I c-can't...stop...myself..." She tells me. I pull out my team.

"Bring it on." I say. I let out my team, and Pauleen lets out her team. She has a Berto, Krypto, and Berta. The Berta is built like a triceratops, is a pale ice blue with solid red eyes and dark teal horns, and light purple spots on its sides and light purple lines decorating its face.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Berta!" He attacks doing one hundred ninety-two damage, sending Berta into her medal.

"Berto, Thick Jaws on Air Strike!" Her voice is different from the mask. It has much more threat and power in it, making my scalp prickle. Her Berto attacks, doing twenty-one damage. "Krypto, Krypto Virus on S-Raptor!" He attacks, missing.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Berto!" He attacks, doing one hundred thirty-six damage. I rotate my team to where Air Strike and Cloud Cover are in the AZ. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Berto!" She attacks, doing twenty-six damage. I rotate my team back.

"Berto, Thick Jaws on Shanshan!" He attacks, doing twenty-two damage. I rotate my team to where Cloud Cover and Flamethrower are in the AZ.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Berto!" She attacks doing thirty-three damage, sending Berto into his medal. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Krypto!" He attacks doing twenty-two damage. I rotate my team back to their original positions.

"Krypto, Krypto Virus on S-Raptor!" He attacks infecting Flamethrower.

_Better hurry. _I think. "Flamethrower, use Enflame on Air Strike!" He does it, boosting Air Strike's attack. "Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Krypto!" He attacks doing fifty-seven damage.

"Krypto, Krypto Virus on Spinax!" He attacks, missing.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Krypto!" He attacks, doing fifty-five damage.

"Krypto, Krypto Combo on Spinax!" He attacks, doing twenty-one damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Krypto!" He attacks, doing forty-four damage, sending Krypto into his medal. There's a bright flash of light, and when it subsides, there stands Pauleen, her mask on the ground in front of her.

"...It's off, digadig!" She suddenly squeals with glee. "The mask is off, digadig!" She looks at it. "I diga-don't need you anymore mask, digadig! I'm going to fight on my own and talk on my own from now on, digadig!" She looks back at me. "Thank you, thank you, thank you Red, digadig! I'm so happy, digadig!" She tells me happily. She suddenly runs up to me and takes my hands. "Thank you..." I stand there, not sure of how to react, but I feel my face turn red from slight embarrassment.

"...Heh. That's amusing." I look to see Rupert standing there, watching us. "The mask is off, but the one who's red in the face is Red." He chuckles, and I quickly yank my hands away, and me and Pauleen take a step away from each other.

"Pauleen, digadig!" We all look to see the Chieftain hurrying towards us. "Are you...unharmed, digadig?" He walks up to Pauleen.

"Look Grandpa, digadig!" Pauleen tells him with excitement while pointing at the mask. "The mask came off, digadig! Diga diga digadig!" The Chieftain chuckles.

"This makes me...very happy, digadig!" He tells her.

"Hard to believe this little mask caused so much trouble." Rupert says as me and him look at the mask.

"Yeah dawg." I tell him nodding.

"This is a dangerous item." Rupert says. "It might be better for everyone if we destroyed it here and now."

"Cloud Cover, will you do the honors?" I ask her. She growls in response, and lifts up her foot to smash it.

"No, digadig!" Pauleen says, making Cloud Cover stop. "Diga-don't break the mask, digadig!" We all look at her. "This is all my fault digadig. I'm the one who took the mask without permission, digadig. And besides, it diga-did help me for a while, so it's not totally evil, digadig." She looks at the Chieftain. "Could you please take it back to the village grandpa, digadig?"

"If this is your wish, I will defer for you." Rupert tells Pauleen.

"Ditto." I say. She picks up the mask, and we all look at the Chieftain.

"You have changed Pauleen, digadig." Chieftain tells her. "You are...talking to others, diga-despite having no mask, digadig."

"I know, digadig!" Pauleen tells him happily. "It's awesome, digadig!" She looks at me and Rupert. "I owe it all to my friends, digadig." She looks back the Chieftain. "They taught me to trust my feelings, digadig. They showed me I could just be myself, digadig."

"It diga-does...my heart good to see you grow, digadig." He tells her. "You grow before my very eyes, digadig!" I hear a buzzing noise, take out my Fighter's License, and open it to see I've been promoted to Fighter Level 8.

_YEAH DAWG! _I think. I quickly put my license away.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

Me, Rupert and Pauleen all take out our Paleopagers. "This is an announcement concerning the Caliosteo Cup semifinals. Due to the adjustments to the facilities, the semifinals have been postponed to tomorrow." The staff member tells us before the screen goes blank.

"Perhaps that's not an altogether bad thing. We could use some rest after the events of today." Rupert says.

"Tomorrow, digadig..." Pauleen says.

An hour later...

"And that's all that happened." I tell Todd. I left out the part where Pauleen took my hands, after all, she's his crush, and you just don't do that to your best bro. He coughs weakly.

"Wow..." He says in a hoarse voice. I'm sitting on a hassock in Prof. Scatterly's living room, which is really nice actually. It has a nice wooden coffee table in front of the sofa, which Todd is lying on with his boots on the floor, two sitting chairs angled towards the sofa on the other side of the coffee table, then the back of the kitchen counter and cabinets dividing the living room and kitchen, a small, round white table with a white table cloth next to the back of the counters with two chairs, a window on the right wall, which looks out over Cranial Isle's square, pictures on the walls, and two doors on the wall opposite the kitchen. One leads to the professor's bed room, and the other goes into a small study, which both are connected to the bathroom.

I had gone back to the bungalow on this island, made some soup and brought it with me here. Todd was out cold when I got here, sawing logs as always...

I knocked on the door, and Professor Scatterly opened it, and smiled. "Ah! Hello Red."

"Hello Professor." I told him. "I brought you some soup." I held up the soup pot.

"Ah! Thank you old bean!" He told me accepting it. "Please, do come in. Your friend Todd is on the sofa. He's been asleep for quite some time now."

"Well, he does need the rest." I said.

"Yes, quite." Prof. Scatterly said bring me in the kitchen. It had white floors and brown cabinets and counters. He puts the soup pot on the stove, and puts it on a low temperature to keep it warm. "It's funny though, I was telling him about some Roman artifacts I have, and when I was showing him the first one, when I looked up at him, he was fast asleep. Quite strange that." I resisted the urge to laugh.

"Well, he really likes my cooking, so you should have no trouble getting him to eat it." I told him.

"...R...Red...?" I heard Todd ask. I looked into the living room to see him looking at me.

"Hey Todd." I said. I went over to him and sat down on a hassock next to the sofa. "How do you feel?"

"Hmmmm..." He moaned. "I wish I could some of your soup..." I chuckled.

"Don't worry. I brought a pot of soup over." I told him. "Just please leave some for the professor."

"No promises..." He told me. "So...what did Joe want?"

"Whelp, that's quite the story..."

And here we are now. Todd coughs some more. "I can't believe I had to miss all of that..."

"Don't worry Todd." I tell him. "I promise, when you get better, we're gonna spend the whole day together, and I'll make all of your favorite foods."

"Thanks..." He tells me with a weak smile. He coughs some more, and I hand him a cup of water, which he drinks. "Thanks..."

"You're welcome." I tell him. "I honestly still can't believe I got swallowed by a whale. What next? Shooting myself out of cannons?" Todd laughs some.

"You're crazy..." He tells me. I smile. He pulls the blanket up to his chin and closes his eyes as if to back to sleep. "I'm just glad they postponed the semifinals...I don't wanna miss it..." I smile.

"Red," I look up to see Prof. Scatterly standing in the doorway of his study. I look at Todd.

"Sleep well." I tell him quietly. I then quietly get up, and go over to Prof. Scatterly. "Yes sir?"

"Remember that student I told you about?" He asks.

"The six year old one?" I ask him. "How could I forget?"

"Well, I found a picture of her. It's the only one I have, but it was taken on a day when she did something no one expected. He holds a photo out to me, and I take it. It's in black and white, but that's okay. I look at it, and I can't help but smile a sad smile.

It's a picture of a little six-year-old girl with her hair in a French braid, wearing a shirt over another shirt, a cargo style skirt, and hiking boots. The over shirt has the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, a collar, and is open in the front to revel the shirt underneath. She's holding a text book, a regular reading book, and two note books against her with her left arm, hiding her lips behind them, while her face and eyes have the most innocent and adorable look I've ever seen. Her right hand is up in the air, holding hands with the woman next to her.

The woman is about nineteen with a cowgirl hat on her head, a short sleeved shirt, a sleeveless jacket zipped up half way, cargo pants with the ends tucked into her boots, her hair is in a braid with bangs that cover the top of her eyes. She's looking down at the six-year-old with a sad smile, while she carries her books under her right arm while her left hand holds the six-year-old's hand. I stand there looking at the picture, and I can't look away from the six-year-old's eyes. They're big, beautiful eyes, and the innocence they contain makes me want to hug her. I look up at the professor.

"This is her?" I ask. He nods. I look back at the picture. "She's so adorable... How could she not want people to tell her that?"

"I'm not quite sure of that." He tells me. I look up at him.

"What's the strange thing she did?" I ask.

"She had her hair in a braid, and wore a skirt." He tells me. "That was the only day she ever did that. She always wore cargo pants and had her hair in a ponytail. Never like in that picture. Though, she always was strange."

"Who's this though?" I ask pointing at the woman.

"That's her friend." He tells me. "Those two were inseparable. Never allowed anything to come between them."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

"..." I look at the woman in the picture. "She's beautiful."

"Quite, and the little girl was quite protective of her for that reason." I look up at him.

"Really?"

"Yes, quite. She got a lot of attention, and if a boy came to close, this is what the little girl told them, word for word: Flirt with her, and I will kill you in ways that would scare the devil himself."

"..." I get a disturbed, fearful look on my face. "That's not cute..."

"That is what she told them."

"...Wow..."

"The actual creepy thing about it, is that she would do it too."

"..." I blink. "I am officially afraid of her." Prof. Scatterly chuckles. I hand him the picture. "Uh, what's her name?"

"Her name?" He asks. "...Her name..." He thinks for a minute, then sighs. "My memory isn't what it used to be, but I can remember her first name."

"What was it?"

"Xavia."

"...Xavia?"

"Yes."

"...That's a nice name actually."

"Yes, quite."

"Well, it's getting late and I better get Todd back to the bungalow."

"He can stay with me for the night. He's no bother really."

"Are you sure?"

"Quite."

"...Well, alright. Thanks for looking after him."

"It's my pleasure." Prof. Scatterly tells me happily. I smile, then remember something.

"Oh, one thing." I go over to Todd, take off my back pack, and pull Stanly the Stego out of it. I put the plush Stego under the blanket with him, and he hugs it. I smile and pull my backpack back on. I tell Professor Scatterly good bye, then open the door and walk down the flight of stairs, then go out the door at the bottom into the Caliosteo Museum. I walk outside, and look at the sun set. I stretch and yawn, tired from the day's events. I get on the helicopter to Ribular Town, ride of there, and get some groceries to take to the bungalow. I take them there, put them away, have a big supper since I missed lunch, then lay out on my bottom bunk. I fold my arms behind my head, and cross my ankles, looking at the top bunk above me. I think of Rosie, and the ache in me grows. I go into a doze, where the world around me shifts and reality bends from my waking dreams. I dream of everything that's happened ever since I first ran away, of the good time and the bad, what'll happen after I win the Cup, when I grow up.

When I grow up.

I've never really thought about that. When I was little, I wanted to be a soccer player when I grew up, then I heard about Fossil Fighting. It was just a regular day at my house, and I was in the living room, lying on my stomach watching TV on a flat screen. We we're rich, but my dad has a very well paying job. A commercial came on while I was watching cartoons, and it was about Vivosaur Island. I thought it was cool. Later that week, I found out my cousins were going to live with us. I had gone into complete panic, not knowing what to do. I remembered that commercial, and that night after I went to bed, I decided I was going there. That one decision that completely changed my life. I guess now when I grow up I'll marry Rosie and settle down.

I drift into a deep slumber.

* * *

><p><em>"Awaken." I hear someone say. I open my eyes, and sit up to see I'm on top of a gray plateau with a sky black from storm clouds. I look around, and stand up. I'm completely alone.<em>

_ "Who said that?" I ask. No sound comes from my mouth though. _

_ "Wouldn't you like to know..." The voice says again. It sends a shiver down my spine. It's full of evil, power, and cruelty._

_ "How...?" I look around. "This dream makes no sense..."_

_ "Dream...?" The voice asks. "This is no dream..." A black blur suddenly separates itself from the sky, and hits my side, knocking me down as I let out a cry of pain and shock. I hold my side where it hit me, and look at where it landed. Sitting there is a small black dragon with demon red eyes. Its wings spread, and it takes off._

_ "...What are you?" I ask._

_ "Don't worry about that." The voice tells me._

_ "Then...where am I? What do you want with me?" I ask._

_ "You are...how shall I put it? Nowhere. You are in your bed, asleep, but your mind is elsewhere, mine rubbing against yours."_

_ "...What...?"_

_ "I wouldn't expect a simple minded child to understand. But, as for what I want, I've been watching you."_

_ "...Stalker..."_

_ "No, only observing. You are perfect. I have no need for your mind or personality, but you physically, perfect. Plenty of muscle, fast runner, tall, not as tall as I wish, but a good height for your build. Beautiful eyes, well built, and quite handsome actually._

_ "...I'm sorry, but WHAT THE WHAT?" The voice scoffs._

_ "I still wouldn't expect you to understand. But, unless you do it, I won't take it."_

_ "..." I push myself to my feet. "What are you talking about? Show yourself!" I hear a crash of thunder, and whirl around to see a man standing there. He's seven feet tall, has short black hair, a very dark royal purple robe with gold around the low cut v-neck collar, the ends of the sleeves, at the edge of the robe which brushes against the ground, a cloak as black as a starless night flowing from his shoulders, and a small, evil and smug smile on his face. I look at his eyes, and fear ebbs into me. They're hard, cold, cruel, ice blue snake eyes with reptilian pupils. I shiver as a freezing wind blows. "Who...?"_

_ "That is of no importance." He tells me. "But what is important, is that you're running out of time. Soon, and permitting, it will happen, and you will be unable to stop me. And when it does..." He grins evilly, showing teeth that are much longer and sharper than they should be. "I will be quite pleased..."_

_ "Look, I don't know who you are or what you're talking about, but stay away!" I tell him. "I'll find out what you're up to! I'll stop it!" He chuckles, amused._

_ "Oh, how amusing." He tells me. "I must admit, you are SO adorably amusing in your ignorance."_

_ "I-! I'm not adorably OR amusing!" I tell him angrily. He chuckles again._

_ "I'm afraid you are." He tells me. "Now, I suggest that when the time comes, you do not resist me. If you do, I will target your little friends." My face hardens, and I clench my fists. _

_ "You stay away from them." I growl. _

_ "You cannot command me." He tells me. "I do what I wish, when I wish, and how I wish..."_

'RED!' _I suddenly hear something yell. Bright, white light suddenly erupts from the sky._

* * *

><p>"GYAAAAA!" I yell shooting up. I scramble backwards some, only to run into a wall, then jump back and fall off something on to the floor. I quickly get on my hands and knees, and look around, panting. My skin is slick with sweat and nightmare fevered. I'm in the bungalow, and I just fell off my bunk.<p>

_'Red, are you okay?' _Cloud Cover asks me. Her voice is filled with worry, and I feel worry coming from all of my vivosaurs.

_'I...I think so...' _I tell her. I lean back against my bunk, and wipe the sweat from my brow.

_'Red, that wasn't an normal dream.' _Flamethrower tells me with seriousness. _'Someone actually went inside your head.'_

_ '...__**ZUH?**__' _I exclaim. _'IS THAT ALLOWED?'_

_ 'Apparently!' _Air Strike tells me. _'We were about to wake you up when we sensed them. They had some kind of blockage that stopped us, but we broke through it._

_ '...' _I sit there in the dark, panting. _'...That man... What was he there for? ...And did you guys try to wake me up when you didn't know about the intruder?'_

_ 'Look at the clock.' _Cloud Cover tells me. I look at the clock to see it's five past ten.

_ACK! I'm late! _I jump up, take off my suit and shirt, go into the bathroom and splash water on my face, then dry off my face, go back into the bedroom, pull on a long sleeved shirt and long legged suit, pull on my boots, pull on my backpack, and run out the door into the dark night. After a minute of walking, I come to the camp fire, and see Rupert sitting on one of the logs around it. "Hey." I tell him. I go over, and sit down on another log. He looks at me.

"Hello Red." He tells me. "Did Pauleen ask you here as well?"

"Yeah dawg." I tell him. I look up at the sky full of glittering stars. "I wonder why she asked us here though."

"Sorry I'm late, digadig!" We both look to see Pauleen running over to us in a red jacket with white polk a dots, green cargo pants, pale yellow skirt, and brown leather shoes.

"That's alright." Rupert tells her as she sits down on a log. "We only just arrived here ourselves. However, we're curious as to why you asked us here in the middle of the night." Pauleen sits there a second, then looks at the fire.

"...The semifinals are here, digadig." She tells us sadly. "And that means only two people can advance, digadig. So no matter what, one of us is going to be leaving the Cup, digadig. I've been thinking about that, and it makes me sad, digadig. So I thought maybe we should talk, digadig." She looks at us. "That's why I asked you guys to come here, digadig." Rupert looks at the fire, which makes his reflects off his silver hair, making it shine brilliantly.

"...I too have been feeling some sadness about the upcoming end of the Cup." He tells us sadly.

"This has just been so much fun, digadig." Pauleen tells us. "I wish it could go on forever, digadig! Wouldn't it be great if the three of us kept winning, digadig?"

"...I wish Todd was still in." I tell them, hugging my legs, sitting with my heels on the log and my chin resting on my knees. "Then the entire Patrol Team could keep winning..." I look back up at the sky. "I do want to win the Cup, but I'm torn between it. I wish it could just stay like this. Us foiling the BB Brigade, having adventures, finding fossils, and not aging..." I look back at the fire. "But if I win the Cup..." I remember that I can't tell them why. "...then maybe my parents could make time for me. They're always so busy..."

"I know what you mean." Rupert says.

"I knew you guys would agree, digadig." Pauleen tells us, her voice brightening.

"...There's something I've never told you Red," Rupert tells me. I look at him. "but this seems like a good time. It's something I've been thinking about for a long time. Something that drives me to compete. It's even enough to make me forget about the end of the Caliosteo Cup. I guess you could say it's a wish. A very special wish..." We all sit there for a second, before a smile spreads across Rupert's face. "My wish is to face you in the final!" I take in a breath of surprise, and blink with surprise. "You're the one who reminded me of the joys of Fossil Battles Red. And that's why I want to face you in my final battle."

"W-wait a second, digadig!" Pauleen says. "I'm the one who's going to battle Red in the final, digadig! It's because of him I finally took of my mask, digadig! So I want to face Red in the final with my true face, digadig!" They stare each other down, and I look back and forth between them, flattered that they both want to fight me. The both laugh.

"Heh heh. I guess it's silly to argue about it. We don't even know the semifinal match ups yet." Rupert says.

"Yeah, I guess I got a little carried away, digadig." Pauleen says in agreement. "But I feel a little better now, digadig. It's like all my bad feelings just...blew away, digadig."

"Yeah dawg!" I say in agreement. We all laugh.

"Very well. From the semifinals and onto the final, let's all do the best we can." Rupert says.

"We'll make the Cup final one to remember, digadig!" Pauleen says excitedly.

"The audience better prepare themselves..." I say. I then jump to my feet. "Because they're gonna see awesomeness like never before!"

"Yeah!" We all say high fiving. We hear an owl hoot.

"I guess he agrees with us." Rupert says. We laugh.

"Either that," I stretch and yawn. "or he's telling us to go to bed."

"Yeah, digadig." Pauleen says. "It's been a long diga-day, and we have a big diga-day tomorrow, digadig."

"True." Rupert says.

"Hey Red, digadig." Pauleen says. I look at her. "My grandpa said you remind him of that boy who saved the world, digadig."

"...Really?" I ask as panic fills me. She nods.

"Grandpa said he was really nice, digadig." She tells me. "A lot of people in the village respect him, digadig. He stopped some people from taking a treasure from the Digadigamid, and returned the treasure room key, digadig."

"Really?" I ask. She nods.

"He said he looked a lot like you, digadig." She tells me. "But he said you looked a lot more matured then he diga-did, digadig."

"Hm." I say. "Interesting." We all nod, tell each other good night, then head back to where ever we sleep. I go into the bungalow, shower, pull on a clean pair of boxers, brush my teeth, and go to bed, completely exhausted.

_I'm standing on an invisible surface, surrounded by complete darkness and fog. I look around, worried that it's the imposter again. I hear footsteps, and whirl around the see someone standing in the fog, wearing a pitch black cloak, with the hood pulled over their face._

_ "Who are you?" I ask alarm filling me._

_ "..." They lift their head to look at me. "You need to get out of here...You need to run. It is not safe here. If you value your life, you will leave this place, and never return." They step back into the fog, and disappear._

They were a different imposter.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Whoa. TWO super creepy dreams. Red, didn't anyone ever tell you to not eat weird foods before you go to bed?<strong>

**Red: No. I'm going to go eat some sauerkraut then go to bed.**

**Me: *FACEPALM* Leave a review!**


	48. BB Brigade Take Down

**AN-Last time on this fan fiction:**

**Red: *groans* PLEASE don't do that!**

**Me: Well, you went into the whale, fought his tonsil, got blown out the blowhole, retrieved the battery fossils, met a kid named Kaze, met a dude named Robinson, fought Pauleen's mask, Rupert joined the patrol team, you visited Todd and learned the collage student's name, Xavia, you, Pauleen, and Rupert all met around the campfire, and you had two super crazy dreams! *gasp, pant, pant***

**Red: -_- You could have at least done them in order!**

**Me: Oh go back to bed.**

**Red: I don't want to. I had a crazy dream.**

**Me: I TOLD YOU NOT TO EAT WEIRD FOOD BEFORE YOU GO TO BED!**

**Red: What? Sauerkraut is good. Especially on Rubens! **

**Me: *facepalm* Disclaimer: I do not own Fossil Fighters or Fossil Fighters Champions. Now, sorry about long AN, ONWARD TO THA AWESOMENESS!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Forty-Eight- BB Brigade Take Down<p>

I wake up from a dream of Rosie, to find sun light streaming through the window. I stretch, not wanting to get out of bed. I get dressed, have some breakfast, grab my backpack and head out the door. I get on the helicopter to Ilium Island, get on my snow gear on the flight over, and hop out when it arrives. I walk towards the Fighter Station when a familiar voice stops me.

"Well scale m'fins and fillet m'belly!" I look to see Robinson standing there. "It's the Fighter that knockout Lord Tonzilla!"

"Hello Mr. Robinson!" I tell him. "My name's Red by the way."

"Well, I was hopin' the waves would cross our paths again." He tells me. "Got somethin' to tell you, see? I've decided to go back to the Bonehemoth."

"What?" I exclaim.

"I s'pose I should be grateful for m'freedom, but I just can't used to life on land. Guess me and Balliver are just meant for darkness and fish guts" He tells me.

"But you can't go back in there!" I tell him with worry. "You just need to stay on land a bit longer! You'll get used to it!"

"Oh, don't go worrin' about me." He tells me. "I done figured out a way to go back whenever I want!"

"Oh. Well...I guess it's not that bad then..." I tell him.

"I tricked the Bonehemoth into swallowin' one'a them fancy Teleport Tunnels. Now folks can come'n go from the Bonehemoth as they please." He points at the lower right bridge. "Just head to the end of that path and you'll find it." He looks back at me. "Make sure y'come and visit, now! It wouldn't be the same without ya. Whelp, good day! And may the fish always be bitin'."

"Stay safe." I tell him. He nods, and walks towards the bridge to the Bonehemoth.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

I take out my Paleopager. "The Caliosteo Cup semifinals matches will now begin. Pauleen has been selected as Red's semifinal opponent. Please prepare, then check in at Ilium Village's Fossil Stadium." The staff member says. I put my pager away, then head into the Fighter Station and into the Commons Room. Linda R. Porter, wearing a baby blue parka, blue snow pants and black snow boots, is interviewing another Fighter, while her camera man, wearing a gray parka and blue snow pants, captures the film. I walk over to the door to the Battle Area, and there stands Pauleen in her snow gear, waiting.

"There you are Red, digadig." She says.

"Hi." I tell her.

"This is going to be my first battle in front of people without my mask, digadig." She tells me. "But that's okay, digadig. Your faith in me has made me brave, digadig." She stands up straighter and puts her fists on her hips. "It diga-doesn't matter how many people are watching, digadig. I'm not going to be intimidated!" I smile and nod.

"You can do it." I tell her.

"The first semifinal match is Pauleen vs. Red." The announcer says. "Combatants should enter the stadium immediately."

"Let's do this." I say. She nods, we turn to the door, it opens, and we walk out onto the Battle Area. The crowd cheers, I hear my fan girls squeal, and I notice boys watching Pauleen. We got on opposite sides, and call out our teams, Pauleen's being an Omias, Synthos, and Plesio. The Omias is built like a giant horse with a long neck and whip-like tail, is white with pale pink running down it's spine, and a pale yellow horn coming out of its forehead. The Synthos is much like a deer, except with much more powerful legs, a yellow horn coming off of its nose, and two smaller ones above its ears, it's brown with a tan underside, and three pale baby blue diamond's on its sides, and one on its forehead. Pauleen's team slips on the ice, putting Omias and Synthos in the AZ.

"Plesio, diga-Darting Blur on S-Raptor, digadig!" She attacks, doing one damage. "Synthos, Synthos Strike on Shanshan, digadig!" He attacks, doing fourteen damage. My team slips on the ice, putting Flamethrower in the AZ.

"Flamethrower, S-Combo on Synthos!" He attacks, doing one hundred forty-two, sending Synthos into his medal. I rotated my team to where Air Strike's in the AZ. Pauleen's team slips on the ice, putting Omias in the AZ.

"Omias, Omias Dos on Giga Spinax, digadig!" She attacks doing sixteen damage, and scaring him. "Plesio, Plesio Poison on Giga Spinax, digadig!" She attacks, doing two damage. My team slips on the ice, putting Cloud Cover in the AZ.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fury on Plesio!" She attacks, doing one hundred seventy-one damage, sending Plesio into her Medal. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Omias!" He attacks, doing thirty-three damage. Pauleen's team slips on the ice, putting Omias in the upper AZ.

"Omias, Omias Dos on Giga Spinax, digadig!" She attacks, doing fifty-eight damage. My team slips on the ice, putting Air Strike and Cloud Cover in the AZ.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Omias!" He attacks, doing ninety-six damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on Omias!" She attacks, doing thirty-six damage. Omias slips on the ice, putting her in the SZ.

"Omias, Omias Dos on Giga Spinax, digadig!" She attacks, doing fifty-five damage and scaring him. My team slips on the ice, putting Cloud Cover in the AZ.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fury on Omias!" She attacks, doing sixty-seven damage. Omias slips on the ice, putting her in the very back SZ.

"Omias, Omias Dos on S-Raptor, digadig!" She attacks, doing one hundred and one damage. My team slips on the ice, putting Air Strike and Flamethrower in the AZ.

"Flamethrower, S-Combo on Omias!" He attacks, doing twenty-five damage, and rotating Omias to the front AZ. "Cloud Cover, Shan Combo on Omias!" She attacks, doing nineteen damage. _OH, COME ON! BE DEFEATED ALREADY! _Omias slips on the ice, putting her in back SZ.

"Pass, digadig!" Pauleen says. My team slips on the ice, putting Cloud Cover in the AZ.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Omias!" He attacks, doing twenty-four damage, sending Omias into her Dino Medal.

"RED WINS!" The announcer says. My vivosaur roar with victory, and I nod with a smile on my face.

In the lobby...

"I lost the Fossil Battle, digadig." Pauleen says with a bit of sadness. "But I diga-didn't lose to myself!" She stands up a bit straighter, and puts her fists on her hips with a victorious smile on her face. "All those people were watching me, but I never nervous of flustered, digadig! Not once, digadig! And best of all, my face diga-didn't turn red, digadig! This is a pretty special diga-day for me...digadig."

"Yeah dawg." I say nodding. She suddenly takes my hands again.

"Thank you Red, digadig." She tells me, her voice soft. "Thank you for everything, digadig. I'm looking forward to seeing you fight in the final, digadig." I stand there a second, then look at our hands. The love triangle Rosie and Duna had on me back on Vivosaur Island jumps into my mind.

"Uh...Pauleen?" I ask looking at her.

"Yes, digadig?" She asks, a small smile on her face.

"I'm sorry, but..." I pull my hands out of hers, and take a step back. "I...don't like you that way." Her face gets sad.

"What, digadig?" She asks sadly.

"Look, I like you, you're a good person, but I don't like you how you like me." I tell her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "After all, why is it that you like me?"

"You helped me get my mask off, digadig." She tells me.

"Exactly. If it had been Todd or Rupert who helped you, would you like them or me?" I ask. She stands there a second, then looks away.

"Them, digadig." She tells me sadly.

"Exactly." I tell her. I smile sadly. "But don't worry, I know you're going to find a great guy one day, I just know it." I think of Todd. "Who knows? You might have already met him." She looks at me, and a small smile appears on her face.

"You're right, digadig." She says, her voice brightening. "He's somewhere, and I'll figure out who it is!, digadig! Thanks...for all the help, digadig."

"Anytime." I tell her happily.

"Hey, it's Pauleen!" We hear a boy say. We both look to see a boy with blonde hair, a brown toboggan and parka, blue snow pants, and black and white snow boots, who I recognize as Raymond from his matches. With him, is another boy with brown hair, a pale pink toboggan and parka, dark pink snow pants, and pink snow shoes, who I recognize as Davey from his matches. "You became my favorite Fighter the moment you took off that mask!" Raymond tells her happily.

"I LOVE YOU!" Davey exclaims happily. I smack my hand against my forehead, and shake my head. "Um...I mean...maybe we can be friends or something...?" He smiles awkwardly.

"Uh...um..." Pauleen says with a frantic look on her face. "I can't diga-deal with this right now, digadig!" She runs away.

"WAAAAAIT!" Raymond says. "Pauleeeeeeeen!"

"I'm sorry!" Davey yells as the run after her. "Am I moving too fast?"

_'YES, you're moving too fast!' _I think facepalming again. I suddenly hear the crowd going wild, and look at the door to the Commons Room. Rupert walks out in his snow gear, and sees me. He walks over to me.

"...I won." He tells me. "So I guess that means we'll be facing each other in the final."

"Yeah dawg!" I say excitedly. "You got your wish!" Rupert smiles.

"Good luck Red." He tells me. "I'm looking forward to it." I nod, he nods, then walks off as Kent walks up to me.

"Nice work little dude." He tells me happily. "That was some epic ownage you dealt out there. Anyway, here's a prize for winning your semifinal match." He hands me a rectangular box, one inch thick and six by six inches. I open it, to see a battle icon. They use these to the Fighter's on a big screen during a battle.

"Thanks Kent." I tell him as I put the box in my backpack.

"Just one more match to go!" Kent tells me happily. "I know you'll totally shred it dude. I have faith." I smile, and he walks back towards his office.

"Hey Red?" I turn around to see Todd standing there in his snow gear.

"Hey Todd!" I say hugging him. "You got over your sickness!"

"Hey, if I missed your semifinal battle, I'd never forgive myself!" He tells me. I step back. "So, I use WILLPOWER to beat that cold!" He makes that 'what now motion', and looks up. "Yeah, what now cold? Hah!"

"You cannot defeat the power that is best friendship!" I say shaking a fist at the ceiling.

"Uh...Red?" Todd asks. I look at him.

"Yeah dawg?" I ask. He scratches the back of his neck.

"Did...you... Did you mean what you said to Pauleen?" He asks. "About only liking her as a friend?"

"Yep." I say nodding.

"...You're not mad at me?"

"Course not. You're my bro Todd. That's what bros do, they forgive each other." Todd stands there a second, then hugs me.

"Oh thank goodness I was so worried." He tells me. I hug him back.

"Don't worry about it." I tell him. We stand there a second, then separate.

"But have you heard? You're a world-class Fighter now!" Todd tells me with excitement. "And I guess you'll be facing Rupert in the final, huh?"

"Yeah dawg." I tell him nodding.

"Well, don't worry!" He says doing a fist pump. "You're my best friend, and I'll cheer you on with everything I've got!"

"Thanks Todd!" I tell him.

"Okay, I'm gonna go dig up a ton of fossil rocks to make up for lost time. See ya!" He runs off, and I smile.

_Hopefully everything's back to normal..._

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

I take out my Paleopager. "A new dig site is now open: Dusty Dunes! Dusty Dunes is a desert dig site scorched by the glare of the tropical sun. You are urged to travel there and prepare for the final." The staff member says. I put my pager away, and head towards the door.

_Whelp, I guess the BB Brigade is gonna give up after our last battle. _I think as I fold my arms behind my head. _After all, what could they possibly do that could stop us?_

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in Don Boneyard's Quarters...<p>

Cole and Lester stood there, scared out of their wits as they looked up at Don Boneyard, his jaw clamped together from anger. Lola stood between them, and she takes a step forward.

"Sooooo, Operation Lights Out was kind of a bummer, huh?" She asks casually.

"..." Don Boneyard's jaw clamps harder. "**THAT'S YOUR EXPLINATION? IT WAS A 'BUMMER'?**" He roars at them with extreme anger, making the room shake."IDIOTS! Perhaps you're aware that the Caliosteo Cup final is about to take place! I wanted Fighters slinking away the islands in disgrace! Not sticking around and building excitement!" He looks away. "No bones about it... It seems I must take matters into my own hands. There is but one course of action left to me now, though I did not wish to take it... Well, no matter. My plan is all that can save us now." He turns his back to the commanders.

"Um...I'm not sure I like the thought of a plan that even Don Boneyard finds unappealing." Cole whispers.

"That's not cool, man." Lola says with agreement. "It sounds bad. Liiiiike, bad bad, you know?" Don Boneyard looks back at them.

"GET YOUR TIBIAS IN GEAR, FOOLS!" He roars, making them quickly look back at him. "And understand this: dissent or failure on your part will be dealt with MOST harshly." He tells them with coldness. The commanders all jerkily nod with fear in their eyes. "It's time to bury the Caliosteo Fossil Park once and for all!" He throws back his head and laughs an evil, maniacal cackle.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back with our hero...<p>

I hop out of the helicopter, my snow gear in my backpack to reveal my regular outfit. I swing my pick over my shoulder, and walk down the right stair way to dusty dunes. I arrive at the dig site, to see sand, cacti, desert plants, and a wall around the dig site make of red rock. It provides some shade from the desert sun, and I see a person lying on their side in the shade. I quickly run over to them, to see it's Professor Scatterly.

"Good heavens." He says. "It seems I've bungled things up well and good this time!" He sounds parched. "I meant to bring my water bottle, you see, but instead I grabbed a flyswatter! That will do me little good in this heat! Oh dear me, no..."

"..." I stand there, not surprised.

"My legs are weak... My eyes grow dim... My mustache writhers..." The professor says. "Yes, it seems like death stalks me once more old bean. I need...w-water...Urgh... T-tell science...I love her..." I resist the urge to facepalm, and instead crouch down next to him, pull my canteen out of my backpack, and prop him up. I pour the water into his mouth, which he gladly drinks.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh..." He sighs after the canteen runs out. I stand up, take a step back, and Professor Scatterly jumps up in the air, and lands on his feet. "I say, that hit the spot! Thank you from pulling me back from the jaws of oblivion, eh wot?" He recognizes me. "Red! Oh, it seems you have rescued me yet again, old chum!"

"No problem." I tell him.

"Well, you can trust that I'll not forget to bring my water bottle in such a place again!" He tells me happily.

"Why were you here though?" I ask him.

"Why, to track down a Calio Slablet!" He tells me. "My sonar detected one of the fair beasties nearby, so I grabbed my shovel and made to dig. But, the soil here quite loose here, so as quickly as I dig, it fills back up. I've buckled my garter trying to think of a solution, but alas...I have nothing." He notices my pick slung over my shoulder. "Say now! Do you think your pick could handle this soil?"

"Yes sir." I say nodding.

"Splendid!" He says cheerful. He points at the ground a couple feet away, in front of us. "According to my sonar, the Calio Slablet should be just in front of me. I say, do your thing!" I nod, get in the right spot, and throw down my pick. I reach into the hole made by my pick, and pull out the Calio Slablet.

"Here it is." I tell the professor handing it to him. He quickly takes it, and looks over it.

"Excelsior!" He exclaims excitedly. "It's Calio Slablet number 4! Now we'll learn what happened to Zongazonga and the bodies that he seized!"

"And what happened to the kingdom!" I add on with some excitement.

"Well then!" The professor says as I look at the Slablet. "Let us decipher..." It has an image of a person throwing a skull in a chest.

"**The people finally rose up as one against Zongazonga's reign of terror, the rebellion known as the Free Caliosteans, lead by a Majestic Vassal whose body Zongazonga could not take over. Though the struggle was long and difficult, they ultimately succeeded in defeating Zongazonga. To prevent him from ever stealing a body again, his skull was sealed away** **in a stone chest.**" Professor Scatterly turns of the Slablet, to show an image of a pyramid like structure, like what the Ancient Aztecs had. "**They then constructed the giant Stone Pyramid and locked the chest deep inside.**" Professor Scatterly looks at me. "Fascinating! So Zongazonga was overthrown by his own people, eh?"

"That's what happens to tyrants." I tell him.

"It does this old man good to see people taking it to despot!" He tells me happily.

"..." I blink. _What?_

"Hmmm... And then there's this bit about sealing his skull inside the 'Stone Pyramid'. ...Quite odd, that." Prof. Scatterly tells me. "I don't know what it is, but my scientific curiosity is quite piqued!"

_...Zuh?_

"Well then, now that I have all four Slablets, I suppose I should search out this Stone Pyramid place!" He tells me putting the Slablet in his coat.

"Uh...Professor?" I ask.

"Yes?"

"If you find it, go in, and find a stone chest, do the world a favor and don't open it." I tell him. He laughs.

"Don't worry. I won't." He tells me. "Tallyhoooooo!" He runs off, and I watch him.

_...It's a good thing his head is attached. Otherwise he'd forget it as well. _I chuckle at the thought, then start digging.

One hour later...

I drink some water from my canteen. I found an clean spring in a small cave, so I refilled it. The water is quite thirst quenching actually. I screw the cap back on, put it back in my backpack, then wipe the sweat from my brow. _Whelp, I guess I can cool off while I clean off the dozens of fossils I've gotten and not had the time to clean. _I think. I put my pick in my pack, then walk back towards Cranial City. I arrive, and start walking up the stairway when the ground suddenly starts to shake beneath my feet.

"EEEEK!" I hear a girl scream. "What's happening?"

"It's an e-e-earthquake!" A boy yells. I struggle to remain standing, and instead get down on the ground, curl up into a ball with my arms around my head until the shaking subsides after a minute. I quickly get up, and run to the middle of the square.

"Is everyone alright?" I yell.

"We're good!" Everyone says in unison, some peoples voices shaking. I hear helicopter blades, and whirl around to see the Mammoth Screen flying over. The screen turns on, and there stands Don Boneyard, his skeletal face sending a shiver down my spine. People crowd around, frightened whispers throughout them. Don Boneyard laughs his evil cackle.

"Behold mortals!" He booms. "I have returned! But not to worry. I only came to wish you all farewell."

_Oh. Whew. _I think, mentally sighing with relieve. _He's giving up. _Don Boneyard looks away some.

"For you see, your pathetic Caliosteo Fossil Park is about to sink beneath the waves!" He says.

_**WHAT? **__Wait... _I realize that he should've been looking at us when he said it, and that there was... a small hint of sadness in his voice. _Zuh?_

"All three islands will be swept away like grains of sand on the shore." He says. It was flat. No hint of threat.

_What the what...? Why...? _He looks back at us through the screen.

"So, unless you're an exceptional swimmer," His regular voice is back. "I would suggest fleeing for your life right...about...NOW! Oh, this just tickles my funny bone!" He laughs. He laughs his evil cackle, and the screen goes blank, and the Mammoth Screen flies away.

"SINK THE ISLANDS?" Someone yells, complete panic in their voice.

"NO! This is terrible!" Another person yells.

"WE'RE ALL DOOMED!" A person shrieks. "DOOOOOOOOMED!" Everyone breaks out into complete panic, running every which-way, and I manage to get through the panicking people to the doors of the Fighter Station.

_'Can he sink the islands?' _Air Strike asks with panic.

_'Well, If the structures of the islands were to be destroyed,' _Flamethrower says. _'then there would be nothing to hold the islands up, and they would fall in on themselves, so...YES IT'S POSSIBLE TO SINK THEM!'_

_ 'OH DINO, WE'RE SO SCREWED!' _I tell them as I get onto the elevator platform.

_'Tell us something we don't know!' _Cloud Cover tells me.

_'Wait, in my dream, do you think the imposter was Don Boneyard?' _I ask.

_'It could be possible.' _Flamethrower says. _'But which imposter?'_

_ 'The first.'_

_ 'Possibly. But the only thing is, why would he tell you that he was going to do something, and attack your friends if you did something?'_

_ 'I-! I don't know! But know there is a question of time!'_

_ 'What's that?' _Air Strike asks.

_'HOW MUCH LONGER ARE THE ISLANDS GOING TO HOLD?' _I tell him.

_'Well, that earthquake was pretty bad, so I'm guessing not long.' _Cloud Cover says.

_'YOU'RE NOT HELPING!' _Me, Air Strike and Flamethrower tell her at the same time. I come up in Joe's Office, and see him, Todd, Rupert and Pauleen already there.

"You're here!" I exclaim, surprised they all beat me.

"Of course I'm here!" Todd tells me. "I came as soon as that stupid skeleton finished talking!"

"I figured this was a job for the Caliosteo Patrol Team, so I came right away." Rupert tells me.

"Digadig!" Pauleen says, nodding in agreement. I get in line with Todd to my left, Rupert to my right, and Pauleen to my far left.

"I'm glad ya'll feel that way," Joe tells us, his voice dead serious. "'cause we're a whole heap'a trouble right about now."

"Is diga-Don Boneyard telling the truth, digadig?" Pauleen asks, slight worry in her voice. "Can he really sink the islands, digadig?" Joe sighs.

"Ya got me there little lady." He tells her. "I'm afraid I don't know much 'bout that kind of thing. I asked one'a the local eggheads to ride by and help us out. Figured he would'a been here by now..." He looks past us as the elevator dings, and me, Todd, Rupert and Pauleen all turn around to see Professor Scatterly.

"Ho! Pardon me for being so late!" He says apologetically. "I had the most fascinating brunch, you see and so..." He notices me. "Good heavens, Red! I seem to run into you wherever I go, eh wot?"

"Sorry to rush ya doc," Joe says. "But we need ya to tell us what's goin' on these here islands."

"Hmm? Oh, yes of course quite." He says. Rupert and Pauleen get on either side of Joe, me and Todd move where they were standing, and the professor takes a step forward. "Well then...I would deduce that the recent quake is a result of the Spinal Pillar being weakened." We all get confused looks on our faces.

"The Spinal WHAT?" Todd asks with bewilderment.

"The Spinal Pillar, you see, is a massive structure that supports the Caliosteo Islands." Prof. Scatterly explains. "Theoretically, if someone were to chip away at this pillar, it would eventually snap in two. And this, of course, would send the islands plunging into the sea." We all get looks of shock except for Prof. Scatterly. "...All quite terrible, yes?"

"That's low even for the BB Brigade!" Todd says.

"They REALLY pushed themselves over the edge this time..." I say.

"We need to stop them from eroding the Spinal Pillar any further." Rupert says.

"Yes, well, you see, I fear stopping further erosion will not be sufficient." The professor tells him. "There's already been too much damage to the Spinal Pillar, wot wot? We have to find a way to reinforce it and repair the damage."

"And just how we gonna do THAT?" Joe asks.

"With calcium, my good man!" Prof. Scatterly tells him happily.

_'Oh, I love calcium!' _Flamethrower says. _'It makes my bones strong!' _I hide a chuckle.

"The Spinal Pillar is composed of an extremely hard type of calcium, you see?" Professor Scatterly says. "If we were to inject a similar substance into the pillar, it should be enough to save the islands! However, there's only one thing that contains the type of calcium we need..." We all stand there for a second. "The prehistoric fish, Sardinisaurus! Yes, quite."

"Sar-dina-saura-wha?" I ask.

"No, Sardinisaurus." Professor Scatterly tells me. "But, we have to find it's fossil rock, and right quickly at that!"

"He's right." Rupert says. "We have no idea when-" The floor suddenly starts shaking from another quake, much worse this time. I jump to the ground, and curl up in a ball while my arms around my head while Joe practically falls backwards onto his desk, Pauleen falls right into Todd, Rupert throws his arms around, trying to keep his balance only to fall over, and the professor just sits down.

It subsides after a minute, and we all get back on our feet, Todd's and Pauleen's faces red, Joe straightening his hat, me brushing some dirt off, Rupert fixing part of his hair that got out of place, and the professor straightening his bow tie.

"I reckon we can find Sardinisaurus fossil rocks deep inside the Petrified Woods." Joe says, a bit off balance from the force of the quake. "It's a dig site over on Ribular Island. We'd closed it for maintenance, but I'll open 'er up right now. Lemme see yer sonar there, Red." I pull my sonar out, walk over to Joe, and hand it to him. His finger barely touches mine, and I can feel a freezing cold hand under his glove. It make me flinch some, but I ignore it. He does behind his desk, sets it down on the top of it, takes a screw driver out of a desk drawer, and opens the back of my sonar. He takes out a micro chip from the drawer, inserts into my sonar, then closes the back. "Right. This should pick up Sardinisaurus fossil rocks now." He hands it back to me, and I again feel his freezing cold hand from under his glove.

_'Why is it that cold?' _I wonder.

_'Bad blood circulation?' _Air Strike suggests.

_'I don't think so.' _Flamethrower says. _'After all, his hand wouldn't be THAT cold, this office is the perfect temperature and he's wearing gloves...'_

_ 'We can worry about it later.' _I tell them.

"There's no time to waste!" Joe tells me. "Get over to the Petrified Woods and find one'a them fossil rocks!"

"Yes sir!" I say nodding.

"Rupert? Pauleen? Todd?" Joe asks looking at them. "I got another job fer y'all. Folks here are in a right panic out there, and I'd like y'all to help calm 'em down. The last thing we need's a buncha scared folks stampedin' 'round!"

"Yes sir!" They all say in unison, nodding.

"Come on you two." Rupert tells Todd and Pauleen. "Let's go."

"Digadig!" Pauleen says.

"You got it!" Todd says.

"Patrol Team, move out!" I say doing my hand in the 'follow me' waving motion. We, along with Prof. Scatterly, ride down the elevator platform, and we run down the stairs while the professor walks.

"I'll take Ilium Island." Rupert tells us as we run out into the square.

"I'll stay here in Cranial Isle, digadig." Pauleen tells us as we run up to the heliport.

"I'll go with Red to Ribular." Todd tells them. "Good luck guys!" They nod as me and Todd jump aboard the helicopter to Ribular. It flies to Ribular, we hop out, and Todd runs off to calm the people down while I head over to the left path way. There's a staff member standing there. I notice something out of the corner of my eye, and look to see Kaze up in a tree, goggles pulled over his eye. By the rise and fall of his chest, I can tell that he's fast asleep.

"I just got the word from Joe." The staff member tells me. "You're free to enter."

"Thank you ma'am." I tell her with a quick nod. I run down the path, pass by a shield generator, and come to the Petrified Woods, which has bare ground, and is made of petrified trees that have fallen over, creating zigzagging path way over a lake, while I see a swamp way out in the distance. At the back of the dig site is a giant tree trunk that you can go it to for additional digging.

I take out my sonar, and run around on the fallen trees, looking for the red dot to appear. I go into the giant tree trunk, and it still doesn't appear. _Oh dino, this isn't good! _I think. _Come on...Where is it? I need to find or- _I suddenly notice a thick cluster of vines hanging down from the ceiling. I look at the top, to see the ceiling is missing, allowing the vines and light to come in. I grab the vines, and begin to climb up them. I get to the top, pull myself onto the top of the tree trunk, and scan the area with my sonar.

The red dot appears.

_YES! _I think as I run over to the spot where it appeared. I throw down my pick, reach down into the hole, and pull out a fish shaped fossil rock. I hear a buzzing noise, pull out my Fighters License, and open it to see I've been promoted to Fighter Level 9. _Yeah dawg! _I quickly put it and the fossil away, grab a vine and slid down into the tree trunk, then run out, along the fallen trees, to Ribular Town, and jump onto the helicopter. It flies me to Cranial Isle, and I hop out as soon as it touches the ground. I charge into the Fighter Station, up the stairs, ride up the elevator platform, and step off in Joe's Office to see him, Todd, Rupert, and Pauleen standing there.

"Well, look who's back!" Joe says. I take out the Sardinisaurus fossil rock. "And with some treasure to boot!" I hand it to him. Joe looks at it. "Well there little pard, I reckon it's time to squeeze the calcium outta ya. Let's get a move on, shall we?" He goes behind his desk to reveal some kind of contraption, and puts the fossil rock into a slot, then flips a switch. There's a humming noise, and white stuff appears in three small tubes that must be injectors. The humming stops, and Joe takes out three black, velvet lined containers, puts one injector into each, then hands the cases to me. "All right now, these here are the Calcium Injectors." Joe tells me. I nod. "Now," He tells all of us. "accordin' to the professor, we gotta drive those into the Spinal Pillar at the seafloor."

"How diga-do we get there, digadig?" Pauleen asks.

"I got Stella standin' by with a submarine." Joe tells her.

"A submarine?" Todd exclaims. "Cool!"

"Y'all get down there and-" The phone on Joe's desk suddenly rings, cutting him off. He picks it up. "...Oh. Howdy Stella. What's wrong?"

_I can't believe we get to go in a submarine! _I think excitedly.

"WHAT?" Joe exclaims. Alarm covers our faces. "Dagnabit! Them dang BB Brigade boys are one step ahead'a us!"

"What's the matter?" Rupert asks, alarmed. Joe hangs up the phone.

"The BB Brigade wrecked the sub's engine." Joe tells us. "They put sand in the gas tank and gravel in the transmitter."

"What do we do?" Todd asks.

"..." We all think, and an idea pops into my head.

"Joe!" He looks at me. "We could use the Bonehemoth to get down to the seafloor!"

"Hey, that's a great idea, digadig!" Pauleen says with agreement.

"I've wanted to see the whale!" Todd says.

"Of course! The Bonehemoth would be able to us to the seafloor with ease." Rupert says.

"We'll have to ask...uh...that guy who lives in it for help though." Todd points out. Joe looks at all of us.

"Well shucks!" He tells us. "I can't believe how quick y'all are on yer feet. Can't say I understand the plan fully, but if y'all think it'll work, then I'm for it. Just get down to the seafloor and inject this calcium into the Spinal Pillar!"

"Yes sir!" We all say in unison, nodding. I put the Calcium Injectors into my back pack.

"Good luck pards." Joe tells us. "I don't need to tell ya what'll happen if ya fail."

"And we won't!" I tell him with determination. "Patrol Team, move out!" We ride down the elevator platform, run down the stairs, out of the Fighter Station, jump aboard the helicopter, and ride to Ilium Island. We jump out of the helicopter into the freezing cold since we didn't put our snow gear on, and run down the lower right bridge, and through an arch way, where we come into the Bonehemoth near where we first woke up in it. We see Robinson, and we all walk over to him.

"Well shake m'fins and call me Flappy!" He exclaims happily. "What brings you landlubbers back here so soon?"

"We need to get down to the seafloor so that we can inject some calcium into the Spinal Pillar to keep the islands from sinking into the ocean." I quickly explain.

"The Spinal Pillar?" Robinson asks.

"Yes." Rupert tells him. "We need the Bonehemoth to take us there right away. Is that possible?"

"Can't say as I've ever done it before." Robinson tells us. "But I s'pose it can't hurt to try." He walks over to a wall. "Now, if we tickle this here spot, the whale dives deeper." He holds the end of his fishing pole, and brushes the tip against the wall. "Lemme give it a try..." The ground shakes some, and I can barely feel the pressure increase as the whale dives deeper. Robinson looks at us. "That Spinal Pillar is a ways down, so we gotta dive this beastie a bit deeper than usual." He looks at Todd. "You there! Greenie!"

"Me?" Todd asks pointing at himself.

"Yep, you son! Get over here and help me tickle this here whale." Robinson tells him. Todd jumps with glee.

"Sweet! I'm good at tickling!" He says. He runs over, and starts tickling the whale.

"Ain't that the truth?" I ask. Rupert and Pauleen look at me.

"How do you know he's a good tickler?" Rupert asks.

"Okay, while we were waiting for us to get to come here, we were bored one day and we got into a random tickle fight."

"..." They both stand there, looking at me.

"What?" I ask. "We're bros, you have to expect us to random, silly stuff."

"Listen up." Robinson says. We look at him. "Beneath each one'a these islands is a cave that'll take you to the Spinal Pillar. Seein' as how we got three islands here, where do you wanna go?"

"Hmm...I suppose it makes sense to split up." Rupert says. "Todd needs to stay here and help Robinson with the Bonehemoth, so... I'll take Cranial Isle, Pauleen can go to Ilium Island, and Red will go to Ribular Island." Me and Pauleen nod, and I give both of them a Calcium Injector.

A few minutes later...

"Righto!" Robinson says. "We're resting right outside Ilium Island's seabed cavern."

"I guess this is my stop, digadig." Pauleen says. "But...um...how diga-do I get out? I diga-don't want to fight Lord Tonzilla if I diga-don't have to."

"Not to worry little miss." Robinson tells her. "You don't have to fight Lord Tonzilla no more. Turns out that the Bonehemoth opens his mouth whenever you give Lord Tonzilla a little tickle!"

"..." We all stand there for a second.

"...Whelp? Whatcha waitin' for?" Robinson asks. "Get goin'!"

"Wish me luck, digadig!" Pauleen tells us. She runs up the digestive tract.

Thirty minutes later...

I'm sitting on a rock, watching the ground between my feet, and thinking of Rosie when Robinson interrupts my train of thought. We've already dropped off Rupert, and I'm wondering if the BB Brigade is waiting for us.

"This here's the seabed cavern 'neath Ribular Island." Robinson tells me. "Once you're out, just walk forward until you run into the Spinal Pillar."

"Rupert and Pauleen should be close by now." Todd tells me. "I'll stay here and tickle the Bonehemoth so he stays calm. Good luck!"

"Thanks." I tell him nodding. I sprint up the digestive track, and come to the mouth. I tickle Lord Tonzilla some, and the Bonehemoth opens his mouth to a tunnel light up by glowing crystals, and made of a dark sea green rock. I jump out of the Bonehemoth's mouth, and start sprinting down the tunnel. I stop to drink some water, then continue running. After a bit, I come to an extremely large cavern with stalagmites thicker than a brachiosaur hanging from the ceiling, which looks to be a hundred feet up. I see the Spinal Pillar, which looks like an actually spine, and three BB Brigade members at its base. Two of the goons are chipping away at it with their picks, while the third one, Cole, watches. I silently start walking over.

"Come on you lazy dogs!" Cole tells them. "Dig! Dig as if your life depends on it!"

"You got it boss!" One of the goons says hitting the Spinal Pillar harder. They continue hitting it, as Cole laughs evilly.

"Soon the Spinal Pillar will snap, and the Caliosteo Islands will be gone!" He says. "Good thing I stocked up on skinny jeans before all the stores were flooded..."

"I hope you saved the recite." I say. Cole instantly whirls around, shock on his face. He sees me standing there, holding my Dino Medals between my fingers, and he gets a flat look of irritation on his face.

"...Seriously?" He asks. I say nothing, and just stand there with a hard face. Cole looks away. "You know, I have to admit: I'm almost impressed with you. Every other fool on this island is running in terror from us, and yet here you are."

"If I didn't stop you, who would?" I ask. Cole remains silent for a second.

"Not back my man." He tells me. "Not bad at all." He looks at me, his face hard with anger. "But no matter how much I dig your style, I can't let you interfere when we're so close to victory. Prepare to lose!" He tells me pulling out some Dino Medals.

"Sorry, I only came prepared to win." I tell him tossing my Dino Medals in the air. Cole has two B-Rex's and a B-Plesio.

"B-Plesio, B-Plesio Poison on Giga Spinax!" She attacks, doing ten damage, and poisoning Air Strike.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on B-Rex!" He attacks, doing eighty-six damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on B-Rex!" He attacks, doing twenty-one damage. The poison kicks in, doing sixty-one damage to Air Strike.

"Boney Wave!" Cole says.

_'That's a Team Skill move!' _I realize. B-Plesio carries out the attack, doing eighteen damage to Air Strike, twenty-three damage to Flamethrower, and twenty-four damage to Cloud Cover. "Air Strike, Spinax Mega on B-Rex!" He attacks, doing eighty-three damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on B-Rex!" He attacks, doing twenty-two damage, sending B-Rex into his medal.

"B-Rex, Bare Tactics on Giga Spinax!" He attacks, doing two hundred ten damage. "B-Plesio, Boney Blur on Giga Spinax!" She attacks, doing one damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on B-Rex!" He attacks, doing one hundred twenty eight damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on B-Rex!" He attacks, doing thirty-four damage.

"B-Rex, Bare Tactics on Giga Spinax!" He attacks, doing two hundred damage. Air Strike falls to the ground.

_'AIR STRIKE!' _I yell to him.

_'I'm...FINE.' _He tells me. He tries to push himself to his feet, only to fall back down. I hear Cole laughing evilly.

_'It's okay.' _I tell him. _'You need to rest. We can take care of these guys.'_

_ '...' _He sighs. _'Rest...' _He goes into his medal, and I quickly grab it.

"You'll pay for that!" I yell at Cole.

"I think not!" Cole calls. "B-Plesio, B-Plesio Poison on S-Raptor!" She attacks, doing twenty damage. I rotate my team to where Flamethrower's in the AZ.

"Flamethrower, S-Fury on B-Rex!" He attacks, doing one hundred fifteen damage, sending B-Rex into his Dino Medal. I rotate my team to where Cloud Cover's in th AZ. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fury on B-Plesio!" She attacks, doing eighty-seven damage. Cole rotates B-Plesio to where she's in the front AZ.

"B-Plesio, Boney Blur on S-Raptor!" She attacks, doing seven damage.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Fury on B-Plesio!" She attacks, doing two hundred thirty-one damage, sending B-Plesio into her medal. Cloud Cover and Flamethrower release bellowing roars of victory, while Cole stands there, shocked. My vivosaurs go into their medals, I catch them, and Cole takes a step back.

"...Such style! Such grace!" He tells me, awestruck. "I...I was actually distracted by our battle skills. I'm not used to being beaten in battle...Or in beauty."

_'Hmph.' _Cloud Cover says. Cole looks away.

"...I've lost my style." He says sadly. "And without that, I'm nothing." He suddenly runs past me, tears pouring from his eyes. I watch him run, then look at the two BB Brigade goons. I hold up a Dino Medal, and they get scared.

"Um...I think...I left the iron on!" One of them says, fear in their voice. "Y-yeah! That's it!" They both run away, and I pull out the Calcium Injector case. I go up to the Spinal Pillar, stick the end of the injector into a small hole, and inject the white calcium. I pull out the injector, and the Spinal Pillar quickly grows back to how it once was. I smile.

"Yeah dawg." I say. I put the empty injector into the case, put it in my pack, pull it on, and stand up. I start walking back towards the exit, and I fold my arms behind my head. "Another day saved."

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

I take out my Paleopager. "Joe here." He says, his picture on the screen. "That's some nice work y'all. Seems the tremors have stopped on all three islands. Get yerselves back to my office as soon as ya can, all right? Over and out." I put my pager way.

_...Over and out? What is this? The military?_

Thirty minutes later...

"Y'all have saved the Caliosteo Fossil Park from'a watery grave..." Joe tells in his office. "But that ain't the best news of the day! When them BB varmints fled, they led us right to their base!" Joe slowly turns, and looks out one of the large windows on the right side of the room. "I'd love to chase 'em down and settle this once and for all, but we still got guests runnin' all over the park. I can't afford to send m'self or the staff out until things calm down 'round here."

"..." We all stand there, and I look at Rupert. He looks at me, and nods. I look at Pauleen and Todd. Pauleen nods, and Todd jerkily nods some. We all look back at Joe, and I step forward.

"Then send us." I tell him. He quickly looks at me, surprise on his face.

"Come again pard?" He asks me. "YOU wanna go to the BB Brigade Base?"

"Yes sir." I tell him nodding.

"Ya got guts to spare pard, but I'm afraid I gotta say no." He tells me. "This here's my fight, ya see? And it's far too dangerous, even for the Patrol Team."

"Joe," I tell him. "we need to go. This has become our fight as well as yours, and the BB Brigade is disorganize and confused. We need to strike while they're weak, otherwise they may strike another attack. We've done thing much more dangerous than this. We've go into a WHALE for crying out loud. This is nothing compared to that. We've beaten them before, and we can do it again." _...And besides, if it's your fight, then why have you just been staying up in your office this entire time rather than going out and fighting with us? _I wonder.

"I agree with Red." Rupert tells Joe. "We need to strike now."

"They're right, digadig!" Pauleen says. "Let's go take out diga-Don Boneyard once and for all, digadig!"

"..." Joe stands there for a second. "Can't say as I'm comfortable with the idea, but I suppose yer right." He tells us. "I'm issuin' one last order to my Caliosteo Patrol Team." He tells us, his voice serious. "Saddle up and ride to the BB Brigade Base, and take out that dastardly Don Boneyard!"

"Yes sir!" We all say nodding.

"The base is on a tiny piece of land called Bonechip Island." Joe tells us. "I'll talk to the helicopter pilot so y'all can fly there from the Cranial Isle heliport. Soon as things tucker down here, I'll make my way over and help y'all out. Just promise to be careful, ya hear? Them BB varmints won't go down without a fight. Good luck, Patrol Team!"

"Yeah!" Me, Rupert and Pauleen all say jumping in the air and doing a fist pump.

"Uh...yeah!" Todd says doing it as well.

"Patrol Team, move out!" I say waving my hand. We ride down the elevator, run down the stairs, out of the Fighter Station, and to the heliport where a helicopter is waiting. The door opens, and without stopping, we jump in and sit down. The door shuts, and the helicopter lifts into the air. I'm sitting on the four person bench with Todd, while Rupert buckles himself in on a single person seat, and Pauleen in the other single person seat. Those seats face the four person bench, and between the single seats is the cockpit of the helicopter.

A few minutes later...

I'm standing in the door way of the helicopter, holding onto a handle on the ceiling, goggles pulled over my eyes, the wind tearing at my bangs and tugging at my hair while my free hand is in a hard fist, and my hard face is looking down at Bonechip Island, which has part of the BB Brigade Base sticking out of the ground.

_'Do you know how military you must look right now?' _Air Strike asks.

_'Way to ruin the moment of seriousness.' _Cloud Cover tells him. The helicopter flies down towards the beach, causing sand to blow away, and gentle lands. I hop down onto the beach, followed by Todd, Rupert and Pauleen.

"So this is the BareBones Brigade's secret lair, eh?" Rupert asks as we all look up at the structure made of a blue-gray metal that's built into the ground, and with a large white skull on a black back ground above the entrance.

"Nice skull, digadig." Pauleen says. "Maybe something a bit less obvious next time." The door suddenly opens, and two BB Brigade goons come out. One of them gasps with shock.

"Aw man!" He says. "It's a raid! Them Fighter's is here!"

"E-emergency!" The other one says, his voice full of fear. "Call the guard! Call the commanders! Call Don Boneyard!" They run back in, the door closing behind them.

"Let's try to finish off these fools before Joe and his crew arrive." Rupert says.

"Agreed." I say nodding. "Patrol Team, MOVE OUT!" We all start running towards the door, when I notice Todd stopped. I stop and turn around to look at him, Rupert and Pauleen not noticing and run into the base, while Todd's on his knees clutching his stomach.

"Ohhhhh...my stomach!" He moans. "Why did I go to that all-you-can-eat-chili-dog buffet? Oooooooh..."

"Todd?" I ask with slight worry.

"G-go on without me." He tells me. "I just...need to rest for a minute."

"Alright." I tell him nodding. I turn back to the BB Brigade Base, and run in. The walls are made of an ice gray metal, the floor is made of purplish, ice gray, and dark gray metals, and there's a short hall way that goes into a large room, which has an upper deck with some doorways and an arch way, then there's a door in front of the hallway I'm in. In front of that door, Pauleen's Fossil Battling a goon, and winning. I run into the large room, and look to my right to see a set of stairs and Rupert, who's also Fossil Battling a goon and winning. I run up the stairs onto a landing, then up another set of stairs towards the upper deck. I feel something sinister in the air, and feel my pouch with my Dino Medals. I come to the top, and there stands Lola, chewing a piece of gum and right hand on her hip.

"Oh, woooow." She tells me in her flat, casual voice. "You're back. You're not, like, following me or something, are you?"

"You wish." I tell her, my face hard.

"I guess you're just persistent." She says. "I have an aunt like that. She's wiiiiild, man"

"Look, you can either get out of my way, or I can MAKE you get out of my way." I tell her pulling out my Dino Medals.

"Well, you do know that we're, like, even from that whole Bonehemoth thing, riiiight?" She asks. "Soooo, that means I'm tooootally gonna thump you good, you dig?"

"No, I'm going to win and beat your boss." I tell her. We throw out our teams, and she has a B-Brachio, a B-Jara, and a B-Rex.

"B-Jara, Boney Screech on, like, Giga Spinax." He attacks, doing one damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on B-Brachio!" He attacks, doing ninety-five damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on B-Brachio!" He attacks, doing twenty-six damage.

"B-Brachio, Boney Stooooomp on Giga Spinax." He attacks, doing two damage and rotating my team to where Air Strike and Cloud Cover are both in the AZ. "B-Jara, Booooney Screech on Shanshan." He attacks, doing twenty-two damage and making Cloud Cover fall asleep.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on B-Brachio!" He attacks, doing seventy-five damage. Cloud Cover suddenly wakes up, and gets ready to fight.

"Booooney Horror." Lola says.

_'Team skill! Get ready!' _I tell my team. B-Jara carries out the attack, doing twenty-five damage to Air Strike and scaring him, forty-five damage to Cloud Cover, and thirty-nine damage to Flamethrower. I rotate my team to Where Air Strike and Flamethrower are in the AZ. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on B-Brachio!" He attacks, doing forty-one damage. "Air Strike, Spinax Mega on B-Rex!" He attacks, doing sixty-nine damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fang on B-Brachio!" she attacks, doing twenty-three damage, sending B-Brachio into his medal. Lola rotates her team to where B-Rex is in the front AZ.

"B-Rex, Skeletal Assault on, like, Giga Spinax." He attacks, doing ninety-eight damage. She rotates her team to where B-Jara is in the back SZ. "B-Jara, Boney Screech on, like, Shanshan." He attacks, doing thirty-five damage, and making her fall asleep.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on B-Rex!" He attacks doing seventy damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on B-Rex!" He attacks doing thirty-seven damage. "Lola rotates her team to where B-Rex is in the front AZ.

"B-Rex, like, Boney Roar." He attacks, doing eight damage to Flamethrower, seven damage to Air Strike, and twelve damage to Cloud Cover. Lola rotates her team to where B-Jara is in the back SZ. "B-Jara, Booooney Screech on Shanshan." He attacks, doing thirty-three damage, and making her fall asleep.

"Flamethrower, S-Fang on B-Rex!" He attacks, doing fifty-seven damage, sending B-Rex into his medal. "Air Strike, Spinax Mega on B-Jara!" He attacks, doing fifty-six damage. Cloud Cover suddenly wakes up, and gets ready to fight.

"B-Jara, Booooney Screech on Shanshan." He attacks, doing thirty-two damage, sending Cloud Cover into her medal. I catch it, and silently put it in my pouch, irritation building up in me.

_'I'm sick of this fight...' _I think. "Air Strike, Spinax Giga on B-Jara!" He attacks, doing fifty-six damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fury on B-Jara!" He attacks, doing thirty-five damage, sending B-Jara into his medal. Air Strike and Flamethrower silently go into their medals, tired from the fighting. I catch them, and slip them into my pouch.

"You are some kind of groooovy Fighter, you know that?" Lola tells me. "I, like, can't get beaten you anymore. It's craaazy. Soooo, I'm gonna make like Cole's pant's and split. Bye." She turns, and walks down the flight of stairs. I run up down the upper deck to the arch way, which has stairs in it. I dash up the stairs, and come to a long hallway with fake skull with turquoise light coming out of the eyes at the base of the walls, and a few hanging by chains from the ceiling. In the middle of the hallway stands Lester. I walk towards him, stopping a few feet away.

"You're like a bad opening act." He tells me. "You stay too long, and one on wants to see you! Still, I knew you'd be the one to break into our base. You're just metal like that. But, too bad for you. This is my chance to settle the score! There's only one lead in this band, and it's gonna be me!"

"Too bad for you." I tell him. "I'm canceling your show." I let out my team, and Lester lets out his, which is two B-Brachios, and a B-Tricera.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on B-Brachio!" He attacks, doing one hundred damage.

"Pass!" Lester says.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on B-Brachio!" He attacks, doing ninety-eight damage. "Flamethrower, S-Combo on B-Brachio!" He attacks doing thirty-eight damage, and rotating Lester's team to where the untouched B-Brachio is in the front AZ.

"Boney Terror!" Lester says.

_'Team skill!' _I think. B-Tricera carries out the attack, doing twenty-two damage to Air Strike and scaring him, thirty-two damage to Flamethrower, and thirty-four damage to Cloud Cover as well as scaring her.

"B-Brachio, Boney Stomp on S-Raptor!" He attacks, doing twenty-two damage and rotating my team to where Air Strike and Flamethrower are in the AZ.

"Flamethrower, S-Fang on B-Brachio!" He attacks, doing twenty-six damage and sending B-Brachio into his medal. Lester rotates his team to where B-Brachio is in the back SZ.

"B-Brachio, Boney Tsunami on Shanshan!" He attacks, doing one hundred twenty damage. "Boney Terror!" Tricera attacks, doing twenty-six damage to Flamethrower and scaring him, seventeen damage to Air Strike, and twenty damage to Cloud Cover. I rotate my team to where Cloud Cover and Flamethrower are in the AZ.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Combo on B-Tricera!" She attacks, doing one hundred nine damage. "Flamethrower, S-Combo on B-Tricera!" He attacks, doing ninety-eight damage, sending B-Tricera into his medal. Air Strike's and Cloud Cover's fear subsides.

"B-Brachio, Boney Crush on Shanshan!" He attacks, doing ninety-six damage, sending Cloud Cover into her medal. I catch it, and silently slip it into my pouch, irritation growing in me. I rotate my team to where Air Strike and Flamethrower are both in the AZ.

"Air Strike, Spinax Tera on B-Brachio!" He attacks, doing three hundred damage, sending B-Brachio into his medal. Lester laughs.

"Man, you shredded me like a bad riff." He tells me. "Go on. You wanna take on Don Boneyard? It's your funeral." He turns, and walks down the hallway to the stairs, and disappears walking down them. I turn back towards Don Boneyard's Quarters, which has a black door with a white skull on it, and approach it.

_'This is it guys.' _I tell them. _'We're about to fight Don Boneyard, and this'll be the last battle with the BB Brigade...Are you guys ready?' _I feel smoldering anger in them.

_'Let him try to fight us.' _Air Strike growls. _'We'll break his Boneysaurs like wishbones.' _I nod, and charge at the door. I kick it in, do a roll, and come up in a ready stance, Dino Medals in hand, ready to fight. The floor has a red rug that goes from the door to the pedestal that Don Boneyard stands on, his back to me, the walls are like all the others in this base as well as the floors, but on the wall behind him, there's lavender curtains pulled back to reveal a black wall with a white skull painted on it. Don Boneyard laughs a low cackle.

"You have done well to make it to my inner sanctum." Don Boneyard tells me in his eerie voice. "But playtime is over... Let's see if you have the guts to beat ME!" He whirls around, and sees me standing there, my face hard and ready to fight. I look at his eye sockets where his eyes should be, and I flinch. Finally seeing him face-to-face is a lot creepier than seeing him on the Mammoth Screen. "...Wait. Do I know you?" He asks me with slight confusion.

"...What?" I ask as confusion spreads across my face. "How...How would you know me? I'm pretty sure I would remember a guy with a skull for a head."

"..." He stands there for a second. "...Never mind! I'll have time to bone up on such things later... Until the Caliosteo Cup is canceled, I will not allow myself to be defeated!"

"Good." I tell him. "Because I'm going to destroy you." His jaw tightens with anger.

"BEHOLD!" He roars. "The terrifying boneysaurs of Don Boneyard!" Three medals fall from the ceiling, and turn into boneysaurs. He has a B-Ptera, a B-Brachio, and a B-Rex. The B-Ptera has a beak and crest on its head that resembles a crescent moon, white bones with a golden tint, and ghost purple eyes. "Pass!"

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on B-Rex!" He attacks, doing ninety-seven damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on B-Rex!" He attacks, doing thirty-four damage.

"B-Rex, Bare Tactic on S-Raptor!" He attacks, doing thirty-six damage. "B-Ptera, Boney Swirl on S-Raptor!" He attacks, doing sixty-four damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on B-Rex!" He attacks, doing ninety-seven damage, sending the boneysaur into his medal. Don Boneyard rotates his team to where B-Ptera is in the front AZ.

"B-Brachio, Boney Tsunami on S-Raptor!" He attacks, doing forty-four damage. He rotates his team to where B-Ptera is in the back SZ. "B-Ptera, Boney Skewer on S-Raptor!" He attacks, doing twenty-three damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on B-Brachio!" He attacks, doing one hundred three damage. "Flamethrower, S-Combo on B-Brachio!" He attacks, doing thirty-four damage, and rotating Don Boneyard's team to where both boneysaurs are in the SZ.

"B-Ptera, Boney Skewer on S-Raptor!" He attacks, doing twenty damage. "B-Brachio, Boney Tsunami on S-Raptor!" He attacks, doing sixty-seven damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on B-Brachio!" He attacks, doing seventy-nine damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on B-Brachio!" He attacks, doing twenty-two damage.

"B-Brachio, Boney Tsunami on S-Raptor!" He attacks, doing forty-seven damage. "B-Ptera, Boney Skewer on S-Raptor!" He attacks, doing nineteen damage, sending Flamethrower into his medal. I catch him.

_'You did good out there.' _I tell him. _'Get some rest. I'm proud of you.'_

_ 'Thank you.' _He tells me. I put his Dino Medal into my pouch, then face back to the battle.

"Cloud Cover, Shan Combo on B-Brachio!" She attacks, doing twenty-two damage, and sending B-Brachio into his medal. "Air Strike, Spinax Giga on B-Ptera!" He attacks, doing one hundred eighty one damage, sending B-Ptera into his medal. Air Strike and Cloud Cover roar with victory, then go into their medals with I catch, a triumphant smile on my face.

"M-my boneysaurs were defeated?" Don Boneyard asks with utter shock. "But it would take a Fighter of such unbelievable skill to..." He stands there for a second. "Oh." He lets out a low cackle. "Yes...I knew I met you before..."

"You are Red." He tells me.

I let out a small gasp of shock, and my eyes grow wide. "How...do you know me...?" I ask, my hand going to my pouch and taking a step back.

"Of course." He says. His voice was plain. No threat. No evilness. It almost sounded relived even. "It really is you, isn't it Red? I had no idea you were in the Cup."

"H-how...?"

"You must listen to me Red." Don Boneyard tells me, his voice pleading and serious. "The Caliosteo Cup cannot be allowed to continue! You must not trust the present Joe Wildwest! Because he is-"

"Are you alright Red?" I hear Rupert ask.

"Joe's here, digadig!" Pauleen says. I look to see them running towards me, then look back at Don Boneyard to see that he's standing with his back to me.

"We will meet again Red!" Smoke appears around him, and he disappears.

_Don't...trust...Joe? _I wonder. _Why? Who is he? An imposter? I know I think I've been seeing weird stuff in his eyes, but that's no reason to not trust him, right? Or...Or is he just telling me that to throw me off? I...I don't think so. He sounded serious. But...Why? And how does he know who I am? I know the commanders must've told him about me, but I know he hasn't seen me..._

"Red!" I hear Rupert say. I jump some and blink, bringing me back to reality to see Rupert and Pauleen are next to me. "Where is Don Boneyard?" Rupert asks me. I shake my head.

"He got away..." I tell him, my mind still confused.

"Aw, digadig it all, digadig!" Pauleen says hanging her head.

"I wouldn't worry yer pretty little head 'bout that now." We all turn to see Joe walking towards us. Unsettlement fills me from what Don Boneyard told me. "Thanks to y'all. we captured the three commanders and all their lackeys. Without 'em, ol' Don Bonehead can't do as much more'n stamp his feet and twiddle his thumbs." We all nod. "Now we can hold the Cup final like we always wanted! I can't wait to see which'a you two emerges as the champ." He looks at me as he says that last part. I look him in the eye, and somehow, something seems off about him. I'm probably just imaging things from what Don Boneyard told me, but still. I push the thought to the back of my mind. Joe does a two finger salute, then leaves the room.

"He's right, digadig!" Pauleen says. "The BareBones Brigade is finished, digadig! It's the ultimate victory for the Caliosteo Patrol Team, digadig!" Me and Rupert nod, and she runs out.

"And I'm afraid this is where our era of cooperation ends, Red." Rupert tells me sadly. "The next time we meet, it will be as rivals in the Battle Area." I nod, and he runs out as Todd runs in and up to me.

"You're awesome, Red!" He tells me with excitement and glee. "You pretty much took out the entire BB Brigade by yourself!"

"Y-y-yeah..." I tell him.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asks me with confusion. "Try to look happy!" I stand there a second, then look over my shoulder at the pedestal where Don Boneyard had been standing, then back at Todd with slight worry on my face.

"Don Boneyard..." I tell him. "he...knew who I was."

"He did?" Todd asks with confusion. "Aw, don't worry about that!" He says waving a hand. "You're in the final, you know? You're pretty famous already."

"I guess..." I say, still uneasy.

"Come on!" Todd tells me, grabbing my hand and dragging me towards the exit. "You gotta get ready for the final!"

"..." I say nothing, and look at where I had last seen Don Boneyard.

_"You must not trust the present Joe Wildwest! Because he is-"_

Who?

* * *

><p><strong>AN-YES! PERFECT ending for this chapa, eh?<strong>

**Red: ...**

**Me:...Well...I guess while you think about, I'll type, and you guys, my loyal readers, LEAVE REVIEWS!**

**gardevoirXgallade:**** Dude, what the what? You say you love my story, then you cuss at me a few times, then you say 'Screw this story'? At least read the whole thing!**

**Ben:**** I will! :D**

**Guest&Dragon123:**** Hmmm... I guess I would be a Teffla and Red would probably be a dark gray Giga Spinax with deep blue crystals.**

**Anon Dude:**** Nope. The two girls have no relation to Rosie and Nevada.**

**Tabithia6000:**** ^^; Sorry. I re-read it, and I also saw she called him Air Strike at one point. I'm just used to him being called that.**

**Oakwillow907:**** YAYZ! And here is another chapa for you to read. :3**

**Graywing44:**** You're welcome! :D To you guys reading this, Kaze does not belong to me. Wing asked if I would use him in this story.**

**But, I am sorry that this took me a bit longer to type. I lost motivation when I realized how many battles were going to be in this chapter, then I got motivation back when I thought about next chapa! :D**


	49. A Champion and A Reward

**AN-YES! VERY, very excited about this chapa, so I'm just gonna skip the long AN and go straight to it!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Forty-Nine-A Champion and A "Prize"<p>

Me and Todd hop out of the helicopter, and onto Cranial City's heliport. I'm still mulling over what Don Boneyard told me, so I only heard some of what Todd had been rambling about on the flight back. We had thankfully gotten something to eat since we missed lunch, and now the final is about to take place.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

We pull out our Paleopagers. "The Caliosteo Cup's final match will soon be under way. The match will pit Red against Rupert. Finalists are asked to check in at Cranial City's Fossil Stadium." The staff member say. A notice appears, saying that the pay-to-dig site at Hot Spring Heights just opened, and I put my pager away. I look up to see Todd Running into the station, undoubtedly wanting to get a good seat for the battle. I slowly walk into the Fighter station, and towards the Commons Room.

_"You must not trust the present Joe Wildwest! Because he is-"_

_Who? _I wonder. _I need to know! Why can't the final happen? Why was he so serious when he told me I needed to listen to him? Why did he sound pleading? Why? Who IS the present Joe Wildwest? What do I do?_

"Hello!" I hear someone say. I jump a bit, and blink, bringing me back to reality making me realize I'm in front of the Commons Room door, and a staff member has her hand on my shoulder.

"What?" I ask. "Oh. I...I'm sorry ma'am." I tell her. "My mind has been elsewhere today."

"That's alright." She tells me. "But you're Red, correct?"

"Yes ma'am." I tell her.

"Rupert is already standing by, so if you're ready-" A male staff member suddenly runs up to her, cutting her off. He quickly tells her something, and shock covers her face. "What?" She exclaims. "Rupert did WHAT?"

"What's wrong?" I ask with worry. The male staff member runs off, and the female staff member looks back at me.

"Um, I don't really know how to tell you this, but Rupert..." She hesitates.

_Did he hurt himself?_

"Well, his father just came and took him away."

"WHAT?" I exclaim with shock.

"Diga!" We both look to see Pauleen running over to us, panic stricken. "Digadig! Awful! So awful! D-diga! Rupert, diga!"

"Pauleen, you need to calm down!" I tell her with worry and seriousness.

"You gotta... You need to... I diga-don't know what to diga-do, digadig!" She tells me. "Come on, digadig!" She says running off. I run after her. I see Mr. Regius and Rupert over in the right wing of the Lobby, both of them irritated.

"Don not make me repeat myself." Mr. Regius tells Rupert sternly. "You will with draw from the Cup, and you will do so now."

"But WHY Father?" Rupert asks. "I've come so far! I refuse to accept this!" Rupert tells him waving a hand in disbelief. Mr. Regius looks away at the wall.

"I analyzed the Fossil Battle data of your opponent, this Red person." He tells Rupert. "I then used this data to run battle simulations against your team." He looks back at Rupert. "The results were disheartening. Your chance of victory was only 50 percent. This event will be seen by people all over the world. If you lose, it will cause irreparable harm to FossilDig Inc. We cannot take that risk. Therefore, you must withdraw for the good of the company." Rupert's face hardens.

"That's madness!" He tells Mr. Regius. "There's no way to tell who will win a battle until you get step into the stadium! And besides, I want to battle Red! It's fun!" Mr. Regius shakes his head.

"I expect that kind of meaningless tripe from third-rate Fighters, not from you!" He tells Rupert with anger and disappointment. "I never should have allowed you to enter this tournament. It is a mistake I do not intend to repeat. We will address the issue of your selfish petulance later." Anger flashes in Rupert's eyes. "The company helicopter is waiting. Let's go."

"Not so fast Mr. Big Bucks!" I say. Mr. Regius and Rupert both look at me, to see me and Pauleen standing there, my face hard and Pauleen's worried one.

"Are these your 'friends' Rupert?" Mr. Regius asks him. "Are they the ones who have filled your head with nonsense?"

"They ARE my friends!" Rupert tells his father with anger. "And they have taught me invaluable lessons about the joys of battling!"

"...Very well." Mr. Regius says. "If fun is your desire, I will simply have to remove that from the equation. Rupert, I challenge you and one of your friends to a Fossil Battle! There is no place for fun in Fossil Battles, and it's time you remember that!" He holds up his arm with the gauntlet like object on it up to his chest.

"That thing is a Fossil Battle Computer developed by FossilDig Inc." Rupert says with realization.

"A what?" I ask.

"A Fighter can use it to control two vivosaur teams at the same time." Rupert explains. He looks at me. "Please Red, I need you to join me in this battle against my father!"

"With pleasure!" I say holding up my team, their Dino medals between my fingers.

"You can diga-do it guys, digadig!" Pauleen tells us with reassurance.

"I have run the number." Mr. Regius says. "The odds of you beating me are less than five percent. My victory is a foregone conclusion!"

"Pfffft! Screw numbers!" I say waving a hand. "Fossil Battles are from the soul! Not some computer!" Mr. Regius looks at me, and undoubtedly glares from behind his sunglasses.

"You will think otherwise after I defeat you." He tells me.

"Come at us BRO!" I say as me and Rupert throw our Dino Medals in the air. The team I'm battling has a Perso, a Seismo, and a Ryden. The Perso is a grayish navy with an off white under side, is built like a Brachiosaur, has small yellow squares on its neck, sides, and tail, then three blocky humps on its back that also have small yellow squares. The Seismo is orange with a purple under side, dark red zigzag lines that look like cracks on it, and is built like a long neck, then the Ryden is white with a cream under side, hard grayish skin on its back legs and tail, is also built like a long neck, and has three bluish objects around the corners of its mouth. I put Flamethrower in the AZ, since two of them are Earth Types.

"Flamethrower, S-Combo on Ryden!" He attacks, doing one hundred fifty-six damage.

"Pass!" Mr. Regius says. I rotate my team to where Air Strike is in the AZ with Flamethrower.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Ryden!" He attacks, doing one hundred forty-three damage. I rotate them back. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Ryden!" He attacks, doing one hundred fifteen damage, sending Ryden into his medal.

"Perso, Earth Crush on Shanshan!" He attacks, doing one hundred forty-three damage. "Seismo, Seismo Stomp on Shanshan!" He attacks, doing ninety-one damage, sending Cloud Cover into her medal. I catch her, and put her into my pouch.

"Flamethrower, S-Fury on Seismo!" He attacks, doing two hundred thirty-seven damage. "Air Strike, Spinax Giga on Seismo!" He attacks, doing fifty-eight damage, sending Seismo into his medal.

"Perso, Awesome Presence on Giga Spinax!" He attacks, doing one hundred thirty-eight damage.

"Flamethrower, S-Fury on Perso!" He attacks, doing one hundred fifty-eight damage.

"Perso, Awesome Presence on Giga Spinax!" He attacks, doing eighty-eight damage.

"Flamethrower, S-Combo on Perso!" He attacks, doing one hundred ninety-four damage, sending Perso into his medal. Flamethrower and Air Strike roar with victory, and I look to see Rupert finish off the last vivosaur he was fighting against. We both won.

"I...I don't understand." Mr. Regius says with disbelief. "My simulations assured me of victory!"

"Listen to me Father." Rupert tells Mr. Regius. "I want to face Red in the final. I want to battle without any restrictions. Even if I lose, I'll never regret that I tried." Mr. Regius stands there for a minute, and his face grows sad.

"Oh Rupert..." He tells him. He turns away. "It's time I told you the truth. I wasn't just trying to keep you shackled for the sake of the company."

"...Sir?" Rupert asks, dumbfounded.

"You were always skilled at battling." Mr. Regius tells him. "Even as an infant, the joy on your face when you won a battle was something to behold. I vowed early on that you would never know the bitter sting of defeat. I only wanted you to be happy...But now I see how I tried to do it the wrong way."

"Father..." Rupert says sadly. Mr. Regius turns back to him, a small, sad smile in his face. He puts a hand on Rupert's shoulder. "I look forward to seeing you battle in the final."

"..." Rupert smiles, and hugs him. "Thank you Father." Mr. Regius hugs him back. They hug for a second, then separate. I hear a buzzing, take out my Fighter's License, and open it to see that I've been promoted to Fighter Level 10. I smile, and put it away, then look up to see Mr. Regius walking to the stands.

"Hooray, digadig!" Pauleen says. jumping in the air with glee. "We've solved all the problems, digadig! ...Again, digadig! Now come on guys, digadig! You two need to get ready for the final, digadig!"

"I'll be in the Commons Room." Rupert says. I nod, and Pauleen heads off to the stands while Rupert heads towards the Commons Room door.

"Heeeeeey Red!" I hear Todd say. I look to see him running towards me. "I heard! I can't believe you and Rupert beat the FossilDig CEO!"

"Yeah dawg!" I say nodding.

"Rupert's got some guts, huh?" Todd asks. "You too, though!" He looks away. "But me..." He stands there for a second, then looks back at me. "...Um, yeah. Never mind, it's nothing!"

"You sure?" I ask.

"Yeah! Yeah..." He tells me. "Now go out there and show 'em what you're made of Red! I'm gonna cheer for you with everything I have!"

"Thanks bro!" I tell him. "I promise, I'll win that battle and get the fossil park!"

"Yay!" Todd says jumping with glee. "I wanna see the awesomest Fossil Battle EVER!"

"And you SHALL my wingman!" I tell him triumphantly. "Now let's go!" I say. He runs off towards the stands, and the promise I made to him makes me know I need to win. I go into the Commons Room, and see Linda R. Porter talking into her microphone while the camera man records.

"I'm here LIVE in Cranial Isle's Commons Room," She says. "while right outside, fans and Fossil Fighters alike are waiting for the Caliosteo Cup final round to take place!" She notices me. "There's one of the Fighters in the battle, Red Broke!" I slightly look away to keep the camera from seeing my face, and tug at my collar to help cover up my face. "He seems a bit camera shy, huh folks?"

"Well, here we are Red." Rupert says as I walk up to him. "Do you remember when I said I didn't care if I lost, so long as I tried?" I nod. "Well, that's not quite accurate. Because I don't intend to lose to you today." I smile.

"I'm glad." I tell him. "It'll make the battle even more amazing." Rupert smiles.

"Let's do our best Red." Rupert says.

"The final match is Rupert vs. Red." The announcer says. "Finalists should enter the stadium immediately."

"Let's go Red." Rupert tells me. "Let's show them what a true Fossil Battle is."

"And one to remember." I say. We smile, turn towards the door which opens, and walk out on to the Battle Area. The crowd roars with excitement, and divides the stands in half. One half has people cheering for me, and the other half has people cheering for Rupert. But on either side, the front rows are packed with squealing fan girls. We get in place, and let out our teams. Rupert has a Mapo, another Mapo with a silver fossil, making it reddish-pink and red, and a super revived Mapo, making it a Mapo King. It's huge, black, and has purple and violet streaks all over it, and it's claws are violet.

Too bad though. They're all water types.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Mapo King!" He attacks, doing two hundred damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Combo on Mapo King!" She attacks, doing forty-three damage.

"Pass!" Rupert says.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Mapo King!" He attacks, doing two hundred ninety-three damage, sending Mapo King into his medal. Rupert rotates his team to where the red Mapo is in the front AZ.

"Mapo, Aqua Cannon!" He attacks, doing seventy-three damage to Air Strike, sixty-one damage to Flamethrower, and fifty damage to Cloud Cover. He rotates his team to where the regular Mapo is in the front AZ. "Mapo, Conqueror Fang on Giga Spinax!" He attacks, doing seventy-three damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Giga on Mapo!" He attacks, doing three hundred thirty-three damage, sending Mapo into his medal. Rupert moves his remaining Mapo to the front AZ.

"Mapo, Conqueror Combo on Giga Spinax!" He attacks, doing one hundred twelve damage, and enraging Air Strike.

_Argh. _I think. _He'll miss if I have him attack. _I rotate my team to where Cloud Cover is in the AZ. "Cloud Cover, Shan Fury on Mapo!" She attacks, doing three hundred forty-seven damage, sending Mapo into his medal. My team releases booming roars of triumph and victory, I nod to Rupert, he smiles, and the crowd goes crazy.

In the Commons Room...

"You won Red." Rupert tells me. The camera man is filming us, and I don't care. Let the world see my face. I've won, and I can tell the world who I am. "It's strange. I had always dreaded the thought of losing, but now that it's here, I feel... I feel serene. Calm. Like I've been cleansed, somehow." I smile, and Rupert smiles a wide smile. "And the battle was so FUN! Did you see how I fought with all I had! WHOO-HOO!" He says jumping in the air.

"Yeah dawg!" I say. Rupert remember the camera.

"Ahem!" He says straightening his coat. "Yes, well, I believe that I am satisfied. I'm glad it was you on the final stage, Red. I really am." I smile, and he holds out his hand. "It was a privilege and an honor to meet a fellow Fighter such as you. Thank you Red. And long my our friendship endure." I shake his hand.

"It will." I tell him. I suddenly pull him into an arm hug. "I'm proud of you. You stood up to your father, and for what's right."

"...Thank you." He says. He returns the arm hug, and we separate after a second. The door to the Battle Area opens, and there stands Joe, his warm smile on his face. We all look at him, and he walks up to me and Rupert.

"Well, don't that just beat it all?" He asks with cheer. "Who woulda thunk this Cup would end with a new hero ridin' in to save the day? And to think them BB Brigade fellers almost blew the whole thing!" What Don Boneyard told me jumps to the front of my mind, but I keep my smile on my face.

_He's...Joe, but... _I look at his eyes, and they don't quite seem like his. He looks at me, and I resist the urge to flinch.

"But Red here took a stand against them varmints and ended up savin' the Cup and the park!" Joe says. "Yer passion for battlin' and yer strong heart have allowed ya to claim the crown."

_...Crown?_

"Ain't no two ways about it Red!" Joe tells me. "You've grown into a great Fighter and a champion. And so, like I promised, I'm gonna make ya the owner of this here Caliosteo Fossil Park!" Joy spreads across my face.

"YEAH DAWG!" I say jumping in the air and spinning around. "I kept my promise to Todd!" Joe smiles, and looks at the camera.

"To all them Fighters who gave their best in the competition, to all the them fans who whooped and hollered till their throats were sore, and to the loyal cowhands who worked day and night to make everything run smooth, with a hearty thanks to y'all, I declare the Caliosteo Cup over!" Joe says. He turns back to me and my smiling face. "Congratulations Red. Ya truly are the chosen one."

My smile vanishes.

_...Does...Doesn't he mean champion...?_

"Are you alright Red?" I hear Rupert ask.

"Hm?" I look at him. "Oh...Oh yeah! Yeah, yeah...just...EXCITED!" I say jumping in the air again. I lied though.

Something isn't right.

Linda and the camera man finish up, then leave. Rupert tells me good bye then heads out, leaving me alone with Joe. I look at the exit, and everything in me, including my vivosaurs, yell at me to run as fast as I can out of it, but my legs refuse to move. Joe puts a hand on my shoulder, making me jump some. I can feel his ice cold hand through his glove, and it sucks the warmth from my shoulder.

"Say there pard." Joe tells me. I slowly look up at him, trying to keep a calm demeanor as I get a sick feeling in my gut. "There's something I'd like to talk to ya about. Ya mind ridin' by my office in a bit? I'll be waitin'." I nod, not trusting my voice. Joe smiles. I feel unease in me, since there seems to be something...evil...about the smile. I look away.

_Quit doing that! _I tell myself. _You're seeing things! Don Boneyard told me what he told me to throw me off, and you're falling for it! _

"You did it Red!" I hear Todd say. I jump a bit and blink, bringing me back to reality to see Joe gone, and Todd and Pauleen with me. "You really did it! You're the champion! It's wicked! It's awesome! IT'S WICKED AWESOME!" I smile at his joy.

"And like I promised to you Todd," I tell him. "I won the Cup, and I'm gonna make you my right hand man." He squeals with joy.

"...But I can't believe you were my Round 1 opponent!" Todd says. "But hey, Since you beat me there, and you ended up winning... That means I would have come in second! ARGH! It's so aggravating!"

"You know...now that I think about it, Round 1 almost seems like it was a life time ago..." I say.

"Yeah..." Todd says in agreement.

"Great job, digadig!" Pauleen tells me. We look at her. "Your battle was amazing, digadig! My palms are all sweaty and sore from clapping so hard, digadig." She tells me looking at her hands. She looks back at me. "But, why are you still standing here, digadig? There's a whole bunch of people waiting to see you outside, digadig! Talking to your fans is part of a champion's job, digadig. You know that, digadig." I look away.

"Uh...Joe...said...he wanted for me to stop by his office..."I tell her with unease.

"He diga-did?" Pauleen asks. I nod.

"Hey!" Todd says. We look at him. "Maybe he's finally remembered us! Yeah, that must be it! So in that case, I'm going with you." I quickly nod. I would feel better if he was there. Todd looks at Pauleen. "Me and Red are just gonna swing by Joe's office really quick, okay?" Pauleen sighs.

"Yes, that's fine, digadig." Pauleen says. "I'll talk to the fan and have them hold on, digadig." She runs out, and Todd looks at me.

"Let's go!"

"Uh...yeah..." I say. Todd runs out as I walk out, and he waits for me at the top of the stairs, then at the elevator.

"Come on!" He says. Every step I take, the feeling in my stomach grows worse, and the instinct in me telling me to run grows.

Everything suddenly goes black.

* * *

><p><em>I wake up, and I'm on an invisible surface, surrounded by darkness and fog. I quickly stand up.<em>

_ "Who's there?" I yell. _

_ "YOU FOOL!" A voice booms with anger, making me jump to the ground and cover my head from fear. "I TOLD YOU TO RUN! I TOLD YOU TO GET OUT OF HERE! But did you listen? Noooooo... Not even to the talking skull! Don't you think he has a reason to be so serious?"_

_ "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" I shriek with fear. I feel a strong had grab my collar and yank me to my feet. I open my eyes to see a person in a pitch black cloak and a hood pulled over their face._

_ "I want you to listen..." They growl. "I warned you...HE told you...But what did you do? YOU STAYED!" Their voice hits me like a brick wall, and sends me flying a few feet away. "The very imposter in your first dream told you, and you did not listen! I told you that you needed to run, but you didn't!"_

_ "Wh-who is HE?" I ask, my voice shaking from terror._

_ "I cannot say." They tell me. "I swore an oath that I would never say his cursed name again..."_

_ "What...what do I do?" I ask._

_ "__**WHAT CAN YOU DO?**__" They roar. "It's too late! Even if you ran now, he would come for you! If you hide, he will find you! If you escape, he will catch you! If you run, he will target your friends! If you resist him, he will twist your mind to his bidding!"_

_ "What-"_

_ "SILENCE!" I curl up into a tighter ball. "The only thing you can do, is try to stop him..."_

_ "But-"_

"Red!" _I hear a voice yell._

* * *

><p>"GYYYYYAAAAAA!" I exclaim falling backwards onto the floor.<p>

"Red, are you okay?" It's Todd's voice. I open my eyes, and see him crouching next to me, worry one his face and in his eye.

"Y-y-yeah...I-I'm okay..." My eyes sting, and I touch my face to find it wet with tears.

"Well, you just stopped all of a sudden, and you were barely breathing, and tears started coming out of your eyes." Todd tells me.

"I-I'm fine..." I tell him pushing myself to my feet.

_'Red.' _Flamethrower tells me. His voice is dead serious.

_'What?' _I ask, worried.

_'That was the intruder again.' _He tells me. _'Not the first one, the second one. The one that told you to run.'_

_ 'They seemed pretty ticked off at me.' _I say.

_'We know.' _Cloud Cover says. _'We tried to wake you up, but they were too strong. Stronger than anything we've seen or heard of.' _A shiver runs down my spine.

_'...' _I mentally sigh. _'I confused...What do I do? Where do I go? Who do I tell? Why didn't I listen?'_

_ 'You can only do one thing.' _Air Strike tells me. I mentally nod, and me and Todd walk to the elevator. I walk slower than I did, much to Todd's dismay, but he doesn't rush me. We step on the elevator platform, and start going up. The feeling in me continues growing worse as we go up.

"Uh...Todd?" I ask.

"Yeah?"

"Um...How...would you describe Joe?"

"He's nice, awesome, trustworthy, and smart!"

"Right..."

"Why do you ask?"

"N-nothing..."

"Are you okay Red?" Todd asks with worry. "Ever since you fought Don Bonehead, you've been acting a bit weird." He raises an eyebrow. "He didn't do anything to your brain, right?" I chuckle some.

"No, but think about it, I met a person with a skull for a head." I tell him. "Should I be just fine?" He shrugs.

"I guess not." We ride in silence for a minute.

"Todd," I tell him. He looks at me. "There's something I need to tell you."

"Okay." He says. "What-" The elevator dings, and we pop up in Joe's Office. Joe stands there, looking out the large window behind his desk.

_About the dreams I had... _I think. Joe turns around and sees me.

"I'm glad you came Red." He tells me with his smile. A shiver runs down my spine. He starts to walk around to the front of his desk as Todd eagerly hurries over, and I slowly walk over. Joe looks at Todd, and his smile suddenly vanishes.

"Oh." He says flatly. "Ya brought Todd. Well, this doesn't exactly concern him, but...fine. He's here. Yippee and how nice for all of us." Me and Todd get looks of complete, and utter shock.

_Was he just...RUDE? _I exclaim. I've never heard of Joe being rude. Ever. He turns attention back to me, and smiles. I resist the urge to take a step back as he takes a step towards me.

"Let me give you a little history lesson Red." Joe tell me. There was something off about his voice. It sounded too smooth, like oiled glass, and the words seemed to roll off his tongue too well. "I want to talk to you about a king. A great man who once ruled over all the Caliosteo Islands...I want to talk about Zongazonga." The last word feels almost powerful in a way.

"Hey, Zongazonga is the guy they talked about on the Calio Slablets, right?" Todd asks me. I quickly look at him.

"Yeah." I tell him.

"He was some horrible sorcerer that implanted his skull in other people's bodies!" Todd exclaims with some fear.

"Thankfully, the rebellion, a.k.a. the Free Caliosteans, rose up and over threw him, then sealed him away in a stone pyramid."

"You can say thankfully again!" Todd tells me. We both hear an amused chuckle from Joe.

"Well now," He says looking at us. "look at the big brains y'all have. Yer both exactly right..." He turns, and begins to slowly walk to the front of his desk. "But, that's not where the story ends... There's a second act that no one knows about..." He stands with his back to us, hands on the top of the desk and looking at it. "It takes place in the Stone Pyramid, uncountable years after the skull of Zongazonga was sealed away. A single man, acting on pure chance, found the Stone Pyramid and the chest, with no idea what was inside..." He looks up from the top of his desk, to the window right behind it. "And the moment he cracked the lid of that stone chest, the poor fool's body was stolen by Zongazonga." He looks over his shoulder at us some, a smug smile on his face that makes a shiver go down my spine and fear ebb into me. "Do you want to know the name of that poor, wretched man? Shall I tell you?" He turns to face us completely, an look on his face that fill me with fear.

"...His name was Joe Wildwest." He says. Me Todd jump back and gasp.

Something clicks in my mind.

Memories rush to the front of my mind.

The panic in his eyes when he didn't remember us.

How his hands have been ice cold.

How I've been seeing strange looks in his eyes.

How his smile has been a bit evil looking.

How smooth his words have been.

How told me I had claimed the crown.

The dream I had with the first imposter in it.

How he told me I was perfect for him.

How Joe told me I was truly the chosen one.

The things he just told us.

Joe Wildwest opened the chest.

...

Then that means...

...

_OH..._

_ MY..._

_ DINO..._

_ No._

"You are begin to understand." He says, his voice changing to one that is mooch more twisted, cruel, evil, and cold. "I am not your foolish cowboy friend..." He grins an grin of complete evilness, showing teeth that are longer and sharper than they should be. My eyes grow wide, and my face pales.

_"You must not trust the present Joe Wildwest! Because he is-"_

"I AM KING ZONGAZONGA!" He booms, his voice terrifying enough to scare a demon out of its wits.

"...Um, d-dude?" Todd asks me in a voice stricken with horror as we both take a shaky step back. "D-did he say that he's..."

"Y-yeah..." I say, fear obvious in my voice. Zongazonga squeezes his eyes shut, his neck strains with effort, and his head tilts back. After a second, it subsides, and he looks at us.

Terror stabs me like an icy blade.

His eyes are now a cold, cruel, evil and unforgiving ice blue with reptilian pupils. He takes a step towards us, making us step back. "But this body is old." He tells us with a voice of power and evil. "And smelly. And living in it forces me to fake that RIDICULOUS accent! I need a body that's strong and full of life if I want to regain the full measure of my powers. And that is why I held the Caliosteo Cup. Long ago, I used this tournament to select the Majestic Vessel. And now I have done so once more!" He takes another step towards us, making us step back. He suddenly looks at me, and the fear in me sky rockets. His smile spreads across his face. "You should rejoice Red! You will become the new body for the great Zongazonga! You're PERFECT! With you as my vessel, I will have no trouble regaining all of my former powers...And I will use those power to rule the world!" He takes a step towards us, making us step back. "You're powerful now even! With your body, I'll be stronger than I could ever DREAM of being! When your body withers with age, I will simply chose another! And another! And another! I am eternal! I am immortal! I WILL NEVER DIE!" He releases a laugh that booms like thunder, and makes the room shake some.

"I'M OUTTA HERE!" Todd yells with terror.

"I'M COMING WITH YOU!" I yell as we make a break for the elevator. The panel won't open.

"It's not working!" Todd yells stomping a foot on it.

"Fools!" Zongazonga booms. We whirl around to see a crazed look of victory on his face. "There IS no escape! I, Zongazonga command you to surrender your body to me!" He booms pointing a finger at me.

"N-NEVER!" I tell him, my voice shaky. He laughs.

"What's the matter?" He asks me. "Scared? I'm not surprised! You're just a simple minded child! You should fear me! Now, you WILL let me take over your body!"

"..." I stand there, shaking and terrified. I want to run. I want to run and hide. I want to run to my parents. Into the safety of their arms. I remember something.

_If I don't fight, If I don't take a stand, If I don't show fear, then who will? _

Everything that I have done fills my mind. When I went to fight the BB Bandits, the Dinaurians, Guhnash, was I scared? Did I show fear?

No.

I stood tall. I stood proud. I was determined. I was unstoppable.

_If he takes over the world, he'll attacks the ones I care for. _

Rosie.

My face hardens, I scowl, baring my teeth, my fear is swept away and replaced by determination.

"NO." I tell him in a voice of seriousness, my voice solid. "I am not afraid." I point at Zongazonga. "I shouldn't fear you! You were defeat by the Free Caliosteans, and I will defeat you for good this time!" He stands there, disbelief on his face.

"You fool..." He says. "The only one that can fight me is that cursed child who defeated me long ago! They're not here, which means that you can do NOTHING TO STOP ME!"

"I'll find a way!" I tell him. He laughs, amused.

"How adorably amusing..." He chuckles. "You think you're that cursed child...That I can't take you over... Well, you're wrong... Now, give me your body!"

"NO!" I yell. I'm standing in front of Todd, who's scared out of his wits, and watching from behind my head with his trembling hands on my shoulders.

"Then I'll make you!" He roars. He charges at us, and I throw Todd over the elevator railing to the right side of the room, then whirl around and punch Zongazonga in the face. "AGH!" He exclaims staggering back. I get ready to attack him again, when I remember if I get too close he'll take over my body. He suddenly looks back at me, an enraged, crazy look in his eyes. He tackles me, making me fall back onto the elevator panel with him on top of me. He pins me down with his knees on my shoulders. "Now, to take you."

"NO!" I exclaim. I swing my foot in the air, hitting him in the back of the head. He falls off me with a cry of pain, and I jump up, then start to run towards Todd, when he grabs my ankle. _He must be able to heal his wounds! _I realize. He throws me towards the left side of the room, but I land on my feet in a ready stance, and skid a couple of feet. I look up, and he smacks me right across the face, throwing me off balance. He grabs me by my left chest pocket on my suit, and lifts me up.

"ENOUGH!" He says.

"YEAH DAWG!" I say, kicking him in the gut. He suddenly throws me down, and I hear a ripping noise. I jump up, and see him clutching his stomach and muttering something in another language, with the chest pocket from my suit in his hand. I look at where is was suppose to be, to see it had been torn off. I quickly run over to Todd, who's at his wits end.

"Are you okay?" He asks me. I quickly nod, and look back at Zongazonga to see him standing up, fists clenched, and giving us a dark death glare.

"But I don't think we're going to be!" I tell him. He whimpers, and I push him behind me.

"YOU...FOOLS..." Zongazonga growls. "I am tired of this. If you do not surrender, I WILL KILL YOUR PITIFUL LITTLE FRIEND!" Todd lets out a cry of fear and anguish, and my face hardens.

"If you dare lay a finger on him, I will make your death long and painful!" I tell him.

"HOW?" Zongazonga roars. "You cannot escape me!"

_OH DINO, WHOEVER IS IN CHARGE UP THERE PLEASE HELP US! I DON'T CARE WHO IT IS, __**JUST PLEASE HELP US!**_I yell in my head.

_**BOOM!**_

Me and Todd whirl around as small bits of matter shower us, some of them tiny shards of glass that do not harm to us. The wall and window that was behind us has been blown down to reveal the late afternoon sky, and a pile of rubble in front of the gaping hole in the wall. A B-Ptera suddenly glides into view, and a voice calls out to us.

"Jump on! Both o' ya!" It says. I suddenly have flash back...

"HELP US!" Todd yells waving his arms. The Ptera comes closer to the cliff and begins to glide. The man on the back has a hand outstretched to us.

"Jump on!" He yells with a country accent. "Both o' ya!"

"HUH?" Todd exclaims.

_That guy looks familiar... _ I think.

"C'mon! Get a' move on now!" He yells

"B-But-!" Todd stammers. I waste no time. I take a few steps back, sprint forward as fast as I can and without stopping grab Todd's hand.

"C'MON TODD!" I yell "WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!" I jump over the edge of the cliff with my free hand outstretched while the other one holds onto Todd, who is freaking out with a pale face at what's happening.

"Huh?" Todd exclaims, snapping me out of it.

"Get a move on now!" The voice says again. I take a few steps back, sprint foreword as fast as I can, and without stopping, I grab Todd's hand.

"C'MON TODD!" I yell. "WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!" I run up a short ramp of rubble, and jump out of the hole in the wall, one hand out stretched and the other holding Todd. My outstretched hand grabs the B-Ptera, and I pull myself and Todd onto it, with me in front and Todd behind me. I look back to see Zongazonga standing there where the window frame used to be, watching us with disbelief.

"IMPOSSILBE!" He roars stamping a foot and throwing his arm back in disbelief. "It's that cursed skull!" The B-Ptera picks up speed, and flies to the east. Me and Todd sit there on its back, the wind howling in our ears, and tearing at our hair.

"Red...?" I look over my shoulder at Todd, who has complete horror in his eyes. "I'm scared..." I sit there panting for a second.

"Don't be." I tell him. "It only makes him stronger. Todd hugs me, and buries his face against me shoulder. Exhaustion suddenly washes over me, my eye lids grow heavy, and I fall asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-YES! WHOO! I was SO EXCITED about this chapa! And yes, Red just fought Zongazonga mono-e-mono with his bare hands. And remember: The left chest pocket on his suit has been torn off.<strong>

**Red: *sleeping***

**Me: Boy, all that action make you so sleepy. LEAVE A REVIEW MAH READERS!**

**Graywing44:**** YEAH THEY ARE! **

**Oak:**** Okay. Is this update soon enough?**

**gardevoirXgallade:**** Trust me, you will love this story again.**

**Adamlover:**** ...What? Red has three vivosaurs that he mainly uses: Air Strike-a Giga Spinax, Cloud Cover-a Shanshan, and Flamethrower-an S-Raptor.**


	50. Fugitive

**AN- FIFTY CHAPTERS! LONGEST FOSSIL FIGHTERS FAN FICTION **_**EVER! **_**Okay, gloating for my accomplishment over. Now, ONWARD MY READERS!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Fifty-Fugitive<p>

_I'm standing on a tall pillar of rock, looking over a bridge made of rock, connecting an island to a castle floating in the air. The castle is made of a dark purplish-gray brick, with tiles as black as a starless night sky for roofing. There's two armies, one on the land with the floating castle, and on the island. Both armies have men and dinosaurs that are fighting, but they are completely different. The army on the castle side has regular armor, made of chain mail, leather and steel, and are armed with swords, spears, shields, great swords, maces, battle-axes, war hammers and bows and arrows._

_ The other army however, has armor beyond imagination._

_ All of their dinosaurs have armor made to correspond to their elements. The fire types have red, yellow and orange armor that has spikes, the water types have light blue, blue, and dark blue armor that's curled at the tips like waves, the earth types have tan, brown, and dark brown armor with jagged tips, making it look rocky, the air types have white, gray and black armor that's wavy, and the neutral types have light yellow, yellow and dark yellow armor with longer, zigzag tips, making it look like lightening. The people riding on the dinosaurs have in the same elemental armor as their dinosaurs, but oddly have no weapons or shields._

_ Their helmets look like the elements pointed upward towards the sky, has a deep willows peek that covers their forehead, with the tip coming down to the bridge of their nose. On their foreheads, are strange symbols that have a skull, three ice mountains behind it, a palm tree on both sides of it, and it's on an island. Their shoulder pads look like their element in an upward sweep, then a downward sweep. Their chest plates have their elements coming of the edge of it, while their stomachs are protected by three layers of armor, each over lapping the on under it some. The top one is the darkest color of the elements while the bottom one is the lightest color. _

_ Around their waists are black leather belts with the same symbol on the buckle that's on their helmets. Their upper arms are protected by chain mail the same color of the lightest color of their element, and from their forearms down, they're protected by gauntlets. They're layered like the armor on the stomach, and their hands are the lightest color of their element and the outer half of their fingers are the darkest color. Their upper legs are protected by the chain mail, and their knees and down are protected by boots. Over the knee cap is their element looking like it's being blasted at something, then going down their leg, it's layered with the bottom one almost touching the ground, and the front of their boots are like the knee caps, looking like their elements is being blasted at something. Each armies have their own flags that whip around in the wind, the army on the land having a white flag with the symbol on it, and the army on the castle has a dark royal purple flag with a black crown out lined with gold._

_ A single dinosaur, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, on the castle side step forward in front of the army, and on its back is a man clad in black and gold armor, with a scabbard of very dark royal purple belted on, a sword of the same color in it, and I can see his face. It has a bored, unamused look, with hard, cold, cruel ice blue eyes with reptilian pupils._

_ Zongazonga._

_ I look at the side on the island, and a vivosaur, not a dinosaur, steps forward. I have no idea what kind it is, since it's a super evolver. The strange thing about it is that it has butterfly wings on the sides of its face and thighs. It's clad in the air type armor, but its rider has on fire armor. I'm guessing they're the leader. They're only wearing a helmet with a face covering, only allowing me to see their eyes, gauntlets, boots, a black leather shirt, black leather pants, and shoulder pads. Slung across their back is a hammer with a periwinkle head, light periwinkle handle with ancient words edged in, the same kind of letters on the Calio Slablets. On the head of the hammer in the center, is the same symbol on their helmets and belts. They're of an unimpressive four feet tall, with thin limbs and is very scrawny. The leader of the army on the island, which must be a rebellion, stares down Zongazonga, who returns it._

_ "..." The only noise is the wind, and the violent crashing of waves in the ocean, while dark, violent storm clouds rumble over head. Zongazonga suddenly chuckles, amused. _

_ "Oh how amusing." He says. "To think that you actually believe that you and your pitiful army can defeat me. Quite amusing, as you always are." The Rebel leader's face hardens._

_ "I am playing no game, you foul, snake tongued, demon." They tell him with hate and bitterness. "The people of Caliosteo have grown weary of you and your rule. They wish to live peacefully, to make their own decisions, and to not hold your blasted tournament."_

_ "Bold words, youngling." Zongazonga says. "Although I am looking forward to crushing your army, I am offering you a second chance..." He holds up his hand, and a small crown of made of woven silver and studded with onyx appears. He holds it out. "Well?" The Rebel leader's eyes narrow._

_ "Blast you and your petty offers, you black, twisted, foul snake eyed deceiver!" They yell at him. "Curse you! Curse you that you may die a terrible death and the hand of your foes! Curse you that you never find peace for the rest of your eternal life! Curse you that after this battle, when we seal you away, that you shall never again see even the smallest bit of light! That you will be trapped forever in darkness, as black as the tear in space that devours the stars and planets." Zongazonga sits there a second, anger spreading across his face. His hand curls into a fist, and the crown floating above it shatters, and blows away as dust._

_ "You ignorant child..." He growls. "How can you defeat me? I am invincible. Untouchable even. There is nothing you can do to over throw me. I am a sorcerer, and I will win this war."_

_ "We have her!" A man yells. A dinosaur clad in water type armor steps forward, a man in water type armor on its back. "You can't stop her Zongazonga!" He says pointing at the Rebel Leader. "You cannot take her body! Your skull cannot be forced into her! She is far more dangerous than your worst nightmare, and even smarter than you thought possible! She made our armor, and she made that hammer! If you think that you can stop her, you are a bigger FOOL than I thought possible!" Zongazonga draws in an angry breath._

_ "Then I will just kill her!" He says, his voice booming with anger. "Just shoot an arrow through her heart!"_

_ "You cannot kill me demon!" The leader says as their vivosaur takes a few steps forward. "If I could die, I would have killed myself long ago! There is nothing that you can do to me that can be possibly worse than what I've been forced to live through! You could shoot me full of arrows, but I would feel no pain, nor would a drop of my blood be shed, nor would my wounds live for two minutes! You could stab me with a knife until I was a raw mass of flesh, but I would be how I was before that, completely unscathed in just a minute! You could chop my head off, but the blade would only sink a quarter of the way in before stopping, no matter what you did! Try to cut my heart out? It won't work! Set me a blaze? I would merely stand there, nothing happening to me! Throw me in lava? I will climb out of the molten rock, unharmed! Chain me to weights and throw me in the ocean? I would find a way out of the chains, and come to the surface! Poison me? I am immune to every toxin! Fed me to one of your dinosaurs? I will just tear open its belly and come out! Lock me in a room and throw away the keys? I will escape! There is no way to kill me Zongazonga! The only reason I still live is because I cannot die!"_

_ "Then I will find a way to do it!" Zongazonga roars. "I will crush you and your army! We will slaughter all who dare resist me! When we are through, it will rain your blood! The ground will be covered with the corpses of your army and pitiful rebels! The crows and ravens will descend from the skies and feast upon your rotting flesh! The sun will bleach your bones pure white! The wild dogs will find them and gnaw on them! YOU WILL ALL PERISH!" He shoots black and dark purple lightning at the sky from his finger tips, causing a gale to spring up, and the clouds over head to become even more violent, and the waves taller and much more powerful._

_ "Do not let yourselves be intimidated by him!" The Rebel Leader tells her troops. "He may have controlled you before, but no longer! We are throwing off these shackles! Zongazonga says he cannot be overthrown, but he IS wrong! He told all of you there was no one he could not take over, correct? Well, he cannot take me over! If he is wrong about that, what else is he wrong about? With this hammer," She takes the hammer in her hand a raises it up. "we can knock him out of his body, and restrict him of his powers! He is wrong about him being invincible! He is wrong about him being king! He does not deserve to be king! He does not deserve to have the power he has! He does not deserve our mercy! He only deserves to be locked away forever! If you know that I am right, you are sick and tired of that man, and you wish to be free of his oppression, then tell me what you say! Is our freedom for our land, our homes, our families, and our lives worth fighting for? WHAT SAY ALL OF YOU?"_

_ "__**FOR CALIOSTEO!**__" Her troops roar._

_ "CHARGE!" The Rebel Leader yells, pointing the hammer at Zongazonga's army. They all charge forward, the rebel leader up front with the hammer slung across her back._

_ "ARCHERS!" Zongazonga yells. They notch an arrow, and take aim. "FIRE!" They release the arrows, which go flying towards the rebellion, and harmlessly bounce off their armor. Zongazonga releases a wild cry of war, making his troops do the same, and they charge. The two armies all run straight towards each other, neither slowing down, faltering, or stopping their cries of war._

_ Everything suddenly slows down, and I can only hear a heartbeat._

_ The rebel leader runs up to the head of her vivosaur, jumps off sending her airborne, and going straight towards Zongazonga. She holds out on hand as if to grab something, while the other hand pulls back into a fist._

_ Her gauntlet on that hand turns into scorching hot fire._

_ Complete shock covers Zongazonga's face, the rebel leader grabs his shoulder, puts her hand over his face, which is then engulfed in a torrent of fire. Time goes back to normal, and the two armies collide in a loud burst of clangs, wails, war cries, and the sounds of the rebels controlling the elements._

_ I have no idea how, but the Rebel Leader somehow made it to where the wearer of the armor could control whatever element that armor represents, without any harm done to the wearer or anything else wearing the elemental armor. I stand there, watching them battle, the sounds of war filling my ears._

_ I suddenly feel a hand grab my shoulder, and I look behind me to see the rebel leader. I turn around to face her, and she stands there, arms crossed looking up at me. She holds up a medal, which is the same size and shape of a Dino Medal. I take it, and look at it to see it has the symbol as on their belts and helmets. I run my thumb over the front of it, then look back at the rebel leader._

_ "He has been defeated before." She tells me. "He has a weakness. Do not fear him, or he will destroy everything that you deem precious." _

I suddenly wake up, drawing in a quick breath. I'm on a bunk bed in an unfamiliar room. It has ice gray walls, grayish and ice gray floor, a desk in the upper right corner, and the bunk bed in the upper left corner. The bunk bed has gray sheets, white blanket, and a white pillow with blue at the ends. Everything that's happened today fills my mind, and I look at my watch to see it's six in the evening. I sit up, swing my feet down onto the floor, put my elbows on my knees, and rub my forehead with one hand, while I run my thumb over a Dino Medal in the other.

_...Wait..._ I didn't have a Dino Medal in my hand. I stop, and look at the medal to see it's the symbol the rebels had on their helmets and belts in the dream I just had. I sit there and look at it, then pin it onto my suit where the left chest pocket had been before Zongazonga tore it off. I sit there, mulling over what to do while I listen to Todd saw logs on the top bunk.

"Hmmmm...?" He starts to wake up. "Red?"

"Down here." I say. He looks over the top of his bunk at me, then scrambles down to the floor.

"What do we do?" Todd asks me. "Zongazonga's gonna try to take your body!"

"And if I don't give it to him, he'll kill you." I tell him.

"We're so screwed..." Todd says sadly hanging his head.

"...Are y'all awake?" We hear a voice ask. It's the same one that told us to jump onto the B-Ptera. We look at the door to see it slide open, and a skull bounce in, using its jaw to move itself, and with a silver crown out lined with gold and a ruby on the front on the top of its head.

"GAAAH!" Todd exclaims jumping backwards. "That skull's talking! And bouncing! W-wait. I know you! You're Don Boneyard! ...But wait! Maybe you're actually the skull of King Zongazonga!...Okay, who are you?" The skull sits there a second, then looks away.

"Todd..." He looks at me. "...Who else besides us and Zongazonga knows who he really is, and that Joe was the one who opened the chest? When Don Boneyard recognized me, he told me not to trust the present Joe Wildwest. Rupert came in before he could tell me that he was really Zongazonga, so that means..." I stand there, looking at him with sad eyes, and his jaw drops.

"Are you crazy Red?" He exclaims. "You think this skull is actually Joe Wildwest?"

"I'm afraid Red's right there, small fry." The skull tells us, looking back at us. "I really am Joe Wildwest. I reckon I know how crazy it sounds, but I need y'all to believe me...Especially you Todd." Todd gets a confused look.

"...How do you know my name?" He asks.

"'Cause ya told it to me." The skull tells him. "Remember? After we battled that Allosaurus?"

"The battle? The Allosaurus?" Todd asks. "Only Joe could know about that! It's Joe! It's really him!" Joe looks away.

"I used to dream 'bout a place where Fighters could dig up fossil rocks and battle to their heart's content." He tells us sadly. "That's why I built this here Caliosteo Fossil Park. But just before the doors opened, I stumbled on the Stone Pyramid an' decided to take a peek inside. That's when I found me a big stone chest, and...Well, I reckon y'all know the rest. The skull of that Zongazonga feller flew up and took over my body! And here I am. Rollin' around like a tumbleweed on the plains."

"That's why you sounded sad." I say. He and Todd look at me. "When you were telling everyone that you were going to sink the islands, you had a bit of sadness in your voice. You were going to have to destroy your dream..."

"Yep." Joe says. "I'd rather lose my dream than have someone else lose their body."

"Wow." Todd says.

"Yep." Joe says. "But, my body's got a few miles on it, so Zongazonga started lookin' for a new Majestic Vessel."

"I don't understand that though." I tell him. "You're young, like what? Twenty-four? You're in good physical condition, why would he need someone else?"

"I'm not too sure about that." Joe tells me. "It might just be because he was in that Stone Chest so long, he couldn't regain his powers like he used to when he took my body. So, he organized the Caliosteo Cup and summon Fighters from across the world. I knew I had to stop it, so I disguised m'self as Don Boneyard and formed the BareBones Brigade. But, flyin' skulls warn't the only thing I found at the Stone Pyramid. I also tracked down some boneysaurs. I took as many as I could an' gave 'em to the BB Brigade. And after that, we did everything we could to disrupt the Cup...'Course, ya didn't make it easy there, pardners. Every time we got close, y'all pushed us back again."

"Sorry Joe..." I tell him apologetically.

"Aw, shucks. Don't go apologizin' now!" He tells me. "Y'all were just doin' what ya thought was right. But I gotta admit, y'all surprised me at every turn. I never reckoned to get beat by the small fry I rescued from'a rouge Allo!"

"Wow..." Todd says, amazed. "A lot to take in, in just a small amount of time."

"Yeah dawg." I tell him. Joe hops towards the door some, then looks back at us.

"Well, I wish we had time to sit around and jaw, but we don't." He tells us. "Ol' Zongazonga went through a lot'a trouble to hold that cup, an' he's gonna want Red's body. He ain't gonna give up till he has it, so y'all gotta vamoose from these islands right now."

"Joe's right Red!" Todd tells me. "We need to get out of here!"

"..." I stand there, looking at Joe, then look at Todd. "...I'm not leaving."

"WHAT?" Todd exclaims. "Why?"

"Because," I tell him. "when we were going to Joe's Office, I'm going to sound crazy, but someone came into my mind and told me that it was too late. If I run now, he'll only pursue me, and try to get my body by any means possible."

"So what are you going to do?" Todd asks me with distraught.

"I'm going to get Joe his body back, then finish off Zongazonga once and for all." I tell him with seriousness and determination.

"Aw, shucks Red." Joe says. "I appreciate ya sayin' that. I really do." He tells me sincerely. "But I'd feel terrible if somethin' happened to ya. Don't be a hero. Run while you still can."

"Joe," I tell him with a sad look. "through the course of events here, and at other points in my life, I've learned that I'm here to be a hero. I've stuck up for people and what I believe in for a while now, and if I run, who would stop Zongazonga? If I don't fight, If I don't take a stand, If I don't show any fear, then who will? Everyone here still thinks he's you. He'll come up with some way to get people to bring him to me. I know that there's a way to stop him. The Free Caliosteans did it, and so can I. I've done the impossible before, and I know I can do it again."

"Uh, Red?" Todd asks. "I look at him. I don't want to sound like a chicken or anything, but...HE'S A FLYING SKULL THAT CAN STEAL YOUR BODY FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! Let's just leave, okay?" He asks with a sad look in his eyes. He tugs at my sleeve. "Let's leave together..."

"I can't Todd." I tell him sadly. "You go...He'll use you against me. This is my fight. He's after me, and I would never forgive myself if something happened to you." Todd stands there a second, tears brimming his eyes.

"Come on!" He says. "I'm worried about you! Don't you understand?"

"..." My throat tightens. "I can't leave Todd...I'm sorry." He stands there for a second.

"Fine then!" He says, angry. "Get your body stolen! ...See if I care..." He runs towards the door, Joe hopping out of the way, then stops in front of it, and looks back at me. I stand there, looking straight forward. He looks at me with sadness in his eyes, then runs out of the room. I hang my head and squeeze my eyes shut.

_I'm sorry Todd._

Everything we've done, everything we've been through together, fills my mind. My throat tightens even more, making it hard for me to breath, and a tear runs down my face.

"Ya sure about this pard?" Joe asks. "Yer riskin' an awful lot to help little ol' me." I take a deep breath, and wipe my arm across my eyes, and lift my head back up. I look at Joe with my sad, deep blue eyes.

"I'm sure." I tell him. "You helped me and Todd, now it's time to repay you."

"I'll still owe ya more than you'll ever know." Joe tells me.

"Don't worry about it." I tell him with a small, sad smile. I pick him up. "I'm not worried about myself. It's Todd and my friends I'm worried about. Todd's leaving, but Rupert and Pauleen are still back on the islands. We need to get them so Zongazonga won't be able to use them against me."

"Yep." Joe tells me. "But then there's also the matter of how to stop ol' ZZ. And I don't have the first idea 'bout how to defeat him. I know them ancient folks managed to seal him up somehow, but I dunno how they did it." We both, well, I stand there for a second, and hold Joe, well, his skull, in my hands. "Aw, horse feathers! I wish we knew someone around that knew the history of these here islands..."

"..." Someone pops to the front of my mind. "Professor Scatterly! He's been researching these islands, and has a set of Calio Slablets that could help us!" Joe sits there for a second.

"Well shucks!" He says. "Then what're we standin' 'round here for? Let's go get 'em!"

"Right!" I say nodding. "Uh, you don't mind riding in my backpack, right?" I ask him. "People might freak out if they saw me carrying a talking skull..."

"No problem!" He says. He jumps over my head, and right into my pack. "Let's ride to the Caliosteo Museum and find 'em!"

"Hey, you're the one who's riding, not me!" I tell him running out of the room. The ache in my chest has increased tenfold because of Todd. It's good that he left, but I just wish he hadn't of left like that. I head to Joe's Quarters, and find the teleporter he told me about on the pedestal that he stood on. I activate it, causing smoke to appear around me. I feel myself diffuse into the small particles, and reassemble. I'm between the museum, and the moat around the Fighter Station. I quickly duck behind the benches, sneak behind them to the door, and quickly duck in to see the professor looking at the Calio Slablets. "Professor!"

"Oh ho!" He says cheerfully. "Welcome back, old bean! I hear you won the Caliosteo Cup, wot wot? Capital job, that. Truly nice work." He raises an eye brow. "You will allow me to keep this museum open, correct?"

"ABOUT the Cup..." I tell him.

"What is the matter?" He asks with a bit of worry. "You seem rather flustered."

"Okay, I am going to sound like a COMPLETE whack job, BUT..." I take a very deep breath. "The current Joe Wildwest up in Wildwest Tower is actually Zongazonga in Joe's body because Joe found the Stone Pyramid, and Zongazonga stole his body, and he then held the Caliosteo Cup the find a new body for himself, and the real Joe posed as Don Boneyard to try to stop the Cup, but me and my friends kept stopping him so the Cup went on, and since I won, he's gonna try to take my body, and he said that with mine, he'll be more powerful than the ever thought possible, and if he DOES take my body, then he's gonna use it to regain all of his powers and TAKE OVER THE WORLD!" I stand there, panting since I said it all quickly, while Professor Scatterly stand there, looking at me with surprise. He blinks, then starts to chuckle.

"Oh ho! Oh ho ho ho ho!" He laughs harder. "Oh, you are a wit aren't you?" He laughs. "You almost had this old man fooled there for a second!" He laughs a bit more.

"Ain't no joke professor." Joe says from my backpack. "Take a look at what happened to me." He jumps out of my backpack, making Professor Scatterly jump and gasp.

"Good gravy!" He exclaims. "A skull that moves and talks! ...Well, this is simply fascinating." He stands there for a second, then looks at me. "With this proof in front of me, it seems I've little choice but to believe your tale. Although if Zongazonga really has come back, I'm afraid it leaves us in quite a fix, yes? If he were to seize your body and reclaim his powers, and since you're quite powerful even without the power he has, I say, it would be a right terrible thing for the world!"

"I know, I know, we're completely screwed." I tell him. "But the Free Caliosteans overthrew Zongazonga somehow, and we need to know how."

"How he was defeated?" Prof. Scatterly asks. "Oh my. Oh dear me." He says, troubled. "I...I'm afraid I don't know." He stands there for a second. "Hold the phone! ...Yes, if I were to investigate there..." We suddenly hear yelling outside.

_What? _I turn and look at the door. _'What's going on?'_

_ 'I don't know,' _Cloud Cover tells me. _'but I don't like it.'_

_ 'Me neither.' _Air Strike says.

_'Be careful,' _Flamethrower tells me. _'it might be Zongazonga.'_

"I say!" Prof. Scatterly says. "It sounds like quite the bit of commotion outside, eh wot?"

"Somethin' must've happened." Joe says. "Come on, let's go have ourselves a look." Joe jumps back into my backpack, and me and Prof. Scatterly go outside. The Mammoth Screen flies into view, and a small crowd gathers in front of it. Me and the professor duck behind a tree near the Fighter Station entrance, and we look up at the screen. It comes on, and there stands Zongazonga. His eyes look like his, not like Joe's, like how everyone must see them right now.

_'People who don't know who he really is must not be able to see his real eyes, teeth and hear his real voice.' _Flamethrower says. I mentally nod. Zongazonga stands there, next to Joe's desk.

"Hello there everyone. It's me. Joe Wildwest." He says in a voice that rumbles like thunder. The words are too smooth, and roll of his tongue far too well. It makes my scalp prickle and unease fills me. I look at the professor, to see his face is pale and his light blue eyes are wide with fear. I look back at the screen. "I'm afraid we have some very sad news about our 'champion', Red." Worried and shocked whispers run through the crowd. Zongazonga walks to the front middle of Joe's desk. "I've learned that our champion is actually a member of the hated BareBones Brigade." Whispers of shock, surprise, disbelief and anger run through the crowd. "Yes...it seems Red has been running with them from the beginning." The words fill me with dread and make me sick to my stomach. Zongazonga turns his back to the camera, and rests the palms of his hands on Joe's desk. "Also, I have discovered that he has been rigging matches to assure himself of victory."

"THAT LOW-LIFE CHEATER!" Someone yells.

"And that's not the worst of it all." Zongazonga says. My face has paled and my hands are shaking a bit. "When he came up here, after he won, he pulled a knife out on me." Gasps run through the crowd, and I feel like I've been hit by a wrecking ball.

He just said I tried to kill him.

KILL. HIM.

My breathing increases, my arms start shaking violently, and I feel my face completely drain of color. Zongazonga turns back to the camera, an angry look on his face that could strike fear into a person, even if they see Joe's face.

"Our so-called CHAMPION is nothing but a fraud!" He says. "This low down cheater is hiding out somewhere with all the other BB Brigade cronies." He takes at step forward, and his face hardens with anger. "HEAR ME WELL! I want Red captured and brought to me!" He booms.

"I can't believe I trusted that kid!" Someone yells as the Mammoth Screen flies away.

"Tell me about!" Another person yells. "Trying to kill Joe? I'll teach that kid a lesson!"

"I'm going to drag him up there myself, even if he's kicking and punching!" A person in the crowd yells.

"YEAH!" A person yells in agreement. "Let's go find that kid and teach him a thing or two!" The crowd quickly diffuses, everyone running in different directions. Terry and some staff run out of the Fighter Station, look around some, and then run toward a dig site, carrying white gun-like objects that shoot knock out stuff like the police in my hometown use. Me and the professor hurry out into the empty square.

"Dagnabit!" Joe says from inside my backpack. He had peeked out while the broad cast was going. "He's tricked the Fighters into doin' his dirty work!" I barely hear him. I stand there, tears brimming my eyes, my hands shaking, my face pale, and my breathing heavy from what I just became.

A fugitive.

An outlaw.

A wanted person.

_'This can't be happening.' _I think. _'Please tell me this isn't happening! I've always been a good kid! I stayed in line, did my best, followed the rules, stuck up for what's right, never cheated, never done anything bad! And...And...'_

_ 'Red, snap out of it!' _Air Strike tells me. _'Panicking won't help! We know you're good, and that you wouldn't hurt a fly, but you need to stay strong! You know who you are, and don't let anyone or some flying skull make up who you are!'_

_ '...' _I stand there for a second. _'O...Okay...' _I take a deep breath, and try to get a grip.

"This is a situation most dire." Prof. Scatterly says. "I suggest the two of you make good of your escape at once!"

"You're coming with us." I tell him, my voice a bit shaky. "We also need to get Rupert and Pauleen. Zongazonga will use them against us."

"Yes, quite." The professor says. They both suddenly run out of the Fighter Station, and up to us.

"Stay yourselves now, my friends!" Prof. Scatterly says. "That announcement was a lie!"

"That's alright, digadig." Pauleen says. "We're on Red's side, digadig."

"We battled you in the Cup, and we know you won by far means." Rupert tells me. I sigh with relief.

"I love you guys." I tell them.

"Aw, we can't be wastin' time like this!" Joe says hopping out of my pack, much to Rupert and Pauleen's surprise. "We gotta gallop back to the BB Brigade Base and right fast at that."

"Diga!" Pauleen exclaims. "It's diga-Don Boneyard, digadig! What's he diga-doing here, digadig?"

"I'll fill ya in on the details later!" Joe tells her. "Right now, we gotta get outta here! If they track down Red, the world's in a heap'a trouble!"

"I can't say as I understand, but I will trust your judgment." Rupert says. "Come on Pauleen. We need to go."

"Digadig!" Pauleen says nodding. Joe jumps back into my backpack.

"You've disappointed me." We all hear a familiar voice say. I whirl around to see Stella standing there, anger on her face and one of the K.O. Blasters on her belt. "I trusted you, you know?" Terry and Kent appear next to her. Terry walks towards us some, making us walk a few steps back.

"Who knew the champ was actually a member of the BB Brigade?" He asks, anger in his voice and on his face. "It's sad really." Kent walks towards us some, and an angry mob of Fighters has began to form behind them. We take a few steps away from Kent.

"Come on, little dude." He tells me, his face hard with anger. "Just come with us and nobody has to get gnarly." He tells me as he puts a hand on the K.O. Blaster on his belt. The staff leaders come towards us some, making us move back, and the angry mob of Fighters continues to grow.

"This is bad." Rupert says. "We're surrounded."

"What diga-do we diga-do, digadig!" Pauleen says, her voice distraught.

"Listen," I tell the Staff Leaders. "I know I sound crazy, but the Joe Wildwest up in the tower is an imposter! If you take me to him, the world will fall into disaster!"

"Why should we believe you?" Terry asks.

"Yeah!" Kent says. "We've known Joe longer than you little dude! I'm pretty sure we would know the real one from an imposter!"

"Last chance CHAMP." Stella says taking out her K.O. Blaster. Terry already has his aimed at me, causing the memory of me being shot to race around in my mind.

"Don't shoot." I whisper as the memory makes my face drain of color. The gun shot ringing out. The pain erupting in my chest. My mom screaming my name. My dad attacking the man. My mom's tears falling on my face from her worry that I wouldn't make it. My hand over the wound. The blood coming out. Everything. Stella gets a look of confusion as she realizes how I'm reacting to the blasters.

We're surrounded.

There's no way for us to escape.

We're doomed.

"_**ROOOOOOOAAAAAAR!**_" We hear someone roar. Everyone looks in the direction it came from, to see a green blur running towards us. The person skids to a stop in front of us, cutting off the mob and staff leaders, a Stegosaurus Dino Medal in hand, and ready to fight.

"Todd!" I exclaim.

"Run you guys!" Todd tells us, keeping his back to us. "Run now! I'll take care of these guys!"

"Todd..." I say, tears building up in my eyes. We run to him.

"Hey, so remember when I said I wanted to run because I was worried about you?" Todd asks me, still looking at the staff and mob. "Well, it's not quite true. I actually wanted to run because...I was afraid. I've run from a lot of things, you know? I'd just hang back and let you do all the hard stuff." He takes a couple of slow steps forward. "You were always so brave! You took on anything, no matter how scary it was! And then Pauleen took off her mask, and Rupert stood up to his father, and...And I realized I was a coward. It...made me ashamed. But I'm done running! No more fake stomach aches for me! You're my brother Red, and I'm gonna save you!" He looks back at us, his eyes full of strength and determination, and looks at me, with my sad, tear filled deep blue eyes. "Go already!" He tells us. He looks back at the staff members, and throws his Stego Dino Medal in the air, and it comes out, ready to fight.

_Todd..._ I think. Tears pour from my eyes. I know he could take the staff leaders, but the angry mob of Fighters? _He...He can't stay here! They'll capture him! Zongazonga will hurt him! We can make it! We can all make it! I promised I wouldn't let him get hurt! That nothing would happen to him! I can't let him stay! _I reach out with my hand, but Rupert stops me by grabbing my other arm. I look at him, and I see sadness in his golden cat eyes.

"Todd can do this." He tells me. "We must believe in him." I stand there, look at the ground, then back at Todd.

_Todd... _I feel Rupert pull my arm to get me to move my feet. Part of me yells at me to run, and the other part tells me to stay with Todd. I find Rupert holding me by one arm, and Pauleen by my other arm, as my feet unwilling run with them, and I'm looking over my shoulder at Todd, yelling his name.

Todd.

My best friend.

My wingman.

My best bro.

My brother.

And I have to leave him.

The next thing I know, I'm sitting in a corner, tears pouring from my eyes, headphones on my head, and hugging my knees. I can only hear my heart beating, I'm panting as if I just ran a marathon without stopping, and I'm a helicopter, with Rupert doing something with some wires in the cockpit, Pauleen in the co pilot seat telling him something, and Professor Scatterly sitting next to me, patting my shoulder and saying something. I keep whimpering Todd's name over and over again. I feel like part of me has been torn from me. Like how when I had to leave Vivosaur, but this time, I know I'll probably never get it back. The helicopter suddenly takes off, and the clouds fly past us as Rupert flies the helicopter at top speed.

Everything suddenly goes black.

_'Red.' _Cloud Cover says gently. I open my eyes, which are red and stinging, to see I'm curled up into a tight ball, leaning against a wall in a corner. I recognize the room as Joe's Quarters in the BB Brigade Base.

_'T-Todd...' _I stammer.

_'It's okay Red.' _Cloud Cover tells me gently.

_'Okay? He's safe?' _I ask.

_'...Uh...' _She panics for a second. _'We know Zongazonga isn't going to hurt him, since he's the only thing he has against us, but he's been captured.'_

_ '...' _Fresh tears pour from my eyes. _'Didn't...save him...Didn't...keep him safe...'_

_ 'It's okay Red.' _Cloud Cover tells me. I feel my vivosaurs mentally hug me. _'He did what had to be done. If you had stayed, they would have gotten you, and then Zongazonga could take over your body and...Well, you know the rest.'_

_ 'Todd...' _I whimper.

"He's awake." Rupert says. I look up to see him looking at me, worry in his eyes. He, Pauleen, Joe, and Prof. Scatterly are all in front of the pedestal that Joe stood on as Don Boneyard. Joe bounces over to me.

"Ya alright pard?" He asks.

"Todd..." I whimper. "Didn't save him...Didn't keep him safe..."

"It's alright!" Joe tells me. "We'll save him! We'll find out how to stop ol' ZZ and save Todd!"

"..." I whimper. "I ran. I didn't fight. That was my battle. He fought it for me."

"So, digadig?" Pauleen asks. "When you fought Cole and saved me, that was Todd's battle, right, digadig? You fought it for him, digadig! Now he's diga-done the same."

"Poor lad." Prof. Scatterly says sadly. "How we had to take him away from Todd like that."

_'Red, listen.' _Flamethrower tells me. _'Everything's going to be okay. Todd's okay. We need you to put yourself back together, and help us. You're strong. Probably stronger than Zongazonga. You can do this. Sitting in a corner whimper Todd's name isn't going to help him. You need to help him. I know that you're a shambles right now, but you need to help us.'_

_ '...' _I blink. _'For Todd.' _I take a deep breath, and think about what I'm fighting for. It gives me strength. I suddenly realize I'm wrapped in a blanket, and I pull it off. My legs and arms are stiff from being curled up so tightly, I stand up and stretch.

"Are you alright, old bean?" Prof. Scatterly asks as I walk over to the rest of them.

"I'll be okay..." I tell them. "It's just...I had to leave a friend behind before, and I just had to do it again. I think it was harder this time though, since I know I'll see my friend again, while I'm not sure if I'll see Todd again. But sitting around sulking isn't going to help anyone. I need to be strong, and fight."

"That's the spirit, digadig!" Pauleen tells me.

"Uh, by the way," I look at Rupert. "I could hear what was going on, but I know Joe was in my pack, Prof. Scatterly was trying to tell me everything was going to be okay, and Pauleen was telling you to hurry, but what were you doing with those wires?"

"..." Rupert smiles awkwardly. "Well, Joe told us we could use one of the helicopters to escape, he told us where to go, and I actually know how to hot wire and fly a helicopter."

"..." I stand there for a second. "I don't want to know." I tell him. "But back to the matter at hand, what do you two think of our predicament?"

"I must admit," Rupert says. "this is quite the amazing story. I believe every word, and yet I find it hard to imagine that Joe's body is being controlled by an ancient sorcerer. Or that this bouncing skull is actually the real Joe Wildwest." Rupert looks away. "It's a shame that the Cup was being held for such a nefarious purpose."

"A skull that lives by stealing bodies..." Pauleen says. "talk about freaky, digadig!"

"Yeah..." I tell them. "But, there is a way to defeat him, and we're going to find it." I point at the medal pinned to my suit where the chest pocket used to be. "The Free Caliosteans used some kind of hammer from what I saw, and the leader said it could knock him out of the captured body, and restrict him of his powers."

"How do you know all of this exactly?" Prof. Scatterly asks me. I look at him, and tell him about the dream I had, where the rebels fought Zongazonga. "Good heavens!" He exclaims after I finish. "Those rebels sound amazing! Oh, if I could have had that dream..."

"Are you kidding?" I ask. "You should have seen their armor..."

"We gotta focus here." Joe says. We all look at him. "It does sound pretty intersetin', but what we really need is that hammer the leader had."

"Good heavens!" The professor exclaims again. "I just thought of something! According to the Calio Slablets, Zongazonga was defeated by the rebellion. After that, they seal him inside the Stone Pyramid, yes? Then it stands to reason that the method of defeating Zongazonga may yet remain in that structure!" He looks at Joe. "You know where the Stone Pyramid is, yes?"

"Sure do!" Joe says. "It's in the Jungle Labyrinth! If ya check a bush at the deepest point, you'll open up a path to the Stone Pyramid."

"The deepest point of the Jungle Labyrinth, eh? Very well! I'm off!" He turns to leave.

"Whoa there professor!" Joe says making Prof. Scatterly stop. "Zongazonga's been tellin' everyone that Red here's a thief and lair." I hang my head and let out a miserable grunt. "Folks know you two are friends. If they see ya runnin' around, there might be trouble...Hold on, now. I think I got myself and idea." He hops out of the room, then reappears a minute later, holding something in his teeth while rolling in. He comes back up to us, dizzy. "I hate havin' to move like that." He says. The professor picks up the white cloth Joe had in his teeth, and unwraps a mask that resembles our Paleopagers. "Try that on." Joe tells him, recovering from his dizziness. Prof. Scatterly puts it on.

"Well played old bean!" He says. He somehow got it on over his helmet and glasses. "No one will recognize this old bean now! Right then! I'm off. Tallyhooooo!" He hurries out of the room, and I suddenly remember something.

"Uh, Joe?" He, Pauleen and Rupert all look at me. "Professor Scatterly has a tendency to get lost and forget stuff."

"Aw, horse feathers!" Joe says. "I gotta second mask here. We shoulda sent someone with him..." I grab the second mask, and put it on, somehow getting it on over my hair.

"I'll go." I say.

"Hold on Red." Rupert says. "We can't send you after him."

"He's right, digadig!" Pauleen says. "It's too diga-dangerous, digadig! Take off the mask and let me go instead, digadig." I look at them.

"I have to go." I tell them. "If you guys get caught, Zongazonga would use you guys against me, and I would never forgive myself if something happened to you guys...Todd's already been taken from me. That was too much for me to bare."

"Red's right y'all." Joe says. "This is somethin' Red and me need to handle.

"Let's go, Joe!" I tell him, allowing him to jump into my backpack.

"Right, to the Jungle Labyrinth." Joe says. "If ya wanna open the path, ya gotta check the bush at the deepest point. All right pard! Let's ride!"

"You're the one riding!" I tell him as I jump up onto the pedestal.

"Good luck." Rupert tells me. I grunt in response, and activate the teleporter. I teleport, and open my eyes to see I'm between the Caliosteo Museum and the moat around the Fighter Station. I dash over to the Heliport, and quickly board the helicopter to get to Ribular. The sun is already starting to set, but Fighters and staff are hurrying around, looking for me no doubt. The helicopter arrives on Ribular, and I quickly hop out.

_Okay, deepest part of the Jungle Labyrinth, check the bush, and I'll find the path. _I think as I hurry towards the path to the dig site.

The mask is suddenly pulled off my head.

"I thought you looked familiar!" I hear Stella say. I break out into a run, and I hear a gunshot ring out.

The K.O. Blaster.

Something hits my arm, and I feel an ice cold substance enter my blood stream.

The ground rushes up, and I black out as I hear dull roars of anger.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Yup. Red has been captured. LE GASP!<strong>

**Red: I. Am. So. Completely. SCREWED.**

**Me: Or are you? LEAVEZ REVIEWS MAH READARS!**

**gardevoirXgallade:**** What?**

**Greywing44:**** I know. I LUVZ MAH CLIFFHANGERS!**


	51. Capture

**AN- Okay, mostly made up here, but, YOU WILL GET TO READ RED GOING BEAST MODE IN THIS CHAPA! ONWARDS! ...That IS a word, right? Spoiler: Red is going to hurt Zongazonga. BAD.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Fifty-One-Capture<p>

The first thing I'm aware of is that I'm being held up by two strong hands, clasped firmly to my upper arms. I crack open my eyes to see lights appear, then disappear. I try to move my hands, only to realize I'm bound to something. I get my wits, and realize I'm on the elevator platform going up to Joe's Office, and that Terry and Kent have hand cuffed me to them. I start to struggle when I feel something against my arm.

"Don't struggle." Stella tells me. It's the barrel of the K.O. Blaster against my arm. I sigh, and Terry and Kent just stand there, their faces hard.

"...Where's Todd?" I ask.

"Don't worry." Terry tells me. "He's fine."

"I don't believe you." I tell him. "You have me, just let him go."

"Can't do it little dude." Kent tells me. "He helped you, so he has to pay for his crimes as well."

"Just don't hurt him." I say. "But look, you guy need to listen to me. The Joe Wildwest you're taking me to right now is an imposter that wants to take over the world."

"We know the real Joe Wildwest when we see him." Stella tells me coldly.

"Look," I tell her looking over my shoulder at her. "I know you guys aren't going to believe me, but-" The elevator dings, and the panel slides open. We rise up into Joe's Office, and there stands Zongazonga, his eyes looking straight through me. It's darker outside the windows, and I manage to look at my watch to see it's almost seven. Terry and Kent force me forward, holding my arms behind my back, while Stella keeps the K.O. Blaster aimed at me. I look down at the floor, refusing to look Zongazonga in the eye.

"Well," Zongazonga says, his voice irritated and rumbling like an avalanche. "look who we have here. The 'champion' we all know and love." He bends over to my eye level. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"..." I say nothing.

"Well?"

"..." I mumble something.

"What?" Zongazonga asks. I mumble it again. "Whatever you're saying, spit it out already!" I suddenly look up at him, and spit right in his eye. "GAH!" He exclaims jumping backwards and clapping a hand over that eye. Before anyone can react, I suddenly cross my arms to form and X, making Terry and Kent's head smash together. I chomp through the handcuffs, then whirl around and round house kick Stella in the side, sending her flying. I tear the rest of the hand cuffs off with my teeth and spit out the metal, then whirl back and duck as Zongazonga throws a book at me, which instead flies over head and across the room, which then hits the window, breaking it, making shards of glass fall and gasps of shock and confusion come from the people outside. I look up, and Zongazonga punches me, causing me to fall over. He grabs me by my collar, but I kick his leg, making him let go of me and grab his leg. I jump up and run to the right side of the room, hear to pile of rubble, and Zongazonga suddenly tackles me.

We fall to the ground, him on top of me, and his arms around me, making me unable to move them. He keeps me pinned down, while I squirm and struggle. He gets his arm around my neck in an attempt to stop me, but I slam the back of my head into his face, making him jump off of me. I scramble to my feet, running away from him, then look back to see him holding his nose, which has some blood coming out of it. He takes his hand off, to show he healed it, and it has stopped bleeding. He charges at me with his crazed, angry eyes piercing straight through me, and I jump out of the way and trip him, making him do a face grind on the floor. I kick him the gut again, but he rolls out of the way and onto his feet, then swings his fist at me, only to have me block it.

He swings at me again, but I duck and punch him in the stomach, making him stagger back, then round house him in the side, making him fly a couple of feet before hitting the ground and skidding. He stops with his head and shoulders hanging out of the window that just broke when he threw the book at me. He looks over his shoulder at the ground and people below, and I jump on him, and grab his collar.

"Where's Todd?" I growl.

"Is he all you're worried about?" Zongazonga asks his smooth voice with a smug look on his face. I punch him as hard as I can, then grab his jaw and force him to look back at my face, which is rock hard with anger.

"WHERE IS HE?" I roar at him.

"I wouldn't be worrying about him if I were you." Zongazonga tells me. He grabs my shoulders, and rolls over, pinning me down with him on top of me.

"Well too bad I'm not you." I tell him. "I have a heart."

"Bold words you're saying to the one on top, hm?" Zongazonga asks getting an inch away from my face, with lazy eyes and faint smile.

_This guys is sickening. _I think. "You BETTER not hurt Todd." I growl.

"And...if I do?" He asks moving his head closer some. My eyes narrow.

"I'll kill you." I tell him. He chuckles, amused.

"While I'm in your pitiful hero's body?" He asks, amused. "You are SO adorably amusing."

"No, after I force you out." I tell him.

"Too bad for you," He tells me. "I'll be taking over your body."

"No." I growl. He grins evilly, showing his longer, sharper than normal teeth. He leans forward more, barely brushing his lips against mine, much to my disgust. I lean my head back, and look over my shoulder, to see the people in the square below. Despite how small they are, I can still tell they have shock on their faces.

"Surrender." Zongazonga growls in my ear, making a shiver run down my spine.

"No." I growl. His face hardens, and his grip on my shoulders strengthens, making them hurt some.

"SURRENDER." He growls again.

"NO!" I yell. I kick him off of me, causing him to fall out the window. I quickly roll over, get on my hands and knees, and look out, to see he's hanging onto a ledge with one hand, and Joe's hat in the other. I let out a sigh of relief, then he looks up at me with angry, terrifying eyes that make me jump back.

"You're in some BIG trouble Red..." I hear Terry growl. I whirl around to see him standing there with Stella and Kent, him and Kent having bruises on their foreheads and Stella holing her side where I kicked her. Terry and Kent charge at me, and I jump up in the air, making them slam into each other. I land, and Stella charges at me, swinging her fist which I sidestep, then punch her, causing her to fall back onto the floor.

"**ENOUGH!**" I look, and Zongazonga grabs me by my collar with both hands, and lifts me up off the ground, my feet dangling two feet above it due to Joe's height of six feet. My hands are clasped around his wrists, and I'm trying to pry his hands off on my collar but to no avail. "Give up."

"Never." I growl. "I'm going to stop you, and you can't do anything about it. His grip tightens.

"SURRENDER." He tells me, his voice full of anger and hate.

"NO." I tell him, my voice serious.

"GIVE UP!" Zongazonga roars at me.

"MAKE ME!" I roar back. I pull my leg back as far as I can, swing it forward as fast as possible, and kick him as hard as I can.

There's a faint, almost inaudible, squinch.

Zongazonga suddenly bares his teeth, his eyes get huge, one of them half closed with pain, and he drops me. I fall on my back, and push myself up, to see Zongazonga on his side, hands between his legs, and curled up into a very tight ball, tears streaming from his eyes which are squeezed shut so tight, I'm surprised that the tears can get out.

"THAT...HURT..." He squeaks in a very high-pitched, painful voice. My mind registers where I just kicked him, and the almost inaudible noise.

"...OW..." I say, pressing my knees together and looking away. I look back at the staff leaders, to see They must've seen and heard what I did, since Terry and Kent have their knees pressed together, and are looking at me with fear and horror, while Stella just sits there, shocked.

"..." We all just sit there for a second, the elevator suddenly dings, and the panel opens up to show two staff members with K.O. Blasters. They see Zongazonga, then look at me with wide eyes. I jump up, and dash up the stairs to Joe's Living Quarters.

"You two help Joe!" I hear Stella tell them as I run up the stairs. "We'll get Red!" I come up into a kitchen with navy blue accents, the stove, sink, refrigerator counters and cabinets on the far wall, a white table with six navy blue chairs, and an archway on the left wall leading into another room. I keep going up the spiraling stairs, not stopping, and come to a door. I throw it open, and run out to see I'm on the roof of Wildwest Tower. The wind up here howls in my ears and pulls at my hair and clothes. I start to reach for my pouch to get Water Logged, but the door flies open and the staff leader run out, K.O. Blasters in hand.

_NARGH! _I think. _I can't get him out now! They'll shoot him and knock him out! _They all point the K.O. Blasters at me, and my mind races. An idea comes to my mind. _I'm either VERY crazy, or VERY desperate. _"WAIT!" I tell them holding my hands up. "Can I just say one thing first?" They stop, look at each other with slight confusion, then back at me.

"What is it little dude?" Kent asks me. I facepalm.

"MAN, I CAN'T **BELIEVE **I'M ABOUT TO DO THIS!" I whirl around, sprit towards the railing, and jump clear over it, off of the roof of the building, pulling my goggles over my eyes in the process. I fall with myself flattened out, and with my limbs spread apart to slow my fall. I throw Water Logged's medal in front of me, and he comes out. I get on his back, and he angles himself upward, making us gain altitude. I look back at the roof of Wildwest Tower to see that the staff leaders have shock on their faces. I look back forward, and Water Logged sets coarse for the Jungle Labyrinth.

A few minutes later...

I jump off of Water Logged to the ground, pushing my goggles back up onto my head. He landed in the deepest part of the jungle, and I catch his medal as he goes into it. I put it into my pouch, then look around I see a funny looking bush, and go over to it. I easily push it out of my way, making it reveal an over grown path that probably hasn't been used in thousands of years. There's a fresh set of foot prints, over what looks like indentions of someone tripping and falling, then rolling down the decline, then there's a set of foot prints coming back, which is undoubtedly Zongazonga in Joe's body, and rounded V's slightly digging into the ground, which must have been Joe coming back. I walk down the path, which declines some, then hear running water after a bit. The sun continues to sink below the horizon, making the jungle get much darker much faster. I take out my flashlight, wind it, and flash it around. I come to a rope bridge over a wide creek, which has some vines growing over the bridge. I walk across it, and shine my flash light up, and see it.

The Stone Pyramid.

It's made of sandy-gold bricks, worn gray from age and vegetation growing all over it. I make my way through the thick foliage at my feet, ducking under some tree roots, and com up to it. I walk up the steps, and through the arch way into it. I come in, and temperature suddenly drops some, making me shiver and get chill bumps. I walk down a hallway, which is made from mirror smooth bricks, and is lit with torches, that have eerie, gray flames, whitewashing the hallway, and the murals painted on the walls.

I look at them, and fear and horror ebbs into me. It has life-like images of the horrible things Zongazonga did, dinosaurs fighting, and Zongazonga taking over new bodies. I walk down the long hallway, looking at the murals which grow worse and worse, each one more terrible than the last. Then, it shows a short person in fire armor, holding a hammer shaped object. I look at the words beneath the mural, unable to read them. All of the murals had writing, but in the Caliostenise language.

I look back at it, and continue on. They show the short person, no doubt the rebel leader, standing up to Zongazonga on several occasions. After a few, it shows a man standing in front of the rebel leader, pointing at Zongazonga, who by how he's standing, is apparently shocked. The next one shows the man carrying the rebel leader away, Zongazonga angry. I come to one, which shows Zongazonga trying to take over the rebels leaders body. His skull is hitting the rebel leader on the forehead, but unlike all the other images of him taking over bodies, there's no light around the rebel leader's head.

_That's what he meant! _I realize as I think back to the dream I had. _Zongazonga couldn't force his skull into her! _I continue, and it shows images of people foraging armor, and the rebel leader making the hammer. There's some images of the war starting, the rebels fighting Zongazonga's army, then a picture of the rebel leader jumping in the air towards a horrifying monster, which I'm guessing is Zongazonga. The next one, shows people making the Stone Pyramid, and sealing away Zongazonga's skull, then them holding a festival to celebrate. That's the last mural.

I look in front of me to see another archway. An ice wind blows from it, and I hear a faint, hollow moan. "Joe? When you first came here, did all of this scare you some?" I ask.

"It gave me the heebie-jeebies, I'll give it that much." He tells me, looking out of my backpack. "An' it still does. What 'bout you, pard?"

"It's creepy. I'm somehow used to this stuff, yet is still sends a shiver down my spine." I tell him as I walk down the hallway. Joe hops out and rides on the top of my pack.

"I never did like this place." He tells me. "'Specially them murals. I've been in Aztec structure like this, but I never saw anythin' like those murals when I was in them."

"Didn't they write on the walls with blood and have human skulls on racks?" I ask him.

"It's hard to tell which was worse." Joe tells me. "Those murals here, or the smell in an Aztec ruin."

"Probably the smell." I tell him. "After all, something like that makes a person throw up, no matter how strong there stomach is."

"Which is why I ran outta there an' didn't go back in till I got a gas mask to block out the smell."

"I don't blame you." I tell him. I keep walking, Joe riding on top of my pack in silence. I come to a large room with high ceilings, narrow windows which let faint moonlight into the room, and has some steps leading up to a higher area in the room, which has a row of the gray-fire torches, and a large stone chest in the middle whit the lid behind it, and a strange arch at the back of the room.

Despite how eerie the room is, and how I feel like some kind of ghost monster is going to jump out and attack me, I can't help but admire the architecture of the room. The ancient Caliosteans were no slouches when it came to that. I see Prof. Scatterly up next to the stone chest, having removed his mask, and examine the chest.

"Professor!" I say hurrying up to him. He looks up, and sees me.

"Oh! Hello my friend!" He tells me. "It seems you decided to follow me here, eh wot?"

"Yes sir." I tell him nodding.

"Well, what took so long?" He asks me, confused. "You should've gotten here sooner."

"Oh, nothing I wasn't able to handle." I tell him.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in Joe's Office...<p>

"He's too smart." Stella tells Zongazonga, who she saw as Joe, who was sitting in the desk chair, head on the top of the desk, with his hands still between his legs. "There's no sign of him anywhere."

"FIND. HIM." Zongazonga growls.

"Yes sir." Terry says. They walk towards the elevator.

"One more thing..." Zongazonga says. They look at him. "Send Todd up here." They nod, and ride down the elevator. Zongazonga gets up, perfectly fine from healing his wounds. He looks out the window behind the desk, clasps his hands over the small of his back, and looks at the midnight blue sky, which had stars beginning to appear as the moon rose. _Where are you? What are you planning? _He wonders.

Everything suddenly goes black.

_"What?" Zongazonga gasps opening his eyes to see himself on top of a grey plateau surrounded by a black sky. He looks at himself to find himself a foot taller, with short black hair, a dark royal purple robe with a gold belt, gold around the ends of the long sleeves and the end of the robe which brushed against the ground, and around the low cut, V-neck collar, and a cloak as black as a starless night billowing from his shoulders. "..." He slowly looks up, and turns around. On the other side of the plateau, is a figure about four feet tall, and wearing a black cloak with the hood pulled over their head, hiding their face._ _"There's only one person who knows what I used to look like..."_

_ "Before you took over the cowboy?" The hooded person asks. "Yes...It's me." They lift their head up some to show their mouth, which was curved into a smug, triumphant, faint smile. "The Majestic Vassal who you could not take."_

_ "You cursed child..." Zongazonga growls. "I should have known you would not leave me be."_

_ "Yes, especially after I came to the islands." The hooded person tells him. "And told you that if you tried to rise again, I would stop you. But, it seems I don't. The boy, Red, he will stop you." Zongazonga scoffs._

_ "How can you put faith in that simple minded child?" He asks the hooded person. Their smile widens some._

_ "You mean, the simple minded child that has escaped you twice, and has kicked you in the place that no man should be kicked so hard, there was a faint 'squinch'?" They ask. Zongazonga's face hardens and turns red._

_ "How dare you!" He says. "And it hurts worse than you could ever know! But he IS simple minded! The only reason he got away is because of dumb luck!"_

_ "Red Ranger does not have dumb luck." The hooded person tells Zongazonga. "He has a heart, a mind, and capability."_

_ "I don't care what-" Zongazonga stops for a second. "...Red Ranger? I've learned from my time in this cowboy that he stopped some kind of planet eating monster, correct?"_

_ "Yes."_

_ "Then what does he have to do with this?" Zongazonga asks. The hooded person chuckles. _

_ "You are SO adorably amusing in you ignorance." They tell him. Zongazonga's eyes widen. "Just what you told me, those thousands of years ago. I see that you remember, too. But, I see that you are far less observant than you thought yourself to be. You've gone into his mind, but you didn't look at his memories. You've seen a picture of him no doubt, but you do not look beyond his features. You do not recognize his eyes and hair. The Red that is going to stop you, is Red Ranger, the boy who saved the world." Zongazonga's eyes widen even more and his jaw drops some._

_ "What?" He asks. "You-! You've gone into his mind and looked at his memories!"_

_ "You are half correct." The hooded figure tells him. "I have appeared in a dream to him once before, but that was not my doing. I have gone into his mind right after you did, and told him to run, but he did not listen. I appeared to him again, and told him he was too late. He had set in course the actions that have occurred in the past few hours, and he will win this day. He will stop you, for I have done it, and so can he." Zongazonga stands there in disbelief._

_ "How-? How can you touch his mind when you do not possess the powers I have?" He asks._

_ "It is quite simple when you think about it." The hooded figure tells him. "If a person can transport a radio wave, a light wave, a sound wave, then doesn't it stand to reason, that with the proper equipment, you could do the same with a brain wave? How do you think I am here before you right now?"_

_ "..." Zongazonga stands there, thinking. "Well played..." He grins evilly. "You always were incredibly smart..." The hooded person scowls. _

_ "You sicken me..." They tells him. "Frankly, I was glad when Jacob took me out of the castle. I hated it there, and I hated you especially..." They lower their head some. "I hated you even more after what you tried to do to me..."_

_ "Can I help it?" Zongazonga asks. "I did find you quite beautiful."_

_ "You knew my true age." They tell him. "That we were only a few years apart. But did everyone else? No... They saw my age as what I appeared to look like. When they found out what you tried to do, they only hated you more." Zongazonga's face hardens._

_ "You smashed a glass water pitcher in my face." He growls. "Is that enough for you?"_

_ "Apparently not." They tell him. "After all, I did engulf your head in a torrent of flames during the battle, yes?"_

_ "Don't remind me." Zongazonga growls._

_ "You had better just give up now, vile demon." They tell him. "Red will defeat you, and there is nothing you can do to stop him."_

Zongazonga opens his eyes, to find himself in the cowboy's body, looking out the window in his office. "We'll see about that." He says. The elevator dings, and he turns to see a staff member with Todd, whose hands are handcuffed behind him. The staff member pushes Todd off the elevator platform, which then goes back down, leaving Todd alone with Zongazonga.

"I'll never talk!" Todd tells Zongazonga bravely. "I don't care what you do to me! Red's my brother, and I'll never help you to hurt or capture him!" Zongazonga chuckles amused.

"How amusing." He says. "I'm not going to make you talk."

"...You're not?" Todd asks, confused.

"Why would I make you talk when I can get what I want without forcing you to tell me?" Zongazonga asks, walking towards him.

"...I...don't know." Todd tells him.

"Of course you don't." Zongazonga tells Todd, looking down at him. He smacks Todd's helmet off his head.

"My helmet!" Todd exclaims looking at it as it flies to the left side of the room. Zongazonga grabs Todd's head, and forces him to his knees, while Todd grunts painfully.

"Now...Let's see what I can find in here." Zongazonga says, closing his eyes and probing Todd's mind. He grunts with pain as Zongazonga claws through his mind, seizing memory after memory and thought after thought. He tosses one aside, and claws for another one, then stops, He grabs the previous memory, which was Todd watching on of Red's battles. "Well now, what's this?"

"Get...out...of...THERE..." Todd groans as Zongazonga goes through what Todd really felt while he watched Red's battles.

"Why?" Zongazonga asks in his smooth voice. "This is JUST what I need..." He finds another memory, seizes it, and begins to twist it. Todd moans with pain as Zongazonga continues to twist and change it...

_"Todd's so useless." Red said. "I've never really liked him. Honestly, I wish I could feed him to one of my vivosaurs or something. I only let him follow me because he thinks I'm awesome."_

"Red never said that!" Todd says. Zongazonga tightens his grip on Todd's head, making him let out an exclamation of pain.

"Oh really?" Zongazonga asks as he twists another memory...

_"I had to save him since he didn't have a backbone." Red told Pauleen. "Sometimes I STILL wonder why I did. I guess it was because I just felt so bad for the weakling. Honestly, you're MUCH better off with me."_

_ "I guess, digadig..." Pauleen said. Red wraps his arm around her, pulls her close and holds her chin._

_ "Now, that's what I like to hear..."_

"He-! He wouldn't do that!" Todd objects. "He-! I-!"

"Perhaps you need to think about it." Zongazonga says, seizing another memory and twisting it...

_"Frankly, I don't see how he thought he could beat me." Red said. "He's just SO pathetic. I mean, losing Round 1? How sad can you get? He could win a Fossil Battle against a person who wasn't even a Fossil Fighter!"_

"But...He..." Todd whimpers. Zongazonga takes hold of another memory...

_"He just won't shut up about Joe Wildwest." Red said. "He's always 'Joe Wildwest this!' or 'Joe Wildwest that!' He's such a fan girl! However Joe could pay any attention to the guy is beyond me."_

And another memory...

_ "Ugh. Todd never lets me get any sleep." Red said. "He's always sawing logs. It's like having a lumber mill right outside my window. Not to mention he sleeps with a stuffed Stego named Stan, or Steve or something stupid like that. On top of it all, he even sleeps with his dumb helmet on. Really? Is he THAT worried that an acorn is going to fall on his head and shatter his skull or something? Pfffft. Talk about a wimp..."_

And another memory...

_"He says my cooking is amazing." Red said. "So? He telling me something I already know. He keeps telling me I could open a restaurant. That's so stupid though. If I wanted people to taste my food, why not just give it to them? The next time I give him some food, I'm just going to throw it in his face."_

And another memory...

_"He caught a cold." Red said. "A cold. Really? I was there, and he caught a cold, while I'm perfectly fine. The guys white blood cells aren't even strong enough to move."_

"He...He hates me?" Todd asks, heartbroken. "I...I thought..."

"We all thought he cared for you too, Todd." Zongazonga says gently patting him on the shoulder.

"He...knew I liked Pauleen...And...and he..."

"I'm afraid he did..." Zongazonga says removing the handcuffs on Todd. Todd grabs the floor in front of him, while his head hangs, and tears drip from his eyes which are squeezed shut.

"I came back to save him, but he..." Todd says, anger edging into his voice as Zongazonga wraps an arm around Todd's shoulders.

"He doesn't deserve to have you as a friend." Zongazonga whispers in his ear. "You're so far above him, and yet he said all of that behind your back..."

"That... That LIER..." Todd growls, his hands turning into fists.

"You should have won the Cup, not him." Zongazonga whispers. "You deserve the park...The glory...The fame...But no...He won instead...What should you do?"

"...I'll tell you..." Todd growls looking up at Zongazonga with angry eyes. "I'm going to wait for him to come, then crush him in battle." Zongazonga smiles evilly.

"Perfect..." He says. "Go wait on the upper deck of the Lobby. I have a feeling Red will show up there soon..."

"GOOD." Todd growls getting up. He gets onto the elevator platform and rides down. Zongazonga smiles, gets up, and retrieves Todd's helmet from where it landed. He mutters something, causing the helmet to be surrounded by a black substance, which diffuses into small particles, and disappears.

"When it arrives..." Zongazonga says. "I have a feeling Red is going to be here sooner than I thought..." He grins evilly. "You cursed child...If you believe that boy can stop me, then the hundreds of thousands of years you have been alive have taught you nothing."

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Oh boy. Things are going down in Caliosteo. What will happen next? And where exactly did Todd's helmet go? Find out in the next chapa. Until then, LEAVE A REVIEW!<strong>

**Ninja of Night:**** YAYZ! I was starting to worry that you were dead. But, I'm afraid I haz no fluffy robes to spare. :3**

**Guest:**** Yush... I just love mah cliffhangers~ :D**

**Graywing44:**** Is it still killing you? If it is, please sign this contract stating that I am not responsible for your death.**

**Guests:**** Igno? Well, SPOILERSPOILERSPOILER because SPOILERSPOILERSPOILER and so SPOILERSPOILERSPOILER and then SPOILERSPOILERSPOILER. Now, did you get all of that?**


	52. The Caliosteo Pipsqueak

**AN-And today, we will see something completely unexpected, since that's really all you can expect in Red's life. ONWARDS!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Fifty-Two-The Caliosteo Pipsqueak<p>

Joe jumps off of the top of my pack, and looks at the stone chest. "This here's the stone chest where they were keepin' Zongazonga." He tells us. "Sure wish I hadn't opened it..." I pat him on the top of his skull.

"Don't be hard on yourself." I tell him. "You didn't know." Prof. Scatterly looks around the room.

"I've been searching high and low, but I'm no closer to finding a way to defeat Zongazonga." He looks at me and Joe. "I may need to enlist your help, my good eggs! What say you?" I nod, and start looking around the room. Joe sits by the stone chest, undoubtedly replaying the moment he opened it in his head. It must've scared him half to death. I look in the stone chest to see a molded pedestal inside, no doubt where Zongazonga's skull sat for all those years. I look at the opening switch, and realize that the chest couldn't be opened from the inside. I keep walking around, looking for anything, only to find nothing.

_Dino...I just want to get out of here... _I think as a chilly breeze springs up. The eerie gray light coming from the torches, and the moonlight streaming through the windows doesn't help either. The two lights whitewash the whole room, giving it a ghostly appearance. The wind makes a hollow moan that vibrates through my ears, making me shiver. I wander over to the arch behind the stone chest, and look up at it. It has three bars of a moon white stone, all of them near the bottom, with one vertical, and two other slanting downward next to it. Beneath the middle one is some sort of inscription, in the Caliostenise language. "Hey, I think I found something!"

"What, ho?" Prof. Scatterly says hurrying over. I take my flash light out, and shine it on the inscription, allowing him to see it, while Joe hops up onto my pack. The professor looks over the runes. "Ah, yes, quite. Allow me to work my deciphering magic!" He tells us. He looks back at the runes.

"**To defeat Zongazonga, the rebellion leader used a powerful substance to create an ultimate weapon called the Caliosteo Pipsqueak." **Professor Scatterly reads. "**They used this weapon to knock Zongazonga's skull out of his the stolen body. The Caliosteo Pipsqueak could also keep Zongazonga from stealing bodies for a short time. The people used that moment to capture the skull and seal it away in the stone chest.**"

"The Caliosteo Pipsqueak?" Joe asks. "Seems like a pretty wimpy name for a weapon. But, if it helps us stop ol' ZZ, then I'm all for it! Where can we find this Caliosteo Pipsqueak, Professor?"

"Ahem!" Prof. Scatterly says. "Yes, yes. Please allow me to continue." He looks back at the runes. "**We fear the seal holding Zongazonga may one day be broken. If such a day should come, know that we have hidden the Caliosteo Pipsqueak here. Press the crest on the wall, and accept the Trial of the Guardian. If you prevail, the ultimate weapon shall be yours.**"

"Guardian?" I ask. I look at the runes, and see a small, star shaped crest beneath it. I look at t closer, and see it has a letter in the Caliostenise language edged into it. "This must be it." I say, running my finger tips over the letter edged in.

"I dunno 'bout this..." Joe says. "Doin' a trial from some guardian sounds a mite bit dangerous."

"..." We all stand there.

"Yes, it's a difficult decision." The professor says. "Shall we press the crest, or no?"

"..." I look at it, my flash light making it seeable. _'What do you guys think?'_

_ 'I think we need to do it.' _Air Strike says.

_'I think we need to be careful.' _Cloud Cover says.

_'I think we need to consider every possible situation.' _Flamethrower says.

_'...' _I reach out, and push the crest. It smoothly slides in, without any effort or noise, then glows. I let my hand fall back to my side, and the three moon white stone objects on the arch start to glow as well. The ground begins to shift some under our feet, and I hear a rumbling noise.

"Aw, horse feathers!" Joe says. "What now?"

"Now, I accept the Trial." I tell him taking a step back from the arch.

"The guardian is coming!" Prof. Scatterly says. He and Joe duck behind the stone chest as the arch, which was really a door, slides up to reveal two ghostly purple eyes, which hold a fire in them, and a bone chilling wind comes out, with some eerie fog.

_"Who dares to disrupt my slumber?" _It asks, projecting its thoughts so we can all hear it. It's voice grinds together like two boulders, and booms with power.

"I do." I say, stand there boldly. It looks down at me.

_"You?" _It asks. I nod with a confirmative grunt.

"Why?" I ask. "Were you expecting someone taller?"

_"On the contrary, hatchling." _It tells me. _"I was expecting someone shorter." _I blink with surprise.

"...Okay...then..." I tell it. "But look, we need the Caliosteo Pipsqueak."

_"The Pipsqueak?" _It asks. _"Which one?"_

"...Which one?" I ask.

_"There are two." _It tells me. _"Haven't you wondered how it got its name? The rebel leader was referred to as pipsqueak, since she was so small."_

"Ah..." I say. "But please we need it." I tell him.

_"How am I to know that you are here because Zongazonga has sent you?" _It asks. I think, then remember something. I pull off the medal the rebel leader gave me, and hold it up to the guardian, allowing it to see the symbol on it. It sniffs the medal. _"It smells of her faintly..." _It looks back at me. _"He has escaped. You require the Caliosteo Pipsqueak, but you must pass my trial." _

"Please," I tell it, putting the medal back onto my suit were it was. "you need to give it to us. I know everything can't just be fought for, and I don't want to fight you if I don't have to. Zongazonga has my best friend as his captive, and if something were to happen to him, I would never forgive myself. Please, you need to give us the Pipsqueak."

_"..." _It blinks _"One who thinks before he acts, who speaks before he fights, and one who puts others before himself. I have no need to fight you, for if you have those qualities, and my master's medallion, then you are free to take the weapon. Use it wisely, for it is the only thing that can give you hope to stop Zongazonga."_

"Thank you." I tell it, dipping my head in respect. It looks to the side, and I hear it make a sound between a snort and a scoff, ghostly purple fire appearing. It lights up some kind of powder, which then runs through the walls in the room the guardian is in, lighting up. _WHOA. _

The guardian is pure black, has a T-Rex head, a Brachiosaurus neck, an armored Ankylosaurus back with Pteranodon wings that are three times bigger and folded against it, Lambeosaurus arms, Triceratops horns, Stegosaurus tail, and much stronger and thicker Velociraptor legs.

Basically, it's a mix of every well known dinosaur.

It steps to the side, to reveal a pedestal with a set of steps leading up to it, and standing up on it, is the Caliosteo Pipsqueak. The periwinkle hammer head is almost as big as my head with the symbol of the Free Caliosteans, and the gray handle is about three feet long, with white glyphs edged into it in the Caliostenise language. I walk into the corridor, and towards it. I look at the walls out of the corner of my eye, to see the fire running through the walls has changed colors, and has turned into a pattern that looks like five people, standing tall with their arms crossed. One of them is yellow, one blue, one white, one brown, and one red. There's two of each person, one on either wall. The yellow is closest to the door, and looks like a man, then the white one which looks like a woman, then the brown one which looks like a man, then the red one which looks like a woman, then the closest to the pedestal is the blue one, which looks to be a man.

They seem so life like, I feel as if their eyes are watching me.

Behind the pedestal, is who I'm guessing to be the rebel leader due to the red fire and fire armor. They're in a triumphant stance, the Caliosteo Pipsqueak in one hand, raised to the sky. I walk up the set of steps, and look at the hammer. It reflects the light from the fire beautifully, yet seems to have a power around it. I reach out, and wrap my fingers around the handle.

Gray fire erupts around me.

_"STOP HIM!" The rebel leader yelled. She was one the back of a dinosaur in water armor, with a man clad in water armor. They charged the dinosaur straight through Zongazonga's ranks, as if they were nothing._

_ "He's getting away!" The man yells to her. Zongazonga was running towards something on the top of the castle, that resembled a small ziggurat. _

_ "You won't stop me!" He yells to them. Blood drips from his sword, his armor was splattered with more blood, and streaked with dirt while his brow shone with sweat. He runs up stairs, to the top of the structure, then drops his sword. He raises his arms and head to the sky. _

_ "ZONGA!" He roars, making thunder clap and lightning strike. "ZONGA! ZONGA! ZONGAZONGA, ZONGAZONGA, ZONGA!" There's a low rumbling, and cracks appear around the structure's base as it begins to lift up from the ground._

_ "So long!" He calls to the rebel leader and the man._

_ "Give me a boost!" The rebel leader says. She gets on the dinosaur's head, the man on its neck. The dinosaur jumps in the air, then the man gets his hand under the rebel leaders foot, and pushes her up into the air as she jumps, giving her an airborne boost. She reaches out with one hand, and grabs the edge of the structures land with only her finger tips. She gets a better grip, then looks back over her shoulder at five people, all on different dinosaurs and different armor._

_ "Jacob!" She yells._

_ "Don't worry about us!" The man yells. "We'll be okay! You stop Zongazonga! GO GET 'EM PIPSQUEAK!" She nods, then pulls herself up onto the land. She takes the hammer off her back, and sprints up the steps towards the room at the top._

I open my eyes, and realize I just saw a memory from the rebel leader. I'm still surrounded by the gray fire, but it doesn't harm me. It merely brushes over my skin and clothes, feeling like cool water. I raise up the Caliosteo Pipsqueak out of its holder, then turn and walk back down the corridor, the fire separating as I walk down it. My face is hard with determination, and the fire parts to show the door to the chamber with the stone chest, Professor Scatterly and Joe standing there, shocked.

"...What?" I ask.

"..." They look at each other, then back at me.

"Do ya have any idea how much that startled us when that fire came outta no where?" Joe asks me.

"I'm fine..." I tell him. "And I saw a memory of the battle."

"You did?" The professor exclaims.

"Yes sir." I tell him. He stands there, shocked, and the door shuts behind me. "But still, I got it." I hold up the Caliosteo Pipsqueak.

"By Jove!" Prof. Scatterly exclaims. "The inscription on it!"

"What's it say, professor?" Joe asks, hopping up on top of my pack. I hold out the Pipsqueak to where Prof. Scatterly can see all of the letters.

"**Cast with metal from the heart of a dying star, mixed with the rays of the sun and moon, foraged from the molten rock, made with the purest of the elements at the Lunar and Solar forage, and with the power to combat pure evil, a light to shine through pure darkness, the weapon shall destroy the shackles of Zongazonga, and let peace fall like rain, bringing beauty to the land.**"

"..." Me and Joe say nothing.

"Whoa..." I say. "Now THAT. THAT is how you make a weapon."

"It said ALL THAT?" Joe asks with bewilderment.** "**If I could, I'd whistle. But, that does sound pretty powerful."

"Yes, quite." Prof. Scatterly says in agreement. I sling the hammer across my back.

"We can talk about it later." I say. "But right now, we need to get back to the BB Brigade Base and plan an attack." Right as I say this, something hard falls on my head, then to the ground.

"GYA!" Prof. Scatterly exclaims, jumping back.

"What in tarnation was that?" Joe asks. I rub my head, and take out my flash light. I shine the light down on it, and freeze.

Todd's helmet.

I snatch it off the ground. "Todd's in trouble." I say. "We need to hurry."

"Why would he send Todd's helmet?" The professor asks me.

"Todd NEVER takes off his helmet." I tell him. "Let's go!" I run out of the room, hugging Todd's helmet against my chest while Joe rides on my pack, and Professor Scatterly hurries to keep up. We run down the long hallway with the murals, then outside. I throw out Water Logged's medal, and he comes out. "Hop on!" I tell the professor.

"That thing?" He asks, slightly worried.

"Yes sir!" I tell him pulling my goggles over my eyes. He scrambles up onto Water Logged, who then takes off. I sit there, hugging Todd's helmet and worried. _PLEASE...let him be okay..._

A few minutes later...

We run into Joe's Quarters at the BB Brigade Base, my goggles pushed back up onto my head, and I'm still hugging Todd's helmet.

"There you are!" Rupert tells us as we run up to them while Joe rides on my pack. "What happened? What took so long?"

"Long story." I tell them. "But...Something's happened to Todd." I hold out his helmet, and Pauleen's eyes grow wide.

"No, digadig!" She takes it from me, and hugs it. "No, digadig..." I put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'm going to save him, then kick Zongazonga's sorry skull to the moon." I tell her. She looks at me, worry in her green eyes and tears brimming them. "After all, we have this." I hold up the Caliosteo Pipsqueak.

"So that hammer will allow us to stop Zongazonga?" Rupert asks.

"It'll knock his skull out of Joe's body and restrict him of his powers." I tell him.

"I see..." He says, nodding.

"When can't use his power any longer, that's our chance to seal him back in the stone chest at the Stone Pyramid!" Professor Scatterly tells them.

"Well, digadig?" Pauleen asks. She hands Todd's helmet back to me, which I put in my pack and sling the hammer back across my back. "What are we standing around for, digadig? Let's go save Todd and stop Zongazonga, digadig!"

"Yeah dawg!" I say nodding.

"I shall make for the Stone Pyramid in anticipation of your arrival, eh?" The professor tells us. We all look at him. "I must prepare the chest so Zongazonga may never rise again!"

"Yes sir." I tell him. I hand him Water Logged's Dino Medal. "He can get you there, fast." He takes it.

"Thank you, I'm off!" He says. "Tallyho!" He hurries out of the room.

"All right y'all!" Joe says. "All aboard my B-Ptera! We're headin' for Wildwest Tower, Todd, and ol' ZZ!"

"Yes sir!" We all say, nodding. We run outside to the moon lit beach.

"Wait a minute!" I say we all stop.

"What's the matter pard?" Joe asks.

"We're going to have to fly around Wildwest Tower and approach it from the east side." I tell him. "They've undoubtedly caught on that we've kept heading to the west, so they've probably set up patrols."

"Red's right." Rupert says. "It'll take a bit longer, but better safe than sorry." Joe's B-Ptera comes out, and we climb onto it. I look at the position of the moon, and it's somewhere around two in the morning, yet the adrenaline in us keeps us wide awake.

Thirty minutes later...

Joe's B-Ptera glides smoothly on the wind, cutting through the silver clouds while the black sky is illuminated by the stars, and the rays from the moon wash over us. Rupert's in the front with the silver says making his hair shine brilliantly, with me behind him, Joe riding on my pack, and Pauleen behind me.

"I can see Cranial Isle." Rupert says. He looks over his shoulder at me. "We're almost to Wildwest Tower."

"Affirmative." I tell him. I can make out the lights and it's silhouette.

"Wait, digadig!" Pauleen says. We all look at her. "We-We're not moving forward, digadig!" I look, and se that she's right. The B-Ptera begins to fall, while the wind threatens to tear us from it.

"Is that Zongazonga's spell?" Rupert asks while holding onto the B-Ptera while I hold onto his shoulders, and Pauleen holds onto my backpack.

"We're losing altitude!" I say.

_'RED!' _Flamethrower says. He quickly tells me something, and I do it. I put one foot on the B-Ptera's wing, making it straighten out and making the B-Ptera flip right side up, then put my other foot on the other wing in the same spot. That wing straightens out, making it glide, but we're falling fast and at a downward angle.

"PREPARE FOR IMPACT!" I yell. The B-Ptera hits the ground, scraping against it and throwing us off its back. I hit the ground, and roll some before stopping on my stomach. _Ohhhhh... _I mentally moan. I manage to open my eyes, and see that Joe's B-Ptera left a skid indention on the ground, and to see Rupert and Pauleen on the ground as well.

"Come on, now!" I hear Joe say. "Giddyap!" I lift my head up, a scrap on my jaw, and look at Joe who's in front of me, the back of his skull to the Fighter Station. I feel the pain from my jaw disappear, and thank Lullaby for healing it.

"That hurt...digadig." Pauleen says as we push ourselves to our feet.

"We made it back to Cranial City, but my B-Ptera's plumb tuckered out." Joe tells us. "We gotta get to Zongazonga on our own."

"Okay." I tell him nodding. "Do you think you guys can make it?" I ask Rupert and Pauleen.

"We're okay." Rupert tells me.

"Let's just get to Wildwest Tower, digadig!" Pauleen says. Joe jumps onto my pack, and we run forward a few steps, only to see Terry. He whistles and thumbs the bill of his visor, and shines his flash light on us.

"Well now." He says, anger edging into his voice. "That's a bold plan." Stella appears, and shines her flash light on us as well.

"You think you can go after Joe?" She asks, anger already in her voice. "Think again!" Kent appears, shining his flash light on us.

"We're gonna dump some cold water on your hot scheme, little dudes." He tells us. Joe jumps off my pack, and in front of me.

"Stella! Terry! Kent!" He says. "Ya gotta listen to me! I'm the real Joe Wildwest! That thing up in the tower is just an evil skull that wrangled up my body! ...Sounds crazy when ya say it out loud, but it's true. Now y'all gotta let us pass!"

"..." They all stand there for a second. Stella jumps back on one foot, like what a woman would do if they saw a mouse.

"EEEEK! It's a talking skull!" She screams.

"Dude!" Kent says, a bit of fear in his voice. "It's Don Boneyard! He must be some kinda gnarly skull robot or something! ...That's seriously uncool, dude."

"Are we suppose to believe every skull that hops in here and starts flapping its mandible?" Terry asks, getting mad. "I think not!"

"It's the truth, pards!" Joe says. "Ya gotta believe me!" Terry takes a step forward, Dino Medals in hand.

"Enough!" He says. "I'm done talking. We'll let our vivosaurs handle it from here. Get 'em!" I take a step back, worried.

_I can't get captured again. _I think. _I doubt Zongazonga will let me kick him like that again. _

"We don't have time for this nonsense." Rupert says. "Go Red! Get to Zongazonga!"

"We'll handle these clowns, digadig!" Pauleen tells me.

"They're right Red!" Joe tells me, hopping back onto my pack. "You an' me gotta vamoose." I look back and forth between Rupert and Pauleen.

"Okay..." I tell him. "Just stay safe!" I tell Rupert and Pauleen. I charge, bend forward some and hold my arm up in front of me, allowing me to plow right into Terry and knock him out of my way. _Stay safe you two._

"S-stop right there!" Terry says.

"I'd stop worrying about them and start worrying about us, digadig." Pauleen says.

"I'm going to teach you a lesson in manners." Rupert says. I sprint into the Fighter Station, and up the stairs to the upper deck, then towards the elevator, when I see a familiar face in front of it.

"Todd!" I exclaim, joy filling me as I see he's okay. His sandy brown hair shows easier since he's not wearing his helmet. "Oh, thank goodness you're alright! I thought-" I hurry towards him, and he suddenly punches me across my jaw, making me fall back against the railing. I sit there for a second, put my hand over the spot where he punched me, and look back at him with a sad look, and see an angry fire in his light blue eyes.

"What in tarnation did ya do that-" Joe asks hopping of my pack to the floor.

"SHUT UP!" Todd suddenly roars at him, making Joe get quiet. "I'm here for Red!" He looks back at me. "I know you never liked me! I know you made fun of me for losing to you in Round 1! You think I'm a joke? I'll show you who's laughing!"

"Todd, that's not true..." I say standing up. "You're my best friend, and my brother." I walk up to him, and put my hands on his shoulder. "Todd, I know you're in there. You're stronger than Zongazonga... Think of everything we've done together, everything we've been through. Remember when we came here and how excited we were? Remember our battle and how much fun it was? Remember when we joined the Patrol Team? When Joe saved us from the Allo? That crazy weekend? The crazy night? The crazy party? Please...You have to snap out of it...You're the closest thing I've ever had to a brother, and I love you... Please..."

"..." Todd says nothing, and he peers at me, his eye lids twitching. He squeezes his eyes shut for a second. "R-Red...?" He peers at me again, this time with his eyes. His real eyes.

"Yeah..." I tell him, a faint smile spreading across my face and tears brimming my eyes. He looks me in the eye, then shut suddenly squeezes his eyes shut again.

"NO!" He roars pushing me away. "You can't fool me anymore!"

"Todd, I'm not trying-" He looks at me, the angry fire in his eyes again.

"I'm gonna stomp you flat, and then I'm gonna laugh at YOU!" He yells, pulling out his Dino Medals. The words sting, and tears stream down my face.

"Todd..." I say sadly.

"All hail Todd!" He says maniacally. "All hail Todd! Ah ha ha ha ha ha!" He laughs evilly.

"Hold on Red." Joe tells me. "I reckon Todd here's been hypnotized by ol' ZZ."

"I'll have to fight him." I say, pulling out my team.

"YER gonna battle 'em?" Joe asks, looking at me.

"I'm not fighting Todd, I'm fighting Zongazonga." I tell him. "You have a better idea?"

"No," Joe sighs. "I reckon it's a fine idea. Just try not to hurt the poor feller."

"I'm coming for you Red!" Todd tells me, letting out his vivosaurs. He has a Barbaros, a Spinax with a silver head, making the top of it grassy green and it's underside a red velvet, and a Goyle with a silver body fossil, making it lavender with green spikes. The Barbaros is a bit bigger than a Stego, is built like one with black and gold spikes fanning off of the end of its tail, black spikes on its sides, back, shoulders, neck, knees, elbows, and has gold spines running down its back, shoulders and hips, with a tan underside, and royal blue on its back.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Barbaros!" He attacks, doing one hundred twenty-eight damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Barbaros!" He attacks, doing twenty eight damage.

"Pass!" Todd yells, his voice dark and threatening.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Barbaros!" He attacks, doing one hundred thirty damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Barbaros!" He attacks, doing twenty-eight damage.

"Barbaros, Barbaros Blast on Shanshan!" He attacks, doing one hundred eighty damage. I rotate my team to where Flamethrower is in the AZ.

"Flamethrower, S-Combo on Barbaros!" He attacks, doing two hundred twenty-two damage, sending Barbaros into his medal. I rotate my team to where Air Strike is in the AZ. Todd rotates his team to where Goyle is in the AZ.

"Goyle, Wind Spear on Shanshan!" He attacks, doing fifty nine damage, sending Cloud Cover into her medal. I catch her, and quickly put her into my pouch. "Spinax, Cyclone on S-Raptor!" He attacks, doing twenty-four damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Giga on Goyle!" He attacks, doing two hundred damage, sending Goyle into his medal. "Flamethrower, S-Fury on Spinax!" He attacks, doing thirty-four damage. Todd moves his Spinax to the front AZ.

"Spinax, Spinax Combo on Giga Spinax!" He attacks, doing sixty-five damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Giga on Spinax!" He attacks, doing three hundred fifteen damage, sending Spinax into his medal.

"**GYYYAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!**" Todd roars, grabbing his head. He suddenly looks around, then sees me, my eyes red from the tears. "Wh-what...? What... Oh my goodness Red! What have I done? I just...I mean...I was always cheering for you, but..." He looks away for a second, then back at me, with his real light blue eyes, which are now sad, and sees my sad, deep blue eyes. "...But I guess I was jealous the whole time. Jealous of the way you always won...Jealous of how easy it was for you..." Tears stream down his face. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry..." I suddenly pull him into a hug, my eyes closed and with tears streaming from them.

"It's okay." I tell him. "Todd, no matter what it is, no matter what you do, even if you tried to take my life, I will always, always, always forgive you. You'll always be my brother, and I'll always love you like one." He stands there for a second, then hugs me back, tears pouring from his eye.

"...Thank you..." He says sadly and quietly. "Thank you so much." We stand there hugging, and I hear a sniff. We both look at Joe.

"We hear that." I tell him.

"..." He sits there for a second. "Alright, so I'm not made of stone! Give me a break will ya?"

"Aw, come here Joe!" Todd says, scooping him up and hugging him. I hug Todd, and we all stand there in a group hug. We all separate after a moment, and Joe hops onto the top of my pack. "Red?"

"Yeah dawg?" I ask him.

"You're...not mad at me for being jealous?" He asks.

"Of course not!" I tell him. "Everyone gets jealous, it's human nature."

"He's right pard." Joe tells him. "Everyone gets jealous from time to time. Even ol' Joe Wildwest here." Todd smiles.

"What I can't forgive though, is Zongazonga twisting your mind to make us fight!" I say, clenching my fists.

"Yeah!" Todd says. "Let's go get Zongazonga, and give him what for!"

"Yeah dawg!" I say as we clasp hands.

"...How do we do that exactly?" Todd asks.

"With...THIS!" I tell him, holding up the Caliosteo Pipsqueak. "I hit ZZ, and he gets knocked out of Joe's body!"

"Oh!" Todd says. "Well, if you say it's a plan, then it's a plan! Let's go hammer a bad guy!"

"Not without the proper gear!" I tell him, pulling his helmet out of my backpack.

"My helmet!" He squeals. He takes it, and puts it back on his head. "Oh, I missed you..." He says running his hands over it. I smile, and sling the Pipsqueak across my back.

"Let's go!" We turn to the elevator.

"H-hey! It's Red!" We hear a man say. We all look to see two staff member rushing towards us.

"They're going after Joe!" The other one says. "Stop them!" Joe hops off my pack, and to the floor in front of the staff members.

"I reckon I can handle these doggies all by my lonesome." He tells us. "Go on now! Y'all get up there an' teach ol' ZZ a thing or two!"

"With pleasure!" I tell him. Joe hops towards the staff members, making the step back from him.

"I know y'all won't believe me, but lemme say it anyway..." Joe tells them. He jumps up in the air to their eye level. "I'm Joe Wildwest!" He tells them.

"Let's go Red!" Todd says. We step onto the elevator platform, and it starts going up. I think of everything I'm fighting for, making strength and determination build in me. The elevator dings, the panel opens, and we pop up into Joe's office. We step off the elevator platform, while Zongazonga stands in front of Joe's desk, his back to us. He turns around, and we look at his icy eyes with reptilian slits for pupils.

"...Huh." He says. "I must say, I did not expect this. Still, it spares me the bother of searching for you, so I suppose I should be thankful. Yes, well, let's not waste any more time with empty threats or the revealing of plans, mmm? You will give me your body, and you will do it now." He takes a couple of steps toward us, while we stand there, determined smiles on our faces.

"Red, why don't you serve a Caliostean dish to our PAL here?" Todd asks me. I hold up the Caliosteo Pipsqueak.

"EAT IT ZZ!" I tell him. He looks at it, his face pales, his eyes get wide, and he takes a couple of steps back.

"...Where did you find that?" He asks, a hint of fear in his voice. "That...That THING is not suppose to exist anymore."

"Well, too bad and boo-hoo for for you, it does." I tell him.

"Yeah, joke's on you chump!" Todd tells him. "And now we're gonna use it to knock you outta Joe's head!" Zongazonga looks at Todd.

"Bold words from a small man!" He tells him, anger and frustration in his voice. "You have won nothing yet..." Confusion spreads across our faces as an evil grin spreads across Zongazonga's. He lifts up his left arm, outstretched and to shoulder height. "KIYA!" he yells swinging it to the right. I feel like something rams into me, making me fly towards the destroyed wall, and tearing the Pipsqueak from my hand. I land on my stomach, and look up to see Todd on the pile of rubble, and the Pipsqueak nowhere in sight. Todd jumps up, gets in the window frame, and looks down out of it.

"NO!" He says, distraught. "The Caliosteo Pipsqueak!"

_It...IT FELL OUT OF THE WINDOW? _I roll over on m back, and push myself up, leaning back on my hands while my knees are bent.

"Now then," Zongazonga rumbles. I whip my head to look at him with wide eyes, to see him standing there, looking at me and grinning evilly. "can we PLEASE continue to the part where I finally steal your body?" He starts to walk towards me, and I begin to scramble back.

"Wait, Red!" Todd says. We both look at him. "I see the Pipsqueak! It's caught on the wall of the tower! I'm gonna get it! Just hold him off for a little while!" He carefully begins to climb down out of the window.

"Little fool!" Zongazonga says. "The wind will throw both him and that idiotic hammer from the tower before long." I get my feet under me, and stand up, ready to fight. Zongazonga looks at me. "...And yet you still defy me." I half smile.

"Yeah dawg." I tell him. His face hardens.

"Your friend is a mere boy for whom courage is but a fevered dream in the night." He tells me.

"He's my best friend." I tell him. "I know he can do it." He chuckles, amused.

"He is a FOOL to go out there, and you are a bigger fool to wait for him!" He laughs. "Oh, look at me. I promised not to stall, and yet here I am chuckling over my inevitable victory. Your body is mine, and I will claim it in the guise of your hero, Joe Wildwest!" He tells me whipping out some Dino Medals.

"Bring it, BONEHEAD!" I tell him, throwing out my team. He has a Berto with a silver head, giving it a pale yellow under side, greenish gray top side and gray rock like skin, a Sedion with a silver body fossil, and an Argento with a silver arm fossil. The Sedion is built like a long neck, is sea green with violet red running down its spine, white spines coming out of the top of its back, its sides, and the sides of its neck, and a purplish object on its face that has three crests that separates around its eyes. The Argento is built like a long neck, is a mustard yellow, and has spiked, grayish rock like skin that looks like a mountain range going down its back. I notice that their eyes contain a blank, zombified look to them.

_'He must have taken their minds over!' _Flamethrower says.

_'To free our kin!' _Air Strike says, anger building in him.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Sedion!" He attacks, doing one hundred thirty five damage. "Cloud Cover, Shan Combo on Sedion!" She attacks, doing twenty-seven damage.

"Pass!" Zongazonga booms.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Sedion!" He attacks, doing one hundred thirty five damage.

"Argento, Mountain Crush on Giga Spinax!" He attacks, doing one hundred eighty-two damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Sedion!" He attacks, doing one hundred ninety damage, sending Sedion into his medal. I rotate my team to where Flamethrower's in the AZ. "Flamethrower, S-Combo on Argento!" He attacks, doing one hundred twenty-seven damage.

"Argento, Mountain Crush on Shanshan!" He attacks, doing two hundred eighty-three damage, sending her into her medal. I catch her, and put her in my pouch. "Berto, Blast Breath on S-Raptor!" He attacks, doing ninety-five damage, and enraging him.

_ARGH! _I think. _He won't be able to land a hit if he's mad! _I look at Zongazonga, to see him smirking. _Grrrrr... _I rotate my team to where Air Strike is in the AZ. "Air Strike, Spinax Tera on Berto!" He attacks, doing one hundred sixty-five damage. I rotate my Team to where Flamethrower's in the AZ.

"Pass!" Zongazonga calls. I rotate Air Strike back into the AZ.

"Air Strike, Spinax Giga on Berto!" He attacks, doing one hundred twenty-nine damage. I rotate Flamethrower into the AZ, and his anger subsides.

"Argento, Mountain Buster on S-Raptor!" He attacks, doing fifty-eight damage. "Berto, Blast Breath on Giga Spinax!" He attacks, doing forty-five damage.

"Flamethrower, S-Fury on Argento!" He attacks, doing one hundred four damage.

"Pass!" Zongazonga calls.

"Flamethrower, S-Fury on Argento!" He attacks, doing one hundred five damage.

"Argento, Mountain Buster on Giga Spinax!" He attacks, doing two hundred forty damage. Air Strike falls on his side, and goes into his medal, which I quickly retrieve.

_'You did good out there.' _I tell him. _'Me and Flamethrower will handle it from here.' _I put him into my pouch, and look back to the battle.

"Berto, Vaporizer Combo on S-Raptor!" He attacks, doing ninety-two damage.

"Flamethrower, S-Fury on Argento!" He attacks, doing seventy-five damage, sending Argento into his medal.

"Pass!" Zongazonga calls.

"Flamethrower, S-Fury on Berto!" He attacks, doing one hundred damage, sending Berto into his medal.

"Oh ho!" Zongazonga chuckles, amused. "Well played indeed human." I catch Flamethrower's medal, and slip him into my pouch. "But I expect no less from my Majestic Vessel. And yet, without the Caliosteo Pipsqueak, I am invincible! So what will you do? Perhaps you will send your vivosaurs to attacks me, mmm?" I take a step back, scowl baring my teeth, and grunt with aggravation. "Ah, but you CAN'T do that. Because doing so would destroy the very body you came here to save. All things end the same. Your body will be mine, one way or another."

_I need to stall... _I think. My mind races, and something pops to the front of it. "How do you know you can take me over?" I ask him. "How do you I'm not like the rebel leader, the Majestic Vessel you couldn't take over?" Zongazonga scowls.

"I know I can." He growls. "She had something that would not allow me to...A kind of blockage almost. Something that wouldn't allow her to die...But, you do not have that, and you are not her. Therefore, I can take you." I notice something in his eyes that I never thought I would see. My eyes grow wide from it, and I point at him.

"You loved her, didn't you?" I ask.

"I DID NOT!" Zongazonga roars, his face turn a light shade of red. "She was thousands of years old despite what she looked to be, hated me, and...! I just didn't!"

"Oh, come on!" I tell him. "You did!" He waves a hand.

"FINE..." He growls. "I felt something for her, but...let's just say..." He grins some. "That I found her rather pleasing to the eye..."

"...You're gross man." I tell him.

"You shouldn't meddle in affairs you know nothing of..." He tells me. His grin returns, much wider this time. "Red Ranger."

My heart skips a beat.

My face instantly pales, my eyes grow wide, and I resist the urge to run. "Ah, I see you still remember your real name." Zongazonga purrs.

"How?" I ask.

"Someone told me." He tells me. "But, the real question is, have they told anyone else your little secret?"

"..." I say nothing, just standing and looking at Zongazonga, who stands there with a smug look on his face. "You...You're lying."

"I'm afraid I am not." He tells me. "But, what does that matter? I am going to take you body." He laughs evilly and maniacally. He then starts walking towards me, as I take a few steps back, my mind racing and panicking.

"I got it Red!" Todd says. We both look, to see him stand there, holding up the Caliosteo Pipsqueak triumphantly.

"Im-impossible!" Zongazonga says, panic in his voice. "There's no way you could-"

"I may not be good at much," Todd says. "but I'm REALLY good at climbing! Here Red! Catch!" He throws it, and I jump up in the air, grab the handle with one hand, and land on my feet in a ready stance. I look up at Zongazonga with a smile, to see him looking at the hammer with wide eyes and a pale face, undoubtedly replaying the moment it first hit him in his head.

"Yeah dawg." I say. I charge towards him, and he suddenly snaps back into reality.

"NOOOOOO!" He yells putting his hands out in front of him, and taking a step back. I jump up in the air, looking down at him, holding the hammer in both hands as he looks up at me with horror in his eyes.

"It's HAMMER TIME, BONEHEAD!" I yell at him. I swing the hammer, and it hits the side of his head.

Light blue lights appear around his head.

_"JACOB!" The rebel leader yelled, looking over the edge of the floating structure. The room at the top had been blown off. Zongazonga laughs evilly._

_ "You FOOL!" He tells her. "Did you REALLY think that he could help you? That you could stop me? He is nothing but a weakling waiting for his end to come, and you are a fool to think that he can save anyone, when he can't even save himself!" The rebel leader looks at him, fire in her eyes._

_ "SHUT UP YOU CURSED DOG!" She roars at him, shooting up the stairs to the top. She was fast. Faster than anything I've ever seen. Her boots were on fire, she run straight up to Zongazonga, and kicks him between his legs, resulting in a loud CRUNCH. He falls to the ground, curled up into a tight ball. "YOU KNOW NOTHING! You think that you can't be stopped, but you have allowed us to invade your castle!"_

_ "YOU...CURSED...CHILD..." Zongazonga squeaks, pain obvious in his voice. "YOU...DON'T HAVE...THE...HAMMER..." A name is suddenly yelled out, but I can't make it out. They both suddenly look, to see a man clad in water armor on the back of a flying air type dinosaur with another person on its back, but with air type armor._

_ In his hand, is the Caliosteo Pipsqueak._

_ "CATCH!" He yells, throwing it towards her. Zongazonga heals himself, and jumps up, just in time to see the rebel leader catch the hammer. She charges at him, he puts his hands in front of him, and she jumps high up in the air, holding the hammer in both hands._

_ "It's HAMMER TIME, BONEHEAD!" She roars at him._

I land on my feet, put the head of the Caliosteo Pipsqueak on the ground with the palm of my hand on the end of the handle, and look to see Zongazonga's skull on the ground, Joe's body face-down on the floor with the limbs flailed out. Todd run over to me as I smile victoriously.

"I bet he feels pretty LIGHT-HEADED!" Todd says. We laugh at it.

"Talk about a splitting head ache!" I say. "THAT'S gonna hurt in the morning!" We laugh. The elevator dings, and we look to see Pauleen, Rupert, and Joe hurry off of it.

"Todd!" Pauleen exclaims. She runs up to him and hugs him, making his face go red.

"You all right pards?" Joe asks.

"Joe, it's gonna take more than an evil flying skull to hurt us." I tell him.

"Zongazonga's skull is no long in Joe's body." Rupert says looking at Zongazonga's skull. "Quickly Joe! Reclaim your body!"

"I'm on it!" Joe says hopping towards his body. His skull disappears right into it. His shoulders rise as he sucks in a breath, and his eyes open. "..." He lays there for a second. "YEEEEEEEE-HAAAW!" He exclaims jumping in the air and miraculously doing a flip before landing right on his feet. "I feel like a million bucks!"

"And you look like a billion!" I tell him. He smiles. I hear a buzzing, but I ignore it. I've been promoted to Fighter Level 11. Joe smiles his wide, warm smile, which then disappears as he looks at Zongazonga's skull.

"But as much as I'd love to dance a jig," He says. "we got business to finish. Right now, ol' ZZ can't steal anyone else's body. Which means we gotta catch that skull and lock it away for good!" I sling the Caliosteo Pipsqueak across my back, and we surround Zongazonga, who looks at all of us frantically.

"Come here, you!" Todd says. He charges at him, but Zongazonga jumps towards Pauleen, who goes after him, being forced to run in zigzags from how Zongazonga's bouncing.

"Stupid...Digadig!" She says. "Get over here, digadig!" Zongazonga bounces around the elevator, Todd and Pauleen chasing after him, while me, Joe and Rupert run around the front to cut him off. He jumps in the air, and I jump at him, planning to grab him as I curl up into a ball, but he slips between my arms right before they close.

"This'll be easier than catchin' a greased pig at the fair!" Joe says running at Zongazonga.

His leg suddenly spazes, making him trip right over his own foot and fly through the air, only to do a face grind then flop over on his back.

We all resist the urge to burst out laughing.

"Dagnabbit!" Joe says, pushing himself to his feet. "I've been outta my body too long! My arms an' legs are movin' every which way!" Rupert charges at Zongazonga, but he jumps between Rupert's legs and onto the elevator platform.

"He's getting away, digadig!" Pauleen says.

"Oh no he isn't!" Rupert says, lunging at Zongazonga. The elevator platform lowers, Rupert and Zongazonga on it.

"Oh man!" Todd says we all rush to the front of where you get on, and we force ourselves to wait.

It comes back up, empty.

"Uh-oh." Joe says. "I hope managed to catch that slippery skull." We all get on, and ride down the elevator. We come out into the Lobby, to see Rupert standing by the elevator.

"R-Rupert?" Todd asks him. "The skull didn't get away...right?"

"Not to worry Todd." Rupert tells him. "I got it." We all sigh with relief.

"All right!" Pauleen say, jumping in the air. "Way to go, digadig!"

"Oh, you had us worried there for a second." I tell him.

"So what do we do now?" Todd asks.

"We take the skull to that Stone Pyramid place and seal it up, digadig!" Pauleen tells him happily.

"While y'all do that, I'll let everyone know what happened so they'll stop chasin' ya around." Joe tells me. "Now hurry! Get to the Stone Pyramid and lock that Zongazonga feller in the hoosegow for good!"

"It'll be our pleasure, Joe!" I tell him.

"I think you should be the one to carry this, Red." Rupert says. I look at him to see he's holding a skull. "You defeated Zongazonga, after all. It's only proper that you carry his skull to the end. I gave him a sound thrashing, so he should be quiet for a while."

"Alright." I tell him, taking the skull. I look at it. "Well, it looks like you are not to be, without a question Zongazonga."

"Let's get to the Stone Pyramid!" Todd says.

"Yeah dawg!" I say putting Zongazonga's skull in my pack.

"Professor Scatterly will be super happy to hear about this!" Pauleen says. Joe gets back on the elevator platform, while we walk down the stairs and out of the Fighter Station. I yawn. We've been up all night without a wink of sleep. At all. Then of course there's the fact that we've been running around all night, exhausting ourselves. The sky is still dark and dotted with stars, and the moon is getting close to setting.

We climb aboard the helicopter, ride to Ribular Island, and head into the Jungle Labyrinth, then to the Stone Pyramid. We walk down the long hallway filled with murals, while Todd and Pauleen stay close to me, then come into the chamber that the stone chest is in. I see Prof. Scatterly, sitting down against the wall, snoring.

_Well...at least one of us got to sleep some... _I think sleepily. I shake his shoulder to wake him, and pull Zongazonga's skull out of my pack, which really wakes him up.

"Quickly!" He says as we hurry up to the stone chest. "Let us seal this awful Zongazonga away while we can! It wouldn't do to have him escape and steal another body, eh wot?" He looks at me. "Quickly now old bean! Place it in the chest so we can seal it up!"

"Yes sir." I say nodding. I go up to the chest, and hold out Zongazonga's skull. "Goodbye, ZZ. May we never meet again."

"This is the end, digadig." Pauleen says. "Finally, digadig!"

"Yeah!" Todd says in agreement. "I never thought I'd see this have a happy ending!"

Zongazonga jumps out of my hands.

"GAAAH!" Todd exclaims, jumping back from it and shining his flashlight on it. "The skull! It's moving again!"

"Stand back!" The professor tells us. "He'll steal your body if you get to close!"

"Oh no he won't." I say, taking hold of the Caliosteo Pipsqueak. The skull looks at us.

"N-no!" It says. "I'm not Zongazonga! It's me! It's Rupert!"

"Yeah, right, digadig!" Pauleen says. "Diga-do I look stupid to you, digadig?"

"I'm not lying!" It tells us. "I'm Rupert! Please my friends, you must believe me!" I slowly walk up to it, and kneel down in front of it.

"Hey Red, watch out!" Todd tells me with worry.

"..." I sit there, looking at the skull.

And look...

And look...

"..." I stand up, and look at everyone. "...It's Rupert."

"...You're sure, digadig?" Pauleen asks.

"I've noticed that if I come in contact with something that has to do with the history of this place, I'll see a memory from the battle between the rebels and Zongazonga's army." I look at Rupert. "I didn't see a memory."

"Diga!" Pauleen says angrily. "We were so close!"

"I can't believe that's you, Rupert..." Todd says. "Your fans are gonna freak out if they see you like this."

"I managed to capture Zongazonga's skull in the elevator." Rupert explains. "But before I could subdue him, he struck me with a head butt. When I came to, I found myself in my current state."

"Blast!" Prof. Scatterly says. "The effects of the Caliosteo Pipsqueak wore off sooner than we anticipated."

"Diga, that skull is a good actor, digadig." Pauleen says.

"Wait..." Todd says. "If that's Rupert, and Rupert's body isn't here, and Zongazonga's taken over it...Then where is he?"

"No time to wonder." I tell Todd. I grab Rupert's skull and put him on top of my pack. "Only time to act." I run towards the exit.

"Why, digadig?" Pauleen asks. I stop, and look back at them.

"Because," I say. "every second we wait, Zongazonga is out there, a lion among sheep, getting stronger every second."

* * *

><p><strong>AN-YAY! ANOTHER cliffhanger! MWA HAHAHAHAHA HAAAAAA!<strong>

**Adam Schmitmeyer****: ...YOU COULDN'T OF TOLD ME THAT SOONER? *slams head down on desk***

**Ben:**** YUSH!**

**Ninja of Night:**** Yes, poor Todd. But what's so EWWWWWW?**

**Oak:**** Great! Now I won't go to prison if you die! And that other review has just plain confuzzled me. :3**

**Greywing44: ****Oh, don't worry about the part where Red kicked ZZ. Zongazonga healed the wound...probably after he was able to sit up, which might have taken a few minutes.**

**corinster2:**** Yush, IT IS EPIC AWESOMENESS! :D**


	53. Terror Reborn

**AN- WHOO! EPIC EXCITEMENT IN THIS CHAPA! More memories from the Rebellion? YEA-YUH! Red doing something crazy? No doubt about it. Who the rebel leader is? Dream on, everyone. Dream on.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Fifty-Four-Terror Reborn<p>

"Red's right." Professor Scatterly says. "I'm too old and fat to be running around willy-nilly, so perhaps you youngsters would be willing to chase him down one last time, eh wot?"

"Please find my body." Rupert says sadly. "I've grown rather attached to it over the years."

"Don't worry." I tell him. "We will." I sprint down the long hallway full of murals, not waiting for Todd and Pauleen, adrenaline being pumped into my blood stream. I come out of the Stone Pyramid, my flashlight in hand, then suddenly skid to a stop.

I have absolutely no idea where to look.

It's late at night, so therefore there's no one I can ask, Zongazonga could have a number of hiding spots all over the islands, and he knows the islands better than anyone.

_GREAT. _I think. _JUST great. How in the world am I suppose to find him?! He has Rupert's vivosaurs, so he doesn't need the helicopter, and I doubt he would make himself THAT easy to find, so...WHAT THE WHAT AM I SUPPOSE TO-_

Something suddenly rams into my consciousness.

_The rebels stood on land with Zongazonga's army, which was no longer under his control. Watching the floating island with the castle on it, plummeted towards the ocean, and hit it, causing a loud splash and giant waves. They weren't watching the castle though, they were all watching the ziggurat like structure that had been floating above it. The room at the top had been completely blown off, and a pillar of light blue lights that pierced the sky covered it._

_ The light suddenly disappears, and the floating structure began to plummet._

_ "Where is she?!" A man in water armor asks, standing at the front of the crowd, his helmet off to show his blonde hair. "Come on Pipsqueak..."_

_ "She'll make it." A man with black hair and yellow armor tells him. "She always does." The man in water armor looks back at the structure, tears starting to stream out of his worried brown eyes._

_ "Please..." He says. They all stand there, waiting and watching for a moment, before the structure begins to fall. They all watch with increasing horror as it plummets towards the white capped ocean waves, and hits it, quickly sinking beneath the surface. The man looks at the sky frantically. "Come on. Please...You need to live..."_

_ "LOOK OUT!" Someone yells. Everyone looks up at the sky to see a fire armor helmet hit the ground, then go a few more yards before completely stopping. Everyone moves out of the way as the man in water armor pushes his way through the crowd to it. He stops as he sees it, falls to his knees, and picks it up with trembling hands._

_ "...No..." He whimpers, hugging it. He whimpers a name that I'm unable to make out, and everyone in the crowd takes off their helmets, and bows their heads. The man silently cries, and the man in yellow armor crouches down next to him, and hugs him. Three other people in different elemental armor come forward and hug him as well. He just sits there, hugging the helmet._

_ "Why so sad?" Someone asks. Everyone freezes, and all look to see a person about four feet tall in with the fire gauntlets, boots and shoulder pads, and wearing black leather pants and shirt. They have the Caliosteo Pipsqueak slung across their back, they have a skull under their arm, and their long black hair falls to the small of their back. _

_ "Pipsqueak!" The man in water armor exclaims, joy lighting up his face. He jumps up and runs to her, and everyone bursts into cheers, rushing towards her. He man picks her up and hugs her tightly, tears streaming down his face, and she hugs him back. "Thank goodness your alive..." He says quietly, his voice still shaky. He kisses her on the forehead, and she just smiles._

_ "Jacob, remember what I said before the battle?" She asks him. "How I couldn't die? Well, I listed all that stuff, and you REALLY think that I'm going to let some evil skull and a few of his spells kill me?"_

_ "..." No one says anything for a second._

_ "Well, all I can say for him is that I don't think he'll be waking up for awhile." She says holding up the skull. "He has fallen! His shackles are broken! Let his night of tyranny end, and a new day dawn!" The crowd bursts into cheers again, and I suddenly recognize the place._

Icegrip Plateau.

I open my eyes and suck in a quick breath. "What is it Red?" Rupert asks me.

"I just saw another memory." I tell him. "But, I know where to find Zongazonga now." I throw out Water Logged's medal, he comes out, and I jump on him. To Ilium Island and Icegrip Plateau!" He takes off, and flaps his wings as fast as possible. We soon arrive at Ilium Island, and I quickly pull on my snow gear, the freezing night wind biting at my bare skin. I then run as fast as my legs can carry me down the bridge to Icegrip Plateau, my flashlight lighting the path. I come to the dig site, and quickly look around.

I spot him.

He's on the farthest out ice flow, and I can just make out his red parka and toboggan in the ruddy morning rays that are just starting to peek over the horizon, making him stand out like a drop of blood on white cloth. I run across the ice flows and bridges, and slow down as I pass the cave. I walk towards him, his back to me as he looks out to sea, the cold breeze pulling at his long silver hair that sticks out from under the toboggan.

"..." I stand there, looking at him with a hard, angry face and my hands curled into hard fists. He notices me, looking over his shoulder some. He turns around to face me, and I look at his eyes, which are the cold, cruel, unforgiving ice blue eyes rather than Rupert's warm, golden cat eyes.

"Hello Red." He says, his words sooth and his voice calm. "What's wrong? Was there a problem with Zongazonga's skull?"

"You know good and well there was." I growl between clenched teeth. I take the Caliosteo Pipsqueak in both of my hands, and get in a ready stance. He merely smiles, amused.

"Heh heh. I'm kidding of course. I know why you're here..." He grins evilly, showing teeth longer and sharper than they should be. "Because I am Zongazonga!" He booms. He then laughs evilly and triumphantly. "You were SO VEEEEERY close! How frustrating this must be for you. Had the Caliosteo Pipsqueak's power lasted a second longer, this Rupert fellow would have had me. But, I have good news Red! I've decided not to steal your body after all. Rupert's body may not be your equal, but I have it and my powers are returning."

"Get out of him, or I'll make you." I growl. He chuckles, amused.

"Do you REALLY think I'm that simple?" He laughs. "Do you REALLY think that I'm just going to let you knock me out of the vessel from which I will launch my glorious reign? Perhaps you just don't fear me like how you should, mmm? Well then, I will show you why you should!" He turns his back to me. "Behold the power of the Majestic Vessel!" He raises his arms to the sky.

"Zongazonga! Zongazonga!" He chants. The ground beneath my feet starts to shake, making me sling the Caliosteo Pipsqueak across my back and hold my arms out for balance. "Zonga! Zonga! ZONGAAAAA!" I look out to sea, and a familiar structure that resembles a ziggurat begins to rise from the depths. "Rise my kingdom! Rise from your slumber! RISE!" I fall on my side from the shaking, and quickly prop myself up on my hands. I look at him to see him looking at me with his piercing eyes, smirking. He lifts up his right hand, and black particles appear around it, then solidify into a Dino Medal with a black ring around the edge. He hold out his arm, letting it slip through his fingers, to the ground. It turns solid black, then changes its shape to a winged dinosaur.

It's underside is a light lavender, its top side is lavender with purple spots, a coral crest, blood red wings, black beneath its glowing, solid blue eyes, which hold such eeriness and hostility that I feel my face pale, and my eyes grow wide as I slowly move back.

"Goodbye Red RANGER..." He tells me, saying my real last name as if he's taunting me with it. "May the next time we meet, you face your downfall." He growls, glaring at me. He climbs up onto the Z-Ptera, and it takes off, flying towards the floating structure that now has angry storm clouds above it.

"..." I sit there, terror and panic in me.

"...R-Red...?" Rupert, who has been riding on top of my pack this whole time, asks me with fear. "Did I just see what I thought I saw...?"

"Yeah..." I say in a high-pitched tone of fear, slowly nodding my head. I quickly roll onto my stomach, push myself up, my feet digging into the snow as I run as fast as possible towards Ilium Village. _OH HOLY DINO, WE ARE __**SO COMPLETELY SCREWED!**_

A few minutes later...

Joe stands there, looking out one of the large windows in his office, while me, Todd, Pauleen and Prof. Scatterly all stand near his desk, Rupert on top of my pack. I had ran as faster than anyone thought possible to the square, immediately jumped onto Water Logged, and made him fly faster than as fast as he could fly to Cranial Island, and I then ran straight to Joe's suit, and told everyone what had happened as fast as possible while getting out of my snow gear. Joe turns around to look at us, and walks over.

"Dadgum!" He says. "I didn't know tha' feller could pull a castle outta the sea!"

"Part of his castle." I tell him. "The real castle is much bigger."

"Back to the point," The professor says. "he was able to raise the structure despite being in Rupert's body for such a short time. Once he becomes fully adjusted, I fear Zongazonga may prove impossible to stop!"

"Well then," Joe says. "I guess we'll just have to beat him before he can get comfortable! I sent Stella, Terry and Kent out on a Ptera to see if they can get into the castle. I sure hope they can..." The phone on Joe's desk rings. "That's them now!" He puts it on speaker.

"Joe, this is Stella!" She says. "We can see Zongazonga's castle now!" You can hear the gale winds in the back ground. "We're prepared to-... OH NO!"

"Dude, there's a seriously angry cloud that just popped up over the castle!" Kent says, the gale winds getting louder and thunder rumbling. We all stand there, shock and worry on our faces.

"It's some kind of hurricane!" Terry yells over all the noise. "There's no way to approach the castle!"

"We're sorry Joe!" Stella says. It starts coming in fuzzy and scattered as static. "We have to turn back! If we can...Try to...Make it lat..." The line is completely over come with static, and Joe grabs the phone.

"Stella?! Terry?! Kent?! Come in!" He says, worry on his face and in his voice. "Come in, dagnabbit!" He stands there a second, then slowly hangs up the phone, and looks away from all of us. "...We failed."

"W-wait, digadig!" Pauleen says. "It the Ptera can't make it, what about a Jara or a Thalasso, digadig?" Me, Todd, and Prof. Scatterly all look at her.

"I fear they will fail as well." Rupert tells her. "Pteras have the best flying ability of all vivosaurs. I doubt even a helicopter could make it through that weather..."

"So what diga-do we diga-do, digadig?" Pauleen asks, hanging her head. "We just sit here and wait for Zongazonga to take over?!" Joe looks at her with sad eyes.

"I...I don't know, Pauleen." He says shaking his head helplessly. "I just don't know what else we can do." Todd hugs her.

"Don't worry!" He tells her. "We'll come up with something!"

"Unless one'a y'all has a high-powered rocket we can launch through the storm." Joe says.

"..." We all stand there, panicking and thinking.

_'I've failed.' _I think. _'I let him get away, and now he's going to take over the world, and no doubt kill me and all my loved ones because I was a bother to him!'_

_ 'Red, don't blame yourself!' _Cloud Cover tells me. _'How were you supposed to know that he would get his powers back that fast?!'_

_ 'I-! I DON'T KNOW!' _I yell, my hands clenched into hard fists. _'But with everything that's happened to me, I should have anticipated this and prevented it!'_

_ 'Red, no one knows what the future holds!' _Flamethrower tells me. _'The only thing we can be sure of, is that no matter what, we're here to protect this planet and its inhabitants from anything that dares try to harm it, and Zongazonga is trying to harm it, so there for we have to think of a way to stop him!'_

_ 'I know, I know!' _I tell him. _'It's just-! JUST-!' _I mentally sigh. _'...I just feel like this is my fault...I could've stopped him, but I didn't...Now...I'm supposed to be a hero...Protect people...but...I've failed...After everything I've done, everything I've accomplished, do you have any idea how hard it is for me to do that? To admit defeat?'_

_ 'Red,' _Air Strike tells me, his voice hard with seriousness. _'you are a hero. You have the unbreakable characteristic of determination, which is something heros have, even when the situation is hopeless and they're almost dead.'_

_ '...You're right.' _I tell him. _'I just need to find out how to get through that storm!' _I think. _'ARGH! I just wish I could stick Zongazonga in the barrel of a cannon, clog the end, and fire it! See how he likes that!'_

...

_Cannon._

_ ..._

_ CANNON._

"THAT'S IT!" I exclaim, making everyone who was deep in thought jump.

"What is it?" Todd asks me. "Do you have an idea?"

"Yeah dawg!" I tell him. I dash towards the elevator. "Come on! It'll explain itself!" They all look at each other, then hurry over to the elevator platform, which we pile into. It goes down to the lobby, we rush out, out of the Fighter Station, and I jump onto a helicopter Ribular Town, and everyone get onto it as well.

A few minutes later...

I'm standing in the door way of the helicopter, one hand hanging onto a handle on the ceiling, my goggles over my eyes, and the rays of the rising sun beautifully painting the sky as the golden sun rises above the horizon. The helicopter come over the landing pad, and I jump out, dropping eight feet to the ground, which I land on my feet, then sprint to the right path, the others hurrying to keep up as they get off the helicopter. I run up a path to a small set of stairs, stop, then turn around to see them running up to me.

"Think we can use this?" I ask, pointing over my shoulder at the Fossil Cannon, as we stand there on the Fossil Lawn. I noticed as I was running up to this, I saw Kaze, leaning against the base of the Fossil Cannon, goggles pulled over his eyes, and fast asleep. Everyone stands there, looking at the Fossil Cannon with shock. Joe looks at me.

"You wanna use the Fossil Cannon to shoot yerself to the castle?!" He exclaims, shocked and bewildered.

"Yes sir, that's right." I tell him nodding. He stands there, looking at me like I'm crazy.

"You come up with some pretty crazy ideas Red!" Todd tells me.

"I diga-doubt some nasty storm cloud could stop you if we did this, digadig!" Pauleen tells me.

"Well, I s'pose it's possible..." Joe says. He sighs. "But, we still got a problem. See, this here Fossil Cannon was designed to fire rocks...Not people. If we tried to fire ya outta it, ya'd be blown to kingdom come!"

"Perhaps I can be of assistance." We all hear a familiar voice say. Joe, Todd, Pauleen and Prof. Scatterly all turn around to see Mr. Regius walking up to us.

"Father!" Rupert exclaims from his spot on the top of my pack. He jumps down to the ground.

"I've been briefed on the situation, and I wish I could say the good of the world is my first concern." Mr. Regius tells us. He looks at Rupert, and Joe steps out of the way as Mr. Regius walk up to Rupert. "But in truth, I'm more concerned with retrieving the body of my son." He looks at Joe. "I believe I can modify the cannon to fit your needs. Will you allow me to assist you?"

"Father..." Rupert says.

"Um, but, sir?" Todd asks. "Mr. FossilDig CEO? Are you sure you can modify it?" Mr. Regius looks at Todd with a small smile.

"Of course I can." He tells Todd. "I built the thing." Todd jumps with surprise.

"I can help." We all look to see Kaze stand up, his goggles on his forehead. "I have plenty of tools you can use." He tells us, taking some out of a few of his pockets. Mr. Regius nods.

"Good." He looks back at Joe. "I'll make it so the cannon will be able to fire a person as easily as a fossil rock." He tells Joe. "However, as time is short, it will need to be a rush job. I fear we'll only be able to fire a single person."

"Just one of us?" Todd asks sadly. I step forward.

"I'll go." I tell them.

"Yeah, all right Red." Todd says. "You're the best choice."

"It's all up to you, pard." Joe tells me, doing a two finger salute.

"I'll need source parts and materials." Mr. Regius says looking back at Joe. "I could also use skilled labor if there's anyone you trust."

"I'll arrange for whatever ya need." Joe tells Mr. Regius.

"Oh, woooow. Like, we're tooootally skilled at labor." We all here a familiar voice say. Joe jumps at it some, and we all turn to see three familiar faces.

"Cole! Lester! Lola!" Joe exclaims, surprised. He walks up to them, and they walk towards him.

"Like, when we found out Don B was actually Joe Wildwest, it blew my miiiiiiind." Lola says. "You totally fooled us. It was a trip and a half maaaan."

"Yeah." Lester says. "I was just comin' along because I like breakin' stuff. I never knew there was a good reason for it!"

"Even I," Cole says. "the clever one, fell for your story. You're a sly dog Joe Wildwest. I'll give you that."

"..." Joe stand there for a second, then sighs. "...I admit it. I used ya, an' I lied to ya as well." He hangs his head some. "And though my intentions were good, that ain't no excuse...I'm sorry."

"Hold the phone boss!" Lester says. "Don't apologize! Apologizing's for suckers!" Joe looks back up at them.

"And we're not angry you know?" Lola tells him. "It was just, like, whoooooa." She giggles some.

"You fooled us good Joe, but that doesn't mean we hate you." Cole tells him. "I mean, look at us. You've got a vain hipster, a creepy rocker, and a ditzy hippie. Folks don't like us. They never have...At least, not until you came along."

"You took us like a new drummer in a cover band." Lester tells him. "And that means you'll always be our boss!" Lola giggles again.

"Yeaaaaaah." She says.

"Aw, shucks." Joe says. "Thanks y'all." He does a two finger salute. "Well then, I guess we better get on with it. Cole? Lester? Lola? I want ya to gather the BB Brigade and give this feller whatever help he needs." The three of them do their poses.

"Rodger that, boss!" Cole says, a determined smile on his face.

"Can we lift stuff?" Lester asks. "'Cause I'm real good at liftin' stuff!"

"Like, no worries maaaan." Lola says.

"Oh! Me, me! I'll help too!" Todd says waving his hand in the air.

"Me too, digadig!" Pauleen says spinning around on one foot and doing her poise. Joe looks at us, and walks back to us.

"We'll getcha into this cannon as soon as we can Red." Joe tells me. "If there's anything ya need before the final showdown with Zongazonga, you best take care of it now." I nod. "Soon as yer ready, just pull on my duster and lemme know. Got it?"

"Yes sir!" I tell him. I then dash past him, past the commanders, and to the Fighter Camp. I run into mine and Todd's bungalow, and into the kitchen. I stuff my face with nuts, jerky, and water, trying to fill up my stomach after staying up all night and running around so much. I wish I could get some sleep, knowing I'll need it, but I don't have time for even a quick nap. I go into the bed room, sit down at the desk, get out some paper and envelopes, and start writing. I write one to Todd, Pauleen, Joe, the staff leaders, Prof. Scatterly, the BB Brigade commanders, Mr. Regius, I write some for my family, my friends back on Vivosaur Island, and one to Rosie. I take out a large envelope, and put all of the letters into it, and close it.

I run back to the Fossil Lawn, the envelope in my hand, and pass by some BB Brigade guys hurrying back and forth with supplies, while Lester moves the heavier stuff. I come to the Fossil Lawn to see Todd on top of the Fossil Cannon, working on it, Pauleen standing next to Mr. Regius, handing him Kaze's tools as he asks for them, Lola near the edge taking the supplies as Kaze hands them to her. She turns back around, only to knock her foot against something, making her lose her balance, and falls. Kaze quickly catches her, and she looks at him with surprise, while he just smiles awkwardly as his face turns red. A crowd has gathered on the Fossil Lawn, watching them work, and Linda is briefing the situation while the camera man films her.

_Don't have time for that. _I think, walking towards the Fossil Cannon. Joe's watching Mr. Regius work, and I tug at his coat sleeve. He looks at me.

"Are ya ready to go to Zongazonga's Castle?" He asks me.

"Yes sir." I tell him with seriousness.

"Yer sure 'bout that?" Joe asks with seriousness as well. "Once yer gone, we got no way to get ya back."

"Yes sir." I tell him.

"All right, fair enough." He tells me, nodding. Todd climbs down from the top of the cannon, and gets next to me, and Joe looks at Mr. Regius.

"How's this here Fossil Cannon comin' along pard?" Joe asks him. Mr. Regius looks at him.

"We're just finishing up." He tells Joe. "We should be able to fire a single person over to the castle."

"You can do it!" Todd tells me with reassurance. "I believe in you!"

"We'll be cheering for you!" Pauleen tells me. "Just come back in one piece, okay?"

"Will do." I hug them. "If I don't...well, you guys are the best friends I've ever had." They hug me back, and we all stand there for a second, before separating. I tug at Joe's coat sleeve again, and he looks at me. I hold the large envelope out to him. "If I don't come back, and ONLY if I don't come back, will you please make sure that these are sent to the right people?" He takes it, and nods.

"Good luck small fry." He tells me, hugging me. I hug him back, and he sets me down after a second.

"We're ready." Mr. Regius says, closing a panel on the side.

"Yes sir." I tell him. I pick up Rupert. "Let's go." I tell him, putting him in my pack. The barrel of the cannon lowers, and I climbing feet first, and laying on my stomach. I pull my goggles over my eyes, and the barrel of the cannon lifts up, and stops. I can see Zongazonga's castle and the storm clouds above it.

"Get ready!" Joe tells me. I hear the crowd wish me luck.

_For the world._

"Three!" Joe says.

_For my loved ones._

"Two!"

_For Rosie._

"One!"

_ "__**FOR CALIOSTEO!**__"_

"FIRE!" There's a loud boom, and I'm shot from the cannon, my fists stretched out in front of me, shooting through the air which howls in my ears and tears at my hair and clothes.

I shoot through clouds, my face hard with determination, feeling as light as a feather, and I start to feel gravity begin to pull at me. I start to form an arch, and I stretch my feet in front of me, and I land on the edge of the castles land, on my feet.

_Nailed it. _I think. Rupert gets on top of my pack.

"We made it." He says. "He must be up there." I look at the stairs, pushing my goggles up onto my head. I nod and grunt with confirmation, then sprint up the stairs as fast as I can, while the gray-fire torches white wash the place. I come to the top, and there stands Zongazonga on top of a stone platform.

His icy eyes look me straight in the eye, but I feel no fear.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-YES! CLIFFHANGER! I bet you guys are starting to hate me by now.<strong>

**Red: I would not be surprised.**

**Me: }:I MEH.**

**Red:...Zuh?**

**Oak:**** I'm sorry for killing you with the suspense.**

**Greywing44:**** Thar's Kaze.**

**Adam Schmitmeyer: ****That does sound like a pretty interesting story.**

**Ninja of Night:**** Well, which do you think is worse:**

**The Rebel Leader:**_ Her boots were on fire, she runs straight up to Zongazonga, and kicks him between his legs, resulting in a loud CRUNCH._

**Or Red's:** I pull my leg back as far as I can, swing it forward as fast as possible, and kick him as hard as I can. There's a faint, almost inaudible, squinch.

**Tell me which is worse. (I honestly don't know how bad it hurts since I've never been kicked there.)**

**LEAVE REVIEWS!**


	54. Downfall

**AN-YUSH! Nothing but EPIC AWESOMENESS is this chapa! If you want to know why, THEN STOP READING THIS AND GO TO THE CHAPTER!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Fifty-Four-Downfall<p>

"...You are beginning to annoy me." Zongazonga growls, glaring at me. I stand there, looking at him with a hard face, the wind pulling at my hair and collar, while his long silver hair blows majestically in it. He slowly grins his evil grin, showing his long, sharp teeth. "But your effort is too little and much too late, I'm afraid. I have already grown accustomed to this body. My former powers have all returned to me!" He laughs evilly, making lightning flash and thunder boom. I stand there, not afraid. "Now, I shall show you the TRUE power of my sorcery! I will show you long-extinct dinosaurs from beyond time itself...The same dinosaurs that once terrified the puny humans of the Caliosteo Islands!"

"You mean, the same puny humans that overthrew you?" I ask, my voice full of hate and bitterness. He looks at me, angry fire in his eyes.

"I will show undead dinosaurs born of the Stygian dark!" He roars. He raises his hands and face to the sky.

"Zongazongazonga! Zongazongazonga!" He chants. The wind turns into a gale, rain begins to pour down in sheets of icy rain, thunder claps, and lightning flashes. "Fallen dragons from a bygone age! Your master, the mighty sorcerer, compels you!" I hear something, and look to see bones rolling into three separate piles, black stuff appearing over them, and the fire from the torches spinning around them like electrons on an atom. "Let your dark bones be cloaked once more in flesh of hate! Rise now! Rise now! RIIIIIIISE!" The piles of bones and black glop begin to shift, change, and grow taller. They solidify, and begin to change color. There's a Z-Ptera, a Z-Tricera, and a Z-Elasmo. The Z-Tricera is built like a Triceratops, is a dark lavender with dark purple spots covering its back, coral horns, and horrifying solid blue eyes. The Z-Elasmo is dark lavender with dark purple spots covering its back, coral teeth sticking out from its mouth, and soulless, solid blue eyes.

I stand there, not afraid.

I pull out my Dino Medals, let out my team, and get ready to fight.

"Z-Elasmo, Z-Elasmo Triple on Giga Spinax!" It attacks, doing fifty-six damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Z-Elasmo!" He attacks, doing seventeen damage. _These thing are tougher than they look..._

"Z-Tricera, Zombie Shuffle on Giga Spinax!" It attacks, doing fifteen damage. "Z-Ptera, Zombie Swirl on Shanshan!" It attacks, doing fifty-four damage. "Z-Elasmo, Z-Elasmo Tackle on Giga Spinax!" It attacks, doing ten damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Giga on Z-Elasmo!" He attacks, doing forty-five damage.

"Z-Elasmo, Z-Elasmo Combo on S-Raptor!" It attacks, doing thirty-eight damage. "Z-Ptera, Zombie wing on S-Raptor!" It attacks, doing fourteen damage. "Z-Tricera, Zombie shuffle on Shanshan!" It attacks, doing sixty damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Z-Elasmo!" He attacks, doing twenty-seven damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Z-Elasmo!" He attacks, doing twenty-three damage.

"Z-Elasmo, Z-Elasmo Combo on Giga Spinax!" It attacks, doing twenty-eight damage. "Z-Ptera, Zombie Swirl on S-Raptor!" It attacks, doing twenty-three damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Z-Elasmo!" He attacks, doing seventeen damage. "Flamethrower, S-Combo on Z-Elasmo!" He attacks, doing fifty-one damage, making the vile creature turn back into the black glop and bones, and disappear from existence. Zongazonga rotates his team, putting Z-Tricera in the front AZ

"Z-Tricera, Z-Tri Fury on Shanshan!" It attacks, doing one hundred thirty nine damage, sending Cloud Cover into her medal. I catch her, and slip her into my side pouch. "Z-Ptera, Zombie Cyclone!" It attacks, doing thirteen damage to Air Strike and thirty-four damage to Flamethrower.

"Air Strike, Spinax Tera on Z-Tricera!" He attacks, doing fifty-one damage. "Flamethrower, S-Combo on Z-Tricera!" He attacks, doing fifty-one damage, and rotating them to where both of the vile creatures are in the AZ.

"Z-Ptera, Zombie wing on S-Raptor!" It attacks, doing eight damage. "Z-Tricera, Zombie Shuffle on S-Raptor!" It attacks, doing twenty-four damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Z-Tricera!" He attacks, doing eighty-seven damage, causing the vile creature to fall apart and vanish from existence. "Flamethrower, S-Combo on Z-Ptera!" He attacks, doing fifty-nine damage, and rotating the creature to the SZ.

"Z-Ptera, Undead wing on S-Raptor!" It attacks, doing thirteen damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Z-Ptera!" He attacks, doing twenty-one damage. "Flamethrower, S-Combo on Z-Ptera!" He attacks, doing thirty damage, making the creature disappear.

I won.

"How...how is this possible?!" Zongazonga asks, appalled and taking a step back. "Did I underestimate the amount of power you truly possess? Or did you gain power from the very contest that I arranged?"

"Both." I tell him. "I've had this power hidden inside me my entire life, and had no idea that I had it. Recently though, it's come forth, and now, when I am fighting not for me, but for the world and the people on it, the power fills me, and I become and unstoppable force. You can't stop me, Zongazonga. You have your petty spells, while I have my mind, my strength, and my determination fueling me."

"I CANNOT ALLOW THIS!" Zongazonga roars, making the gale increase, the rain fall harder, thunder boom, and king lightning flash uncontrollably. "NONE CAN HAVE SUCH POWER SAVE THE GREAT ZONGAZONGA! I have had enough of you, you cursed boy! Your life ends here!" I brace myself, and Zongazonga closes his eyes, and lifts his hands up, to shoulder height on either side of him. Blue lights appear around his head, and His skull appears. Rupert's body fall face down from the platform to the ground, and Zongazonga's skull rises into the air.

He grows.

Two blood red horns curved forward sprout from his temples,

His nose becomes a snout,

A spine made of bones appears,

His teeth become even longer and sharper,

He grows two skeleton arms with blood red claws,

His legs become covered with flesh and muscle, resembling a zombiesaur,

Blood red spikes come from his thighs and knees,

Two smaller arms with flesh on them sprout,

And blue fire burns on the top of his head.

He's half zombiesaur, half boneysaur.

He opens his eyes to show unholy ice eyes, that burn like the sun, but have the complete darkness of evil in them.

I get in a firm stance, my left arm in front of me and angled down, and my right arm behind me and angled up, as Zongazonga releases a roar that booms like thunder, and could strike fear into a demon. Two more vile creatures appear on either side of him. They're built like T-Rexes, are dark lavender with dark purple spots on their backs, coral claws and teeth, and solid blue eyes.

"PERPARE TO DIE!" Zongazonga roars at me.

"BRING IT, BONEHEAD!" I yell back, throwing out my team's medals. "I'm not afraid of you!" He roars with anger at the fact.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Zongazonga!" He attacks, doing one hundred forty-three damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Zongazonga!" He attacks, doing forty damage.

"Pass!" Zongazonga booms.

"Air Strike, Spinax Giga on Zongazonga!" He attacks, doing one hundred forty damage. "Flamethrower, S-Combo on Zongazonga!" He attacks, doing fifty-three damage, and rotating ZZ's team to where Zongazonga is in the back SZ. Zongazonga rotates to where one of the Z-Rexes is in the front AZ.

"Z-Rex, Undead Assault on S-Raptor!" It attacks, doing forty damage. He rotates to where his other Z-Rex is in the AZ. "Z-Rex, Creep Tactics on Shanshan!" It attacks, doing thirty-one damage.

"Flamethrower, use Enflame on Air Strike!" He does it, boosting his attack. "Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Zongazonga!" He attacks, doing ninety-seven damage.

"Pass." Zongazonga growls.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Zongazonga!" He attacks, doing one hundred thirty-seven damage. "Flamethrower, S-Combo on Zongazonga!" He attacks, doing twenty-seven damage. Zongazonga rotates his team to where he's in the front AZ.

"Necromancy on Shanshan!" He says, attacking Cloud Cover, doing one hundred twenty-three damage, as well as making her fall asleep, confusing her, and enraging her.

"Flamethrower, S-Fang on Zongazonga!" He attacks, doing forty damage. Zongazonga falls to the ground. He tries to push himself up, only to fall back down. "Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Z-Rex!" He attacks, missing. Cloud Cover wakes up, and the Z-Rexes rotate themselves to where one is in the front AZ.

_"Z-Rex, Creep Tactics on Giga Spinax..." _The one in the front AZ thinks, projecting its thoughts that sound like boulders grinding together. It attacks, doing one hundred forty-one damage. The other one gets in the front AZ.

_"Z-Rex, _ _Creep Tactics on Giga Spinax..." _I attacks, doing one hundred thirty-eight damage.

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Z-Rex!" He attacks, doing one hundred thirty-nine damage. "Flamethrower, S-Fang on Z-Rex!" He attacks, doing fifty-five damage. Cloud Cover calms down, and her confusion subsides, while the other Z-Rex gets in the front AZ.

_"Z-Rex, Zombie Breath..." _It attacks, doing ninety damage to Air Strike, forty-one damage to Flamethrower, and fifty-one damage to Cloud Cover. The other Z-Rex gets back in the AZ.

_"Z-Rex, Zombie Roar..." _It attacks, doing damage to Air Strike, Flamethrower, Cloud Cover, sending Cloud Cover into her Medal.

"Air Strike, Spinax Tera on Z-Rex!" He attacks, doing one hundred thirty-eight damage. "Flamethrower, S-Combo on Z-Rex!" He attacks, doing twenty-four damage.

_"Pass..."_

"Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Z-Rex!" He attacks, doing seventy-three damage, making the creature disappear. "Flamethrower, S-Combo on Z-Rex!" He attacks, doing forty-nine damage, making the vile creature disappear.

I won.

I did it.

I saved the world,

My family,

My friends,

And Rosie.

"OH YEAH!" I yell with victory as my vivosaurs roar with triumph. Rupert stands up, he must've gotten back into his body while I was fighting, and walks over to me.

"Thank you." He tells me with a smile. I hug him, and he hugs me back.

"I...I don't under...STAND..." Zongazonga says, his voice shaky. Me and Rupert look to see him, pushing himself up. "Even my...final spell...FAILED..." He looks at me. "Wh-why? Where do you get this power...?"

"My friend loves Fossil Battles, but he loves his vivosaurs even more." Rupert tells him. "They respond to his affection, and give their all to his cause."

"That's right." I say. "I stand up for what's right. When I do, me and my vivosaurs mind's and heart's work together as one, and as we do, we overcome any obstacle in our path."

"..." Zongazonga says nothing, but stands there. "THAT'S WHAT MAKES A FOSSIL FIGHTER?!" He roars with bewilderment. "IMPOSSIBLE! How could some pathetic, simple minded, mewling child win the hearts of the ancient creatures?!"

"You mean, the one that just defeated you in battle...twice..." I tell him. He looks at me, complete enragement in his eyes.

"**NO!**" He roars. "I REFUSE TO BE DEFEATED BY SOME CURSED BOY AND HIS IDIOTIC VIVOSAURS! JUST **DIE!**" As he says die, black fire erupts from his maw, and shoots straight towards me. My eyes wide, and shock covers my face.

_"__**RED!**__" _My vivosaurs yell. My team suddenly shoots from their medals, and they create a wall in front of me.

The fire hits them.

_**"NO!"**_ I yell as it hits them. I run towards them, and the heat from the fire is enough to roast a person. The fire stops, and my vivosaurs fall to the ground. "NO!" I run in front of them, to where I can see their heads, and fall to my knees. "Guys...?" I whimper, tears streaming from my eyes. "Flamethrower? Cloud Cover? Air Strike? ...Please...Please, you need to get up..." I sit there, in front of them, and they lie still. I reach my mind out to them,

And I feel nothing.

"No..." I whimper. "This...This can't be happening..." I hug Air Strike's head.

Air Strike.

My very first vivosaur.

Gone.

I sit there, hugging his head and silently crying, as Zongazonga laughs a booming, evil laugh.

"YOU FOOL!" He booms triumphantly. "Did you REALLY think that they could survive that?! That they could live?! That I would just lie down and give up?! NO! Now that they can't help you to stop me, you are weak! I will crush you! THE WORLD SHALL BE MINE, AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!" He laughs his booming, evil laugh again, and I sit there, hugging Air Strike's head and silently crying.

Everything they've helped me through,

Everything we've done,

All the battles we've fought,

And how much they loved and cared for me,

Fill my mind.

I hug Air Strike's head a bit tighter, as my muscles clench with anger. I look up, tears pouring from my eyes, which have a horrifying fire in them. I curl my hands into fists, and let go of Air Strike's head.

"That's right!" Zongazonga booms. "Go ahead! CRY! At the end of the day, you're still-"

_**"SHUT UP!"**_ I roar at him, whirling around and standing up to face him.

As I yell, a blast of fire erupts from my mouth, and hits Zongazonga, knocking him to the ground.

_...! _My eyes get huge as I realized what just happened, and Zongazonga looks at me with shock and bewilderment. _Did...did that just happen...?_

_ Yes. _Something tells me. _Yes is did._

_ AIR STRIKE?! _I exclaim, recognizing his voice.

_The one and only. _He says happily.

_Don't forget us!_

_ We're here too._

_ Cloud Cover?! Flamethrower?! How-?! You guys aren't dead?! _I ask.

_NOPE. _Air Strike tells me.

_Red, we've fought zombies, skeletons, robots, and aliens. _Cloud Cover tells me. _Do you REALLY think we're that easy to kill?_

_ ...Good point... _I tell her.

_Allow me to explain all of this. _Flamethrower tells me. _You see, since I was able to take you into my mind, then doesn't it stand to reason that we can go into your mind?_

_ I guess._

_ Exactly. You see, when a vivosaur's mind is not in it, it's body goes into a dormancy where it cannot be hurt or age. So, we are not harmed, and our subconscious is keeping our hearts beating and us breathing._

_ So, if you guys are in my mind, does that mean...?_

_ You have our abilities? Yes. Yes it does. You have our understanding of them, and coupled with our minds, you are now completely unstoppable._

_ ...LOOK OUT ZZ, __**HERE I COME!**_I charge at him, and he gets back up to fight. A white light appears over my right hand, and grows. I throw it at Zongazonga, and it hits him, making him stagger back. I create a cyclone with my other hand, and throw it at him. He falls back again, then looks at me, burning anger in his eyes while I have a hard, triumphant smile on my face. He roars and charges at me yet again.

_Red! _Flamethrower sends an image of several schematics to my mind's eye, and I use Air Strike's strength and Cloud Covers agility to carry it out. I merely jump twenty feet in the air above Zongazonga, facing down at him, create a cyclone in one hand, the bright white light in the other, and merge the together, and add the fire from my maw to it, making it a force of destruction that engulfs Zongazonga. He roars with pain, and I land on my feet with no pain. I look back over my shoulder at him, to see he's weakening. He charges at me again, Flamethrower sends me more blueprints, and I skid beneath Zongazonga's longer skeleton arm, and grab his short zombie arm. I then put my other hand on his chest, hit my foot against his foot, making him go over me, and I slam him against the ground.

He lies there, black stuff oozing from his cracked bones.

He suddenly opens his eyes, and claws at my face.

I let out a cry of pain as his claws hit the left side of my face, I fall down, and clap my hand over that spot, and my vivosaurs yell out my name with shock and worry. I look at the hand I clapped over my the spot, to see it red with my blood. I quickly tear off one of my shirt sleeves, and tie it around the wound on my head. Zongazonga gets back up, rising to his full height, blood dripping from the claws that hit me, bloodlust in his eyes.

For my blood.

He opens his mouth and snaps at me, but I jump up in the air, and land back on his snout, the Caliosteo Pipsqueak in my hand, that has been slung across my back this entire time.

"Remember this?" I ask him. He looks at it, and his eyes fill with fear. I stand up, raise the Pipsqueak above my head, and smash it against his forehead as hard as possible. There's a noise that sounds like shattering, and I jump to the ground, as Zongazonga falls to the ground. He shrinks, turning back into his skull form, not a scratch on him.

"...HOW...?" He asks. I stand up, and sling the Pipsqueak across my back.

"I love my vivosaurs with all my heart." I tell him, my back to him. "Our bond is so strong, they can come into my mind, and I can go into theirs." I turn around to look at him, a faint smile on my face. "They are a part of me, and I am a part of them."

"..." Zongazonga sits there. "No...NO! That makes no sense! I don't understand this! I don't get ANY of this! I DON'T UNDERSTAAAAAAAAAAAA-" His skull cracks, causing light blue lights to come from it, his skull begins to glow and shake slightly.

His skull shatters, and the fragments blow away as dust.

"...Good riddance." I say. Something nudges my shoulder, and I look to see Air Strike, Cloud Cover, and Flamethrower standing there, tall and proud. Tears spring to my right eye, and I hug them the best I can. "Thank goodness you guy are okay..." I say quietly, my voice shaking slightly. Cloud Cover gently picks me up and hugs me.

_'We're just glad you survived.' _She tells me, her voice soft and gentle.

_'I just hope you didn't have any damage done to your left eye.' _Flamethrower tells me. _'I don't think Lullaby can fix it.'_

_ 'My eye didn't get injured, thank goodness.' _I tell him.

_'We're proud of you Red.' _Air Strike tells me, as Cloud Cover carefully sets me down. _'Everyone is. Every parent wants you as their son, every kid wants you as their older brother, every girl wants you as their boyfriend, and everyone wants to meet you.'_

_ 'Well, to the girls, sorry.' _I tell him. _'Someone else has my heart.' _They smile, and go into their medals, which I catch and hug. _'I love you guys. I love you so much.' _I tell them, hugging the medals, and tears streaming from my eye. I feel a hand on my shoulder, and look to see Rupert, standing there and smiling.

"It's over Red." He tells me. "Thank you. Without you, I'd still be a bouncing skull. I'm just sorry about..."

"Don't worry." I tell him. "My eye didn't get hit, which I'm thankful for." The storm clouds begin to part, and rays of warm, golden sunshine break through.

The ground shakes some.

"Blast!" Rupert says, the ground shaking. "Without Zongazonga, the castle is going to collapse!"

"Let's get outta here!" I yell, grabbing his hand. We run down the steps as the ground beneath our feet cracks and splits, and we get to the ground.

"Now what?!" Rupert asks.

"I don't know!" I tell him, my throat sore from all of the yelling that's been going on. "My vivosaurs are in shock from what happened!"

"And I can't feel my vivosaurs!" Rupert tells me.

"SCRRREEEEEEECH!" A shadow flies over head, and we look to see a Ptera land, facing us. Todd pops out from behind its head.

"Hey, the rescue team's here!" He tells us. Pauleen pops out on the other side.

"Get on, digadig!" She says. Me and Rupert look at each other, faintly smile, and nod. We quickly climb onto the Ptera, Todd in front, then me, then Rupert, and then Pauleen. The Ptera takes off, and we watch the castle crumble, and fall into the sea, to be forever lost.

"Victory!" I yell, throwing a fist in the air. Todd, Rupert and Pauleen all throw their fists in the air as well, letting out exclamations of triumph and victory, while the people of the Fossil Lawn go crazy, Joe throwing his hat in the air and dancing a jig, Kaze and Lola hug, then quickly separate as they blush, while other people cheer. We land on the Fossil Lawn, and I slide off. Some paramedics rush forward and carefully remove the shirt sleeve I tied around the wound on my face, and hurry me over to a bench, have me sit down on it, and tend the wound while people cheer my name, and Linda tries to ask me some questions. I look to see Rupert and Mr. Regius hugging, a smile on Mr. Regius' face and tears streaming out from under his sunglasses, Todd and Pauleen hugging, and Joe still dancing his jig with his hat on his head.

I smile, happy to know that I fought for something worth more than I could imagine.

"Hold still." A paramedic tells me, putting a devise against the wound on my head. I hear a click, and he takes it off.

"I say, let me through!" I hear a familiar voice say.

"Let him through." I say. "He's a friend." They let him through, and Prof. Scatterly hurries over, and sits down on the bench next to me.

"Are you alright old bean?" He ask, worried.

"I'm okay." I tell him with a reassuring smile. "The worse injury I got is on my head." He sighs with relief.

"About that..." The paramedic says. I look at him, and he holds a mirror out to me. "There's only so much we could do." I look at my reflection, and there, stretching from the tip of my willow's peak, going down across my temple, to where the top of my ear connects to my head, is a scar. It's a dark tan color, isn't very deep, but it's a bit wide. "We can't get rid of it..." The paramedic tell me sadly. I look up at him and smile.

"Don't worry." I run my fingers through my bangs, and they fall over the scar, completely hiding it. "Like it's not even there." He smiles, and hugs me.

"Thank you." He tell me. I hug him back, and we separate after a second. The paramedics head off, and Linda and her camera man hurry up to me.

"Red Broke, you have just saved the world from a terrible dark force!" She tells me. "Anything you want to say?" She holds her mike out to me, and I sit there for a second.

"...I couldn't have made it without my friends and my vivosaurs." I say. "I owe it to them, and...I know they're watching this, and I just want to say: Mom, dad, I love both of you, and I hope that you two are proud of me."

"Spoken like a true hero." Linda says. "But, with the Cup over and Zongazonga defeated, what are you going to do now?"

"I am going get an nice, filling, hot meal, take a long, hot shower, and go to bed." I tell her. She laughs.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Red has saved the world!...Again! Whew! Oh man, that part where Red thought his team died almost made me cry. I AM SUCH A TERRIBLE PERSON!<strong>

**Red: No you're not. It gives the story depth.**

**Me: Eh, I guess that's true. But to you, my faithful readers, DO ****NOT**** GO AWAY!**

**The adventure STILL ain't over!**

**Greywing44:**** I think everyone would agree that the CRUNCH is better. Poor ZZ. There's no telling how many times the Rebel Leader did that to him.**

**ilovedogs12:**** YAYZ! :D**

**corinster2:**** Yes, I know what Zongazonga says, but Red is much stronger that Rupert is.**

**Ninja of Night:**** You don't hate me? Whew! *hugs***

**Adam S.: ****(Sorry, your last name is just very long) That does sound like something that Red's cousins (BTW: Their names are Conner and Collin) would do. And, Red would undoubtedly beat them if they hurt a person like that. And yes, GO RED! (Let's face it, I know you guys all agree that he's got swag.)**

**Oak:**** Yay! You're alive! *hugs***


	55. Congratulations

**AN-Gonna be a short chapa, I guess. Most of its gonna be a dream...I think. Gotta type it first.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Fifty-Five-Congratulations<p>

Around noon...

"As y'all know, the Caliosteo Fossil Park and the world was recently facin' some grave times." Joe says. We're in his office while he's being filmed by a camera man, and me, Todd, Rupert and Pauleen all stand off to the side. The walls and windows had been fixed, I had changed into a new shirt and suit, but I took the left chest pock off of my suit, and replaced it with the medallion the rebel leader gave me. Meanwhile, in Ribular Town's square, people are watching from the Mammoth Screen, and people all over the world are watching on their TV's.

Which makes me worried.

Now that the truth has been revealed, I don't think I'll actually be getting the fossil park, which means I can't reveal who I really am.

"The ancient sorcerer Zongazonga up and tried to take over the place with his dark powers." Joe continues. "But thanks to the work of a single Fighter an' some friends, the world was saved. Now lemme introduce y'all to that Fighter..." He looks over at us. "May I present the courageous Fighter that whupped up on Zongazonga...Red Broke!" I standing next to a potted plant a good distance away, my back to him and my face full of panic and worry.

"C'mon Red." Todd tells me. "Get it together!"

"Yeah, digadig." Pauleen tells me. "Cameras are fun, digadig! You're not worried they're going to steal your soul or something, right digadig?"

_No, I'm worried someone will recognize me. _I think. I look over my shoulder some, and see Joe standing there, his warm smile on his face, and his light blue eyes soft, while the camera man stands there, waiting. I look back at my friends as I tense.

"Be brave my friend." Rupert tells me. I nod.

"Okay..." I take a deep breath, exhale, then turn, and walk over to Joe with a smile on my face, trying to keep it together, while Todd, Pauleen, and Rupert all stand next to and behind me. Joe looks at the camera.

"Ol' Zongazonga wanted Red's body for his own, but our hero was havin' none of it!" Joe says. "And with hard work and courage, Zongazonga was defeated once and fer all! And so, as was promised, I'm handin' over the keys to this here fossil park."

"Whoa, SAY WHAT?!" I exclaim, looking at Joe with shock and surprise.

"Now, I know it warn't me who promised the park, but it came from my body, so I feel partially responsible." Joe says. "And besides, I can't think of a better way to express my gratitude for all ya did." I stand there, looking up at Joe with shock, while he looks down at me with his warm smile. "Yer gonna be a right fine park owner, Red. I know it." He pulls a golden key about six inches long with a K shaped hole on the handle out from his coat, and holds it out to me. "So yer gonna accept...Right?"

"Diga!" Pauleen squeals with glee. "Digadigadigadig! Oh my goodness! So excited! You're the owner! Digaaaaaa!"

"I think Red has earned it." Rupert says approvingly. I stand there, looking at the key with slight shock on my face, I lift up a hand, and my fingers brush against it.

"...I can't accept it Joe." I tell him, pushing the key back towards him.

"...I reckon I'm a mite confused." Joe tells me. "Why don't ya want the park?"

"Because..." I tell him. I smile a small, sad smile. "You gave us dreams. Without those dreams, me and Todd never would've come here and fought in the Cup. And if we hadn't of come here, well...who knows where we would all be right now. I want you to stay owner of this park so that you can help more people with their dreams." Joe stand there, looking at me with slight surprise, and a faint smile touches his lips.

"Well shucks Red..." He tells me, touched. He stands there a second, then nods. "All right. Ya twisted my arm, so I'll stay as the owner." I smile a wide smile, and we all turn back to the camera. "And now that we've got that wrangled out, I've got another announcement to make! This tournament was a great success, in spite'a it being set up by some evil witch doctor. But while I was Don Boneyard, I did my best to mess it up, and I feel right shameful for it. So sometime soon, I plan on holdin' a second Caliosteo Cup! And it's gonna be the biggest, baddest, rootinest-tootinest tournament ever!" He does his two finger salute and winks. "So I want y'all to get ready for the Caliosteo Super Cup!" Joe looks at me, and we all look at him. "Yer gonna enter, right Red? Wouldn't be the same without ya..."

"Joe, in the past week that I have been here, I have helped several people, stopped a scandal, fought skeletal vivosaurs, fought a hipster, rocker and hippie, defeated you in a Fossil Battle, defeated Rupert Regius in a Fossil Battle, defeated Mr. Regius in a Fossil Battle, fought zombiesaurs, saw several memories from the rebel leader, almost had my body taken over, became a fugitive, passed a trial from an ancient guardian, defeated Zongazonga a total of five times, shot myself out of a cannon, fought a giant zombie-skeleton-saur with my bare hands, and almost became a skull." I tell him. "I'm pretty sure I'm gonna fight in that tournament."

"..." Joe stands there for a second. "I'd hate to see how long that list is fer yer whole life." I smile. Joe looks back at the camera. "Now let's show this world of dinos and dreams its biggest adventure yet!"

Later...

Stella, Terry and Kent all come up to Joe's office. They come up to me.

"Uh, Red?" Stella asks, rubbing the back of her neck. "We're sorry about what happened last night...We thought..."

"There's no need to apologize." I tell her with a smile. "All is forgiven."

"Thanks little dude!" Kent tells me, giving me another death hug.

_I have a feeling I'm gonna get these a lot... _I think. They leave, leaving me, Todd, Joe, Rupert and Pauleen in Joe's office.

"Now what, digadig?" Pauleen asks.

"Oh, oh!" Todd says, jumping up and down. "I know!"

A minute later...

"Okay!" Todd gets next to me, with Pauleen next to him and Rupert next to me while Joe stands behind us, and while we all stand in Ribular Town square. "Say happy ending!" We laugh, while the camera in front of us stands on a tripod. I'm standing with a hand on my hip and one of my fists raised in determination, Todd stands with one hands on his hip, Rupert stands facing off to the side a bit, but looking at the camera, Pauleen stands with her hands behind her back, and Joe stands with one hand on the handle of his pick which is slung across his back, an adventurous look on his face.

"..." We all stand there for a second.

"You DID set the timer, right?" I ask Todd out of the corner of my mouth. The camera flashes, answering my question.

Rupert and his father talk, and his father apologizes to Rupert.

Pauleen asks me what Todd thinks of her, and I tell he thinks she's a nice person.

I see Kaze and Lola talking, Kaze looking as if he's nervous out of his wits.

I see a bunch of BB Brigade guys waiting in line at a VMM.

KL-33N and Di66-R become friends.

I see Madame Pooch in the Fossil Guild with Minister Pomposa and Joanie.

Prof. Scatterly asks Joe about what all happed when he first went to the Stone Pyramid, and Joe tells him "I'm just glad I don't yell when somethin' startles me."

Me, Todd, Rupert and Pauleen all run to the edge of a cliff in the Jungle Labyrinth, and stop at the edge, overlooking the breath taking view. We all take hands, and raise them up.

We're Fossil Fighters Champions.

That night...

Me, Todd, Rupert and Pauleen are all sitting around the camp fire on Ribular, Me and Rupert sitting on a log, and Todd and Pauleen sitting on another log while stars glitter like diamonds over head. "I can't believe how much happened." Todd says. "I mean, we've only been here for a few days!"

"It has been an amazing experience for me as well." Rupert says, the fire light reflecting off his hair. "I remembered the joy of battling and was able to reconcile with my father. This tournament has changed me, and I will not soon forget it."

"Me too, digadig!" Pauleen says. "Diga-don't forget me, digadig! Before I came here, I couldn't even take off my diga-dumb mask, digadig! But now I can take and laugh and all that stuff, digadig! ...Plus I'm not a huge snob anymore, digadig."

"And you look much cuter without it!" Todd tells her happily. We all look at him with surprise. He then realizes what he just said. "...Did I say that out loud?"

"Aw, you're so sweet Todd, digadig!" Pauleen tells him.

She kisses his cheek.

"..." Todd get a look of complete shock, and his face turns red.

I almost fall off my seat laughing as he falls back off his seat, while Rupert chuckles and Pauleen looks confused. Todd sits up, a wide foolish grin on his face.

"So, what life lesson did you learn, Todd?" I ask, wanting him to snap to his wits to make sure nothing bad will happen. He does, and quickly clambers back onto his seat.

"I learned how to be brave, which means I'll never fake a stomachache again!" He says proudly.

"I can't thank you enough for all you've done Red." Rupert tells me.

"Yeah, huge thanks, digadig!" Pauleen tells me.

"Thanks bro." Todd tells me.

"Thanks guys..." I tell them, a small smile on my face. "But, I have everyone to thank for it. I fight to help people, and that's just what I did." _And to save Rosie._

"But there is one final order of business to take care of!" Rupert says, a wide smile spreading across his face. We all look at him. "Be careful Red...Because I'm going to beat you in the Caliosteo Super Cup!"

"Diga!" Pauleen says. "That's what I was going to say, digadig! I'm way more powerful without the mask, so you better watch out next time, digadig!"

"Wait!" Todd says. "Oh, wait! Me too! I'm totally gonna win next time! I'll beat all of you!"

"We shall see about zat!" I tell him in a fake French accent, stroking my chin.

"Oh, ho!" Todd says, doing the same thing. "Zat we shall!" We all laugh.

"I think we have more adventures awaiting us in this fossil park." Rupert says.

"I know, digadig!" Pauleen says. "We're gonna have Fighters coming in from all over the world, digadig! ...Plus, I have about a zillion fossil rocks I need to excavate, digadig."

"I can't take the excitement!" I say, excitedly. "I'm gonna pop!" Todd laughs.

"I feel the same way Red!" He tells me. "Let's go digging tomorrow!"

"I'm gonna diga-dig up fossil rocks, revive 'em, and battle until I fall over, digadig!" Pauleen says excitedly.

"This park will be even better when I'm sharing it with friends." Rupert says.

"The Caliosteo Patrol Team forever!" I say, jumping to my feet and throwing a fist in the air.

"Yeah!" Todd, Rupert and Pauleen all say in unison as we all high five. We all happily chat for a bit. When Todd suddenly stops, and gets a sad look of complete shock on his face.

"What's wrong Todd?" Rupert asks him.

"I just realized something..." He says. "Red? Remember when we were in Rainbow Canyon for the first time?"

"And the BB Brigade was kidnapping girls?" I ask. "Yeah, I remember. Why?"

"Remember how we got the message on our Paleopagers?" He asks.

"Yeah."

"And remember what I said after we got the message?"

"Yeah..."

"I was talking about the ENTIRE BB Brigade."

"..." I suddenly burst out laughing, and Todd miserably hangs his head.

"What are you two talking about, digadig?" Pauleen asks.

"After we got the message, Todd said 'THOSE PERVERTS'!" I laugh. Rupert falls off his seat laughing, and Pauleen bursts out laughing.

"I can't believe I called Joe a pervert..." Todd says sadly.

"It was just a misunderstanding, digadig." Pauleen tells him.

"I vote we don't tell him." Rupert says, putting his hand in the air.

"I second that." I say raising my hand.

"Thanks guys." Todd says, looking up at us and smiling.

"Well, it's getting late and Father doesn't want me staying out too late." Rupert tells us. I yawn.

"Yeah...And we were up all night, so...yeah..." I say, rubbing my eye sleepily.

"Good night guys, digadig!" Pauleen says, hopping up. "I'll see you guys for diga-digging tomorrow."

"Night, Pauleen." Todd says. We all head back, me and Todd to our bungalow, and I'm not sure where Pauleen and Rupert sleep. We get there, change into our pajamas, and go to bed.

"Good night Todd." I tell him.

"Good night Red." He tells me. I smile, close my eyes, and drift asleep.

_I open my eyes, and see I'm in my cool clothes, and in a room with speakers, a DJ booth, and a dance floor. "...ZUH?" I ask._

_ "What?" I hear Air Strike ask. He appears, but in a completely different form than I expected. He's wearing dark purple headphones with sea green crystals, a dark purple jacket with more sea green crystals and it's un zipped, showing a very pale sea green shirt, his pants are black, his eyes are red, his hair is green, and his sneakers are green as well._

_ He's in a human form._

_ "WHAT?!" I exclaim. Flamethrower appears as a human as well, with golden eyes, fiery red hair, a blue hoodie with black tiger stripes and a white shirt under it, with the hood pulled on his head, black pants, and blue and white sneakers. Cloud Cover appears as a human as well, with a short sleeved teal jacket and white shirt under it, red pants with clouds on the sides of the pants legs, black sneakers, white tipped red hair and red bars painted on her face, grey eyes, and the hair behind her ears are upswept and green. _

_ "...What?" They ask._

_ "...Okay, what mischief are you guys up to now?" I ask them._

_ "Nothing." Air Strike tells me, smiling. I raise an eyebrow, and he gets in the DJ booth. The light go off, the dance floor turns on as well as some crazy colored lights._

_ "Just have fun!" Cloud Cover tells me. Music starts playing._

_Fossil Fight!_

_Yeah..._

_WOO!_

_Let's fight!_

_Red Ranger's in the house tonight,_

_Everybody just have a good time!_

_And we're gonna make you cheer for us,_

_Everybody just have a good time!_

_Red Ranger's in the house tonight,_

_He just won the most epic fight._

_Zongazonga is gone, alright._

_We just wanna see him,_

_Fossil Fight!_

_In the fossil park, digging for fossils,_

_In the ground, nonstop when he finds 'em!_

_Legs moving like lightning, he's gotta get somewhere!_

_And everyone evil has to know,_

_Sharp mind, strong team, good with words,_

_All good, no bad, hero!_

_He'll stop you! _

_Yo!_

_He's knocking down the dinos without tryin',_

_He's got that Caliosteo Pipsqueak,_

_He's a Zongazonga hater, he's Red Ranger! _

_On the rise to the best while he's cleaning his fossils!_

_Hey!_

_Red Ranger's in the house tonight,_

_Everybody just have a good time!_

_And we're gonna make you cheer for us,_

_Everybody just have a good time!_

_Red Ranger's in the house tonight,_

_He just won the most epic fight._

_Zongazonga is gone, alright._

_We just wanna see him,_

_Fossil Fight!_

_Everyday he's Fossil Fightin'_

_Fossil Fightin', Fossil Fightin'!_

_Step fast, and be the first one for him to Fossil Battle!_

_He's got time, don't be mad, now_

_STOP!_

_Cheatin' is bad!_

_One more fight for us!_

_Another win!_

_Please don't try to quit!_

_Don't shrink away!_

_We just wanna have,_

_A Fossil Fight!_

_Now you're gonna be beat!_

_Taste defeat!_

_Jump up to win, throw you medals out to fight!_

_Jump up to win, throw you medals out to fight!_

_Jump up to win, throw you medals out to fight!_

_Throw your medals out to fight!_

_Throw your medals out to fight!_

_Fossil Fight!_

_Fossil Fight!_

_Fossil Fight!_

_Fossil Fight!_

_Fossil Fight!_

_Fossil Fight!_

_Fossil Fight!_

_Fossil Fight!_

_Fossil Fight!_

_Throw your medals out to fight!_

_Medals out to fight!_

_Medals out to fight!_

_Medals out to fight!_

_Medals out to fight!_

_Red Ranger's in the house tonight,_

_Throw out your medals,_

_Everybody just have a good time,_

_Throw out your medals,_

_And we're gonna make you cheer for us,_

_Everybody just have a good, good, good time!_

_Oh Yeah!_

_Throw out your medals!_

_Oh yeah! _

_Time to win now!_

_Oh yeah!_

_Throw out your medals!_

_Oh yeah!_

_Throw out your medals!_

_Fossil Fight!_

_Everyday he's Fossil Fightin'!_

_Throw out, throw out,_

_Throw out, throw out,_

_Yeah dawg!_

_Throw out, throw out,_

_WOO!_

_Throw out, throw out,_

_Throw out your medals,_

_Out your Medals,_

_Throw out you medals every day he's Fossil Fightin'!_

_ I finish dancing, and drink some water Flamethrower hands to me. "I didn't know you could break dance." I tell him._

_ "Oh, it's simply really." He tells me. "I merely calculate my weight, the required speed and balance for a move, do some math, and I can do it like a professional."_

_ "...Okay..." I tell him._

_ "But man, Red!" Cloud Cover says. "You sure can dance!"_

_ "Hey, I had to get over haw crazy this was before I started to. Then, it was fun."_

_ "I told you to just have fun!" She tells me, crossing her arms. I smile, and look at Air Strike, who was at the DJ booth._

_ "What next?" I ask him. He smiles, and everything goes white. The next thing I know, I'm in a nice tuxedo with my hair neatly combed, and in an elegant ballroom. I hear beautiful music playing, and look to see Air Strike and Flamethrower in tuxes, and Cloud cover in a sleeveless teal dress with a red ribbon around the waist. They're all playing violins, and I look around again. _

_ Rosie appears in her dress that she wore during the dance back on Vivosaur Island._

_ "..." I stand there a second, gulp, and tug at my collar. She smiles, and I take a deep breath. "May I have this dance?" I ask her, holding out my hand. She takes it, and puts her other hand on my shoulder. She tucks her head under my chin, and I smile. We slowly dance, our eyes closed, and the sweet scent of strawberries coming from her hair._

_We dance for hours._

I wake up from the dream reluctantly, and look at the clock to see it's almost two in the morning. _'Thanks guys.' _I tell my team. I lay my head back down, and drift back to sleep.

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_**FOR CALIOSTEO!**__" The Rebellion charges, and the two armies clash. The rebels have their symbols on the palms of their gauntlets, and when they hit the palm against a man in Zongazonga's army, the man would be free, and would fight with the rebels, the symbol stamped on him. Zongazonga's army is quickly forced to retreat back, into the castle. The people in earth armor make earth covers for the rebels to keep things that are being fired from the castle from hitting them._

_ "KEEP GOING!" The rebel leader yells above the commotion. They get to the gates of the castle. _

_ "Move clear!" Someone yells. People in water, fire, and earth armor all line up, and use their elements to smash the gates down and storm into the castle. Zongazonga sits on his T-Rex, fighting the rebels. His face is not burned, undoubtedly from him healing himself. He fights with fire in his eyes, and his sword cutting through the rebels as if they were nothing. Their armor protects them from most of it, and Zongazonga has lost far more men than the rebels have._

_ "KEEP FIGHTING!" Zongazonga roars to his men._

_ "Not today!" A voice yells. Zongazonga looks up just in time to see the rebel leader jump down, and kick him in the face, making him fall off his T-Rex. He quickly scrambles up, and looks at her to see she's in a ready stance, the Caliosteo Pipsqueak in hand. He gets ready, and holds the hilt of his sword firmly. He slashes at her, but she merely sidesteps it, and punches him in the face, making him stagger back, and she kicks him in his knee. He jumps back away from her, but she jump on his back._

_ "GET OFF ME YOU CURSED CHILD!" He roars._

_ "Why? I'm bringing the heat of battle!" She tells him, her armor starting to glow from heat. It heats Zongazonga's armor as well, burning him, and he slams his back against the wall, knocking her off. He flees, and a man clad in water armor on a dinosaur in water armor runs towards the rebel leader. Without stopping, he grabs her hand, and swings her up onto the dinosaur behind him. They ride the dinosaur down a corridor, and Zongazonga is at the end, holding a torch. He throws it to the ground, causing the ground to ignite. The rebel leader clenches a fist, and the fire goes out, to Zongazonga's shock. He turns to run, but the dinosaur swings its head to the side, then whips it back, hitting Zongazonga, sending him flying. He does a face grind, knocking his helmet off his head, and quickly pushes himself up and looks over his shoulder to see the rebel leader jumping at him, a pillar of fire coming from her hand. He quickly rolls out its way, and the rebel leader lands on her feet and looks at Zongazonga. She fires some fire bolts at him, all of which he dodges or blocks with his sword._

_ "You can't defeat me!" Zongazonga tells her smugly._

_ "Then I'll slow you down!" The rebel leader tells him. She charges at him, the Caliosteo Pipsqueak in both of her hands, and Zongazonga charges at her, holding his sword in both hands. He raises it above his head, and swings it down at her, but she blocks it with the Pipsqueak, Zongazonga tries continuously to slash or stab her, but she blocks all of the blows. She holds it up and stops on of his swings down at her, the Pipsqueak stops it, but Zongazonga continues pushing down with incredible force._

_ "Foolish child..." Zongazonga growls. He faintly smiles an slightly evil smile, showing his sharper, longer than normal teeth, and his eyes become have lidded. "Your prowess in battle is to be admired..." The rebel leader gets a look of bewilderment._

_ "You're FLIRTING with me on the battle field?!" She asks him, bewilderment and disgust in her voice. Zongazonga suddenly hits the flat of his sword against the head of the hammer with a large amount of force, causing the rebel leader to lose balance, and he immediately swoops her up, her back to him, and one of his arms around her waist while the other hand gently holds the side of her face._

_ "Perhaps..." He whispers in her ear. _

_ Her armor then sets on fire._

_ Zongazonga jumps back, dropping her and letting out a cry of pain and shock. "You sicken me." The rebel leader tells him. Zongazonga heals his wounds, then jumps up._

_ "You still can't stop me." He tells her, smirking._

_ "Then like I said before, I'll just slow you down." She sprints right at him, covering a wide distance in a second, and kicks him between his legs. He falls to the ground, hands between his legs, and curled up into a tight ball._

_ "WHY...MUST...YOU ALWAYS...KICK...THERE?" He forces out between clenched teeth._

_ "Because I know it'll hurt you." The rebel leader says._

_ "The Calvary is here!" They both look to see five people in different armor and on different dinosaurs running towards them. A man in lightning armor jumps off his dinosaur, and shoots a lightning bolt straight at Zongazonga. He quickly heals himself, then jumps out of the way._

_ "KIYA!" He yells, making the five new people and their dinosaurs fly back. He whirls around, and the rebel leader round houses him in the face. He falls down, and the rebel leader grabs him by the collar of his armor, yanks him up, and throws him against the wall. He falls to the ground, and forces himself up after a second, then looks to see the rebel leader charging straight towards him. He digs his feet into the ground, and takes off running as fast as he can, his tattered cloak billowing behind him. He looks over his shoulder to see the rebel leader and the man in water armor on his dinosaur, running after Zongazonga. He scowls with annoyance, then runs out into a large courtyard with beautiful gardens. In the middle, is a huge ziggurat like structure. _

_ "He's getting away!" The rebel leader yells. Men from Zongazonga army rush towards them, but they continue to plow through, trampling the plants in the garden. Zongazonga's a runs to the top of the structure drops his sword, and casts a spell, making the structure rise into the air. The rebel leader pulls herself up onto the structure, and Zongazonga sits on the platform in the room at the top, not knowing. She suddenly appears in the arch way, and he looks at her._

_ "You are starting to annoy me..." He tells her, irritation in his voice. _

_ "Too bad." She tells him. "I'm going to overthrow you, and there's nothing you can do to stop me." He chuckles, amused._

_ "How adorable." He chuckles. "If it wasn't for your prowess, I wouldn't take you seriously." She glares._

_ "We've practically taken your castle and defeated your army." She tells him, the Caliosteo Pipsqueak in her hand. "Now, I am going to knock you out of that stolen body, and lock you away." Zongazonga grins evilly._

_ "I would be delighted to see you try." He tells her, his voice smooth._

_ "The only thing you're going to see is this hammer hitting you!" She tells him. She charges at him, and he gets ready. She swings the hammer at him, he ducks, making her miss, and she knees his chin, making him jump back, and she kicks him in the gut. He falls on his back, and the rebel leader jumps towards him, but he rolls out of the way, and gets his feet under him. She spins around on the tips of her feet like a tornado, and moves towards Zongazonga. He takes careful steps back as she moves towards him, and he shoots a sphere of some kind of black substance at her. She jumps out of the way, and it instead hits the wall, and smashes through it._

_ He keeps firing at her, but she keeps dodging them, making them hit the walls. Zongazonga's irritation grows, and he becomes more and more enraged by each time she dodges his blast of the black substance._

_ "ENOUGH!" He roars. He throws his hands palm down towards the ground, making the entire room get blown off, but the stone platform remains intact. The black substance creates a pillar that pierces the sky, and disappears after a second, leaving black fog at the top where they are. Zongazonga sits there, on his hands and knees, his brow dripping with sweat and his shoulders rising and falling as he pants._

_ "Was that SUPPOSE to hurt?" Someone asks. Complete shock covers Zongazonga's face, and he slowly looks up, and the fog clears to show the rebel leader standing there, leaning her elbow on the end on the Caliosteo Pipsqueak's handle. "Because it didn't." _

_ "..." Zongazonga sits there a second, then a crazed, angry look covers his face. "YOU LITTLE BRAT..."_

_ "Eh, I've been called worse." The rebel leader says with a shrug. Zongazonga lets out a roar of anger, and lunges straight at her. She holds up the Caliosteo Pipsqueak, and he grabs it instead. The rebel leader kicks Zongazonga's knee, making him let go and jump back, holding it. She jumps at him, and he grabs her head, and holds her three feet above the ground. She quickly reaches up to her chin and does something, making her slide out of her helmet and to the ground, allowing her long, black hair to blow actually quiet beautifully in the wind. Zongazonga tosses the helmet aside, and tries to attack again, but the rebel leader holds up the Caliosteo Pipsqueak, and he again grabs the handle. They both push back and forth, each one trying to get an advantage over the other. Zongazonga suddenly pulls and whirls around, making the rebel leader fall to the ground. He pins her down, while her hands remain pinned under the Pipsqueak's handle._

_ He keeps her pinned down, and she glares at him, while he just grins, amused. "What's the matter?" He purrs, moving his head closer. "Don't like it that I have the upper hand, mmm?" He asks, moving his head even closer as she intensified her death glare._

_ "Get off me." She growls._

_ "I don't think so..." He purrs in her ear. "You should wear your hair down more often...You look beautiful with it like this..."_

_ "I don't want to look beautiful OR adorable!" She snaps at him. "I want to look like how I am! I want to look like a person that would GLADLY break your neck in a second!" Zongazonga grins._

_ "Oh really now?" He whispers. He kisses her neck, and she kicks and squirms, trying to get out from under him, but he keeps her pinned down as he slowly kisses her, going up her neck onto her jaw, then her cheek. He slowly makes his way towards her lips._

_ "JACOB!" She suddenly yells. Zongazonga claps a hand over her mouth._

_ "He can't save you." He growls._

_ "PIPSQUEAK!" They both look, and the man in water armor suddenly kicks Zongazonga in the side, making him fly off the rebel leader, and against the stone platform. "Pipsqueak, are you okay?!" The man, who's probably Jacob, asks the rebel leader._

_ "I'm okay..." She tells him. She looks at Zongazonga. "But HE isn't going to be."_

_ "You got that right." Jacob says, punching a fist into his hand. Zongazonga shakily pushes himself to his feet, and sways some. Jacob charges right up to him, and punches Zongazonga in the jaw, punches him again, then grabs him by his shoulders, and bashes his head which has his water armor helmet on it against Zongazonga's forehead. Zongazonga falls to the ground, a very bad bruise already starting to appear on his forehead. His lips mouth something, and the bruise disappears, and he opens his eyes. He jumps up, and before Jacob can do anything, Zongazonga blasts him with one of the black spheres, making him fall down the steps, to the land. _

_ "Jacob!" The rebel leader exclaims. Zongazonga grabs the Caliosteo Pipsqueak, and throws it as hard as he can. It flies overhead, and Jacob sees it. He jumps in the air and catches it, but it also makes him go backwards, and fall off the land._

_ "So long!" Zongazonga booms triumphantly. The rebel leader runs down the edge of the land._

_ "JACOB!" The rebel leader yells. Zongazonga laughs evilly._

_ "You FOOL!" He tells her. "Did you REALLY think that he could help you?! That you could stop me?! He is nothing but a weakling waiting for his end to come, and you are a fool to think that he can save anyone, when he can't even save himself!" The rebel leader looks at him, fire in her eyes._

_ "SHUT UP YOU CURSED DOG!" She roars at him, shooting up the stairs to the top. Her boots were on fire, she run straight up to Zongazonga, and kicks him between his legs, resulting in a loud CRUNCH. He falls to the ground, curled up into a tight ball. "YOU KNOW NOTHING! You think that you can't be stopped, but you have allowed us to invade your castle!"_

_ "YOU...CURSED...CHILD..." Zongazonga squeaks, pain obvious in his voice. "YOU...DON'T HAVE...THE...HAMMER..." A name is suddenly yelled out. They both suddenly look, to see Jacob on the back of a flying air type dinosaur with another person on its back, but with air type armor._

_ In his hand, is the Caliosteo Pipsqueak._

_ "CATCH!" He yells, throwing it towards her. Zongazonga heals himself, and jumps up, just in time to see the rebel leader catch the hammer. She charges at him, he puts his hands in front of him, and she jumps high up in the air, holding the hammer in both hands._

_ "It's HAMMER TIME, BONEHEAD!" She roars at him. She swings the hammer, and it hits him on the side of the head. Zongazonga's skull flies from the taken body, and the rebel leader quickly grabs it, and she suddenly takes off, flying through the air with her hair flowing like water, the Caliosteo Pipsqueak slung across her back, and Zongazonga's skull in her hands. The castle and ziggurat structure both fall into the sea, and the rebel leader lands on the island where he armies are. She makes her way through the crowd, and sees Jacob, on his knees, hugging her helmet and silently crying. _

_ "Why so sad?" She asks. Everyone freezes, and all look to see her standing there._

_ "Pipsqueak!" The man in water armor exclaims, joy lighting up his face. He jumps up and runs to her, and everyone bursts into cheers, rushing towards her. He man picks her up and hugs her tightly, tears streaming down his face, and she hugs him back. "Thank goodness your alive..." He says quietly, his voice still shaky. He kisses her on the forehead, and she just smiles._

_ "Jacob, remember what I said before the battle?" She asks him. "How I couldn't die? Well, I listed all that stuff, and you REALLY think that I'm going to let some evil skull and a few of his spells kill me?"_

_ "..." No one says anything for a second._

_ "Well, all I can say for him is that I don't think he'll be waking up for awhile." She says holding up the skull. "He has fallen! His shackles are broken! Let his night of tyranny end, and a new day dawn!" The crowd bursts into cheers again. They then set to work, and lock Zongazonga's skull in the stone chest. They construct the stone pyramid, and seal the chest away inside. The rebel leader makes the room that held the Caliosteo Pipsqueak, and puts the guardian in the room._

_ They hold a festival that lasts for a week in celebration._

_ ..._

* * *

><p><em> "Satisfied?" I hear a voice ask. I open my eyes to see I'm standing on top of a gray plateau with a black sky. I turn around, and there stands a person in a black cloak with the hood pulled over their face.<em>

_ "Are you...?" I ask._

_ "Yes." They tell me. "I am the rebel leader. What you just saw was the battle, and the events after it. Any questions?"_

_ "Yeah..." I take the medallion that she gave my off of my suit, and hold it up. "What exactly is this?"_

_ "It's a medallion." She tells me. "It has the symbol of the Free Caliosteans on it, and, haven't you wondered why Zongazonga didn't use any spells to capture you?"_

_ "Sorta..."_

_ "So long as you wear that, you are impervious to his magic." She tells me. "And, it can stop anyone under Zongazonga's control, but now, it's only good as a medal. But keep it. You technically are a rebel."_

_ "How come I'm the only that's been seeing the memories?" I ask._

_ "First off, you have a much stronger bond with your vivosaurs." She tells me. "That means that you can comprehend things better, and you are more observant. Secondly, you're powerful. You can't raise the dead or make hurricanes, or turn into some monster, but you're still more powerful than Zongazonga could even dream of being. Third, you've saved the world before, so I knew you could do it again."_

_ "...What?" I ask with confusion. "I haven't saved the world before."_

_ "Don't lie Red Jacob Ranger." She tells me as I flinch at my name. "I know who you are."_

_ "...How...?"_

_ "I recognized you." She tells me. "I've seen you before you ran away, on a TV while you were on vivosaur and during the Cup. I'm far more than just the casual observer, mind you. Though that scar you got may help you. The camera man didn't get a shot of it, so no one really knows that you have it."_

_ "...WOW..."_

_ "Exactly."_

_ "...Why did you hate Zongazonga besides the obvious reasons?" I ask. Their faint smile vanishes._

_ "..." They say nothing. "You asked him, and he told you. I hated him because he found me pleasing to the eye." They turn away, and look up at the sky some. "He tried to do something unforgivable to me, and for that, my hate for him blew the roof off. I ran from him, and ran into Jacob. He didn't know what happened, but he told Zongazonga that I was not staying in the castle one more second. He took me to live with him, and I was happy." She looks over her shoulder at me. "Not to mention he constantly did something that would make me panic for a second."_

_ "Like what?" I ask. They turn to face me._

_ "In the middle of the night one night, I woke up, and he was sitting on my bed."_

_ "...So?"_

_ "..." They walk straight towards me, almost looking like they were gliding, and they get a quarter of an inch away from my face. "He was this far from my face."_

_ "That's a good reason I guess." I tell them, taking a step back. "What did you do?"_

_ "I slept with a knife under my pillow." She tells me. "I saw him, and I suddenly slashed him across the face with the knife. He healed himself, and left, outraged by my reaction."_

_ "Well, he kinda asked for it." I tell her._

_ "Yes. He did."_

_ "Anything else that he did?"_

_ "..." They stand there for a second. "I just did not like that man. There were other things he did, but now is not the time, and there may never be a time. But know this: You have done something above and beyond anyone's capabilities, and you have ridden the world of a terrible man. Celebrate and enjoy your victory, and I hope that you may one day be reunited with your family and your lover..."_

_ "But..."_

_ "Goodbye..."_

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Yup. Whelp, I'm afraid we won't see the rebel leader ever again.<strong>

**Red: Aw, man. She was cool...AND I DIDN'T GET TO ASK MY LAST QUESTION!**

**Me: Aw, don't worry! It is not to be known.**

**ilovedogs12:**** Is this soon enough?**

**Oak:**** The medal haz been explained, and YAY! HUGZ!**

**Greywing44:**** However they plan on celebrating.**

**Adam S.:**** Oh boy...RED SHALL BEAT ALL OF THA BADDIES WITH HIS BARE HANDS! And I take it you really like ToddXPauleen. YUSH! TEAM RED FOREVER! Hmmm...I do like Menchi, Teffla, and Tricera.**

**Ninja of Night:**** I do not blame you. But as for cruelty, just wait...**

**Tabitha6000:**** Yush...I love typing this story.**


	56. Apology

**AN-Okay, now that the second game is done, you can expect me to be torturing some of the characters, (a certain cowboy in particular...) with absolutely no mercy whatsoever. But in this chapa, IT'S GONNA BE RUPERT! XD As well as Todd and Red, just not as much.**

**Red: WHAT IS WITH YOU AND TORTURING PEOPLE?!**

**Me: It's just too much fun. ONWARDS!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Fifty-Six-Apology<p>

I open my eyes to see the sun light streaming through the window, Todd sawing logs on the bunk above me. I push the covers off, and swing my feet down to the floor.

_...Goodbye Pipsqueak. _I think. _I'll actually miss you and seeing the memories. _I push myself up, my muscles sore from yesterday and the night before, and I get dressed. I go into the kitchen, make some Flapjack McSmacks for breakfast, and eat my stack, then Todd comes in, and he starts to devour his. I smile.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile...<p>

"Master Rupert?" A butler asks, sticking his head into Rupert's bedroom. Rupert looks up from the sheet of paper on his desk that he had been idly sketching on. His room had two large windows, one of which had a window seat with a red cushion, white walls and carpet, a desk and chair against the left wall, a twin sized bed with white sheets and a red blanket between the windows, a display case against the right wall which held medals and trophies he had won, a dresser opposite the wall of the bed, and an arch way into the bathroom next to his desk.

"Yes sir?" Rupert asks. He was already up and dressed.

"Your father, Master Martin, wishes to speak with you." The butler tells him. "He's outside on the patio."

"Thank you. I'll be right there." Rupert tells him. The butler shuts the door, and Rupert looks back at the sheet of paper. It had an image shaded on it of a person wearing a cloak, but the hood was off the reveal to beautiful eyes.

_'Who's that?'_ Mapo asks him.

_'I...I don't know.' _Rupert tells him. _'But I've seen them before. Some time ago, I had a dream that I was walking through a park, and the entire world was gray. I walked slowly, and there was no noise whatsoever. I suddenly hear laughing, and color spread over everything, and me. I smiled, and I too started to laugh. I suddenly noticed someone. I looked at them, and they stood under a tree all alone, wearing a pitch black cloak, and the only thing I could make out about them besides there silhouette, was their eyes._

_ They were the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. They were a deep brown, and had flecks of gold, hazel and amber mixed in them. But, they were full of sadness and misunderstanding, and they looked lost. Like they had been very deeply hurt. I asked them what was wrong, and they told me: "That is not of your concern.", then faded away.'_

_ 'Wow.' _Mapo says. _'Weird dream.'_

_ 'Yes...' _Rupert tells him. He carefully folds up the paper, and puts it in his coat pocket. _'But...ever since I had it, I haven't been able to stop thinking about her.'_

_ 'How do you know it was a girl?' _Mapo asks, mentally raising an eyebrow.

_'I...I don't know.' _Rupert tells him, walking out the door. _'I just know she was.' _ He walks down some hallways, and stairs, and comes out onto the back patio which has potted plants, nice furniture, is made of tiles, and there was a stone railing and a set of some steps that allowed access to the yard, which had cool, soft green grass, some beautiful gardens, and large, shady trees. There stood his father, looking out at the yard. He had bought a small, private island not too far from the fossil park, and there was already this building on it. "You wanted to see me Father?" Rupert asks. He father looks at him.

"Hello Rupert." He tells him with a smile. "I did."

"What's wrong?" Rupert asks.

"Nothing's wrong, I just..." Mr. Regius rubs the back of his neck. "I feel like I haven't completely apologized to you is all." He looks back at Rupert. "If there's any way I can make it up to you, please tell me."

"..." Rupert stands there for a second, and takes the sheet of paper out of his pocket. He unfolds it, and looks at the picture on it for a second before folding it back up, and putting it back in his pocket. "Well...Nothing really comes to mind..."

"Well, if you think of anything, just let me know." Mr. Regius tells him.

"Yes Father." Rupert tells him. he smiles "Thank you." Mr. Regius smiles, and hugs Rupert.

"Have fun with your friends." He tells Rupert. Rupert hugs him back.

"I will." Rupert tells him. They separate after a second, and Rupert heads back through the house, and to the front porch. He hurries down the steps, a long walk way, and down to a beach. He lets out his Thalasso and climbs onto it's back, and it takes off.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back with our hero...<p>

"I'm here, digadig!" Pauleen says, running up to me and Todd while we stand next to the heliport. "Where are we going to go diga-digging?"

"Hot Spring Heights." I tell her. "That way, we can also visit the hot spring, which I suggested since I'm really sore."

"Excellent choice then." We hear someone say. We all look to see Rupert walking over to us, a smile on his face. We all smile as well, and board the helicopter to Ilium Island. We pull on our snow gear on the flight over, and hop off when we arrive. We run out to Hot Spring Heights, and start digging. Afterwards, we go back to the Fighter Station and clean all of our fossils, have lunch since we had so many fossils to clean, then go back to Hot Spring Heights. Todd and Pauleen run off ahead of me and Rupert.

"Hey Rupert," I say. He looks at me. "what all adventures do you think we'll have in the park." He thinks for a second.

"Insanely crazily unexpected ones undoubtedly." He tells me shrugging.

"I guess." I say as we walk onto the dig site. I jump to the ground, much to Rupert's confusion, right before a snowball hits him square in the face and one goes right over me.

"Diga!" Pauleen says. "You missed, digadig!"

"He jumped out of the way!" Todd says. I look up to see them in the archway to the second part of the dig site with a pile of snowballs. Rupert sits up, and I push myself to my feet.

"Allies?" I ask him, holding out a hand. He smiles.

"Allies." He tells me, accepting my hand. I pull him up, and we dash into the cave entrance next to the rock wall to see it makes a u-turn, allowing access to the top of the rock wall. We run up the slope, and out on top of the rock wall. We then make as many snowballs as possible, and make some larger ones, then put them right inside the cave entrance. We get ready, Todd and Pauleen run in, and we release rapid fire on them. Pauleen runs out, but Todd tries to run up the slope. Me and Rupert push the larger snowballs down the slope, making Todd turn and run out.

Me and Rupert run out of the cave. "FREE FOR ALL!" I declare, then throwing a snowball at Rupert. We all run around, laughing and throwing snowballs at each other.

An hour later...

"Oh MAN, I'm cold!" Todd says, shivering.

"I believe this is the part where we go to the hot spring." Rupert says. We all agree, and rush over to the hot spring cave, and to the changing booths. I change into my swim trunks, keep my goggles on, and pull on a white short sleeved shirt. I exit the changing booth, and look to see Todd in his swim trunks and with his helmet still on his head, Rupert in red swim trunks and a sleeveless white shirt, and Pauleen with her hair still in her pigtails, a red top with white polka dots, and green bottoms with a skirt that has pale yellow on the sides.

"Let's go!" Todd says, rushing towards an empty spring pool. He jumps in, resulting in a loud splash, and he splashes above the surface. Rupert slips into the water, Pauleen hops into it, and I carefully get in.

"Oooooooooooooooh yeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaah..." I sigh, getting into the water. "You weren't lying Todd..." I tell him, lowing myself into the water to where it's at my chin.

"You can say that again, digadig..." Pauleen says. Rupert just nods in agreement. I can just feel the soreness in me wash away, I pull my goggles over my eyes and dip my head underwater. I let the warm water flow over my head and through my hair, then resurface my head. I shake my hair, causing all the water to come out, then run my fingers through my hair, making it stand on end, then push my goggles back up. We all lean back against the edge of the spring pool, and fold our arms behind our heads, relaxing. We suddenly hear ringing, and me, Todd and Pauleen all look at Rupert. He pulls his cell phone out, which must be water proof, and answers it.

"Hello Father." He says. "...I'm at the hot spring...Oh yes sir, it is quite relaxing...Well, we did some digging then had a snowball fight, now we're all relaxing in one of the hot spring pools...Yes sir...I'll be right there." He hangs up his phone.

"What is it?" Todd asks.

"Father says he has something for me that he's hoping will show me that he's sorry." Rupert tells us. He gets out of the spring pool. "I'll be back sometime later." He tells us.

"We'll be here...um...steaming I guess." I tell him. He chuckles, then heads over to the changing booths. He comes back out, dressed in his snow gear, and heads out the exit. _I wonder what his dad wants..._

* * *

><p>A few minutes later...<p>

"You wanted to see me Father?" Rupert asks, walking up to his father on the back patio. His father looks at him, and smiles.

"Yes." He tells Rupert. "I know how to make it up to you."

"How?" Rupert asks.

"That sheet of paper you had, one of the maids said there was a picture of someone on it." Mr. Regius says. "Who was it?"

"How come the servants know everything?" Rupert asks. "But, as for who she is...I...I don't know. She appeared to me in a dream quite some time ago, and I haven't stopped thinking of her since then."

"I knew it was a girl!" Mr. Regius says.

"..." Rupert stands there, unsure of what to do.

"I promise you Rupert, I'll help you find her!" He tells Rupert, putting his hands on Rupert's shoulders.

"Father, she was in a dream..." Rupert tells him. "I...I don't know if she IS real or not."

"We'll do our best." Mr. Regius tells Rupert.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back with the previous location with the previous people...<p>

I sit there in the spring pool, my eyes closed and water up to my chin, when I feel something poke my toe. I open my eyes, and look to see Todd leaning against the edge of the spring pool with the water coming up to the bottom of his chest, and his arms folded behind his head, and with Pauleen resting her head on where his arm connects to his torso, her hands as small fists on his chest, her eyes closed and a faint smile on her face.

Todd, however, looks like he's on the brink of complete panic.

He looks at me, his eyes huge, and mouths: Help me. I resurface to where the water comes up to the bottom of my chest.

"Don't worry." I mouth, making the 'don't worry' hand motion. "I know just what to do." I mouth. I then silently and without disturbing the water, climb out, then look back at Todd, and wave good bye before dashing over to the changing booths, and into mine.

_'YOU JUST DITCHED TODD?! IN THAT SITUATION?!' _Air Strike asks.

_'Hey, I'm doing him a favor.' _I tell him, pulling on my shirt and boxers. _'After all, I know Holt would have done the same thing, it's pushing Todd and Pauleen together, and Pauleen won't get mad!'_

_ 'He does have a point.' _Flamethrower says.

_'Yeah, but don't come crying to us when whoever's in charge up there decides to punish you for leaving your bro!' _Cloud Cover tells me. I finish pulling my clothes on, then rush out of the hot spring, off of the dig site, to the Fighter's Camp, and to mine and Todd's bungalow. I eat a snack, then undress and get in the shower.

_'Why are you taking a shower? It's not even three o'clock!' _Air Strike asks. I turn on the hot water, and grab the ice blue scrubber.

_'I just feel like taking a shower. After all, who doesn't feel better after a long, hot shower?' _I tell him. The shower has an ice blue slider that disappears into the wall, but you can pull it out while you're in the shower. It's almost like a retractable wall. It comes up to the middle of my chest, so I can actually see out. The tub has an ice blue non-slip mat built in, so you never have any worry of slipping. I scrub my back, and my feet. _'I just feel like doing something random, but funny.'_

_ 'Why?' _Flamethrower asks.

_'I have the 'giggles' which is what my mom called it whenever I did something completely random but could make a person burst out laughing.' _I tell him.

_'...Duna was right. I do not understand you mammals.' _Cloud Cover tells me. I start moving as if I was dancing almost.

"Ma-ya-he! Ma-ya-hu! Ma-ya-ho! Ma-ya-HA HA!" I sing in a Romanian accent.

"Ma-ya-he! Ma-ya-hu! Ma-ya-ho! Ma-ya-HA HA!

Ma-ya-HE! Ma Ma Ya! Ma-ya-HU! Ma Ma Ya! Ma-ya-HA HA!

Ma-ya-HE! Ma Ma Ya! Ma-ya-HU! Ma Ma Ya! Ma-ya-HA HA!

Hello. Salute." I sing doing a two finger salute. "It's me, your duke.

And I made something that's real, to show you how I feel.

Hello, hello, it's me. Picasso.

I will paint, my words of love with your name on every wall.

When you leave, my colors fade to gray!

Ooah, ooah, hey! Ooah, ooah, ooah, hey!

Every word of love I used to say, now I paint it every day!

When you leave, my colors fade to gray.

Little lover stay, or all my colors fade away.

Every word of love I used to say, now I paint it every day!

I sold...my strings...my song...and dreams...

And I bought...some paints to match the colors of my love.

Hello, hello, it's me again. Picasso.

I will spray my words of love with your name on every wall.

When you leave, my colors fade to gray!

Ooah, ooah, hey! Ooah, ooah, ooah, hey!

Every word of love I used to say, now I paint it every day!

When you leave, my colors fade to gray.

A little lover stay, or all my colors fade away!

Every word of love I used to say, now I paint it every day!

Ma-ya-he! Ma-ya-hu! Ma-ya-ho! Ma-ya-HA HA!

Ma-ya-he! Ma-ya-hu! Ma-ya-ho! Ma-ya-HA HA!

Ma-ya-he! Ma-ya-hu! Ma-ya-ho! Ma-ya-HA HA!

Ma-ya-HE! Ma Ma Ya! Ma-ya-HU! Ma Ma Ya! Ma-ya-HO! Ma Ma Ya! Ma-ya-HA HA!

Ma-ya-HE! Ma Ma Ya! Ma-ya-HU! Ma Ma Ya! Ma-ya-HO! Ma Ma Ya! Ma-ya-HA HA!

When you leave, my colors fade to gray!

Ooah, ooah, hey! Ooah, ooah, ooah, hey!

Every word of love I used to say, now I paint it every day!

When you leave, my colors fade to gray!

Little lover stay, or all my colors fade away!

Every word of love I used to say, now I paint it-"

I stop as I see Todd standing in the doorway, a video camera in his hand, and recording me.

"_**TODD!**_" I yell. He runs, I turn off the water, get out, pull on my boxers, tie on my bathrobe, bull on my boots, and run after him. "GET BACK HERE!" I yell, shaking my fist at him as he runs away from me, laughing like a maniac. I had ran after him out the bungalow, and people were looking to see me running after him.

"That's for not helping me at the hot spring!" He yells to me over his shoulder, laughing. I chase after him, the air freezing against my wet hair and face, and Todd suddenly slams into Kaze.

"GIMME THAT CAMERA!" I tell Todd, jumping at him.

"GYA!" He exclaims, running behind Kaze. I go after him, and we run in circles around a confused Kaze.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, WHOA!" He tells us, grabbing us by our collars, and forcing us to stop. "What are you two doing?!"

"I'm trying to get that camera from him!" I tell Kaze.

"Why?" He asks.

"He took a video of me!"

"...So?"

"...While I was singing in the shower..." I growl. Kaze tries to not burst out laughing.

"That would explain why you ran after him in your bathrobe and your hair wet." He snickers. "But, why did you take the video?" Kaze asks Todd.

"He didn't help me when I asked him for help!" Todd tells him.

"What did you need help with?" Kaze asks him. Todd's face turns red.

"I was kinda in a love situation..." He says quietly. Kaze again tries to not burst out laughing.

"I guess he has a reason to do that..." Kaze snickers. "But, you shouldn't show it to anyone unless it's okay with Red, alright?"

"Okay..." Todd tells him.

"Now," He looks at me. "you better get back inside before you turn the same color as your eyes." I nod, hugging myself and shivering. I silently nod, and begin to shuffle back to the bungalow. Todd drapes his parka over my shoulders, and we walk back to the bungalow. We go in, and the phone starts ringing. We look at each other, then go over to the speaker phone built into the wall. I push the button that picks it up.

"Yes?" I ask.

"You guys need to help me!" Rupert says, desperation in his quiet voice.

"...Rupert?" Todd asks.

"Yes, it's me!" Rupert says.

"Why are you calling?" I ask.

"Because I need your help!"

"With what?" Todd asks.

"My father wants to show that's sorry by helping me find a...erm...someone!" Rupert tells us.

"He's trying to help you find a girl, isn't he?" Me and Todd ask in unison.

"...Fine, yes, he's trying to help me find a girl that I dreamt about not too long ago, and so I have to sit here at a table outside on the patio while different girls come through, my father hoping one of them is the girl!"

"..." Me and Todd say nothing. We look at each other, then back at the phone.

"Rupert?" I ask.

"Yes?"

"Please forgive us for what we're about to do." Todd says. We then burst out laughing.

"It's not funny!" Rupert hisses.

"We know, we know!" I laugh. "It's just...!" I keep laughing.

"Oh, come now!" Rupert says. "I know something must've happened to both of you where you needed help!"

"..." Be both stop laughing, and stand there for a moment.

"...We'll there as soon as we can." I tell him.

"Please hurry!" Rupert tells us. "I can't take much more of this!" He hangs up.

"Looks like I'll have to cancel the shower." I say, going into to bedroom. I get dressed back into my clothes and snow gear, and we head out. We ride Water Logged to the private island Rupert and Mr. Regius are on, and land in a small cove where we take off our snow gear. Me and Todd quickly hurry to the wall around the yard, scramble over it, and hurry through the back yard which has soft, cool, green grass, shady trees, nice gardens, a fish pond, and a very nice gazebo. We sneak over to the patio, which is raised up, and we hide in the shrubs.

_'If this is just a vacation home, how nice do you think their actual home is?' _Air Strike asks.

_'If this IS just a vacation home, just how rich is Rupert?' _I ask. We look through the shrubs, and see Rupert sitting at a table with a girl sitting across from him. She has blonde hair in a high ponytail, denim jacket, red shirt, red lipstick, black heels, and a denim skirt. She's our age, and looks a bit like a snob, since she's droning on about her father's business.

Rupert sits there, uninterested, and looking at a sheet of paper with a sad look on his face, not paying a lick of attention to the girl.

"Um, EXCUSE me!" The girl says.

"Hm?" Rupert asks looking up. "Oh, uh...I...I completely agree...with...whatever you just said..." He tells her, slowly looking back at the sheet of paper. She suddenly snatches it out of Rupert's hand. "Hey!"

"Who IS this?!" The girl asks.

"That's mine!" Rupert tells her, reaching for it. She wads it up.

"Well, I'M more important than some sheet of paper!" She tosses it over her shoulder, making it land in a small fountain.

"No!" Rupert exclaims, running over to it. He quickly grabs the sheet of paper, and carefully tries to unwad it, only to have it tear, and the picture on it just a messy black smudge. "...No..." Rupert says sadly and quietly, his shoulder slumping.

"It's JUST a-"

"LEAVE." Rupert growls between clenched teeth. "NOW." The girl gets a look of shock, and slowly and reluctantly leaves. Rupert stands there a second, looking at the ruined paper before sitting back down in his chair and putting his head down on his arms, which were on top of the table. The next girl comes out, with hazel brown hair and green eyes, wearing a sunny yellow shirt, a small black sweater over it, a black skirt, and black and yellow shoes. She sits down at the table, crosses her legs and introduces herself as Bea King, apparently trying to make a good impression, only to get no response from Rupert.

_Poor guy... _I think sadly. "We gotta do something." I whisper to Todd.

"Yeah." He whispers back. "I have an idea."

"What is it?" I ask him. He whispers it in my ear, and I nod. "Okay. I'll distract her, and you get Rupert since you're stronger."

"Wait." I tell him, putting a hand in his shoulder. "If we're gonna do this, we gotta do it right." He looks at me with confusion, and I take out the "RESPECT" sunglasses. Todd takes his out, we get flat looks on our faces, and we put them on, using only one hand. We both slowly nod, then split up. I get up onto the patio, and hide under another table which has a table cloth. I peek out from under it, and I can see Rupert and the girl. Todd suddenly jumps out, throwing a basket over the girl's head, much to Rupert's surprise. I suddenly jump out, grab Rupert by his collar, and get him over my shoulders.

"GO, GO, GO, GO!" Todd says as we run off the patio to the ground, through the yard, we scramble over the wall, to Water Logged, jump on him, and fly off.

"..." Rupert sits there, trying to process what just happened. "What...just...happened...?"

"We helped you!" I tell him with a smile.

"...You mean, Todd threw a basket over her head, and then you threw me over your shoulder and carried me out of there?"

"Yep!" Todd tells him happily.

"..." Rupert just sits there for a second. "Have I ever told you two how happy I am that we're friends?" He asks us with a smile.

"You could stand to mention it more often." I tell him with a half smile.

A few minutes later...

"You guys are CRAZY, digadig!" Pauleen laughs. We're sitting at the fire pit in the Fighter's Camp in Ribular, cooking some beef franks. We had just told her how we saved Rupert.

"Well, crazy or not, I'm still glad they saved me." Rupert tells her, putting his into a bun. "I don't think I could take one more second of that awful torture."

"And ALL that just to find a girl!" Todd says. He's cooking four.

"Diga!" Pauleen says in agreement.

"Hey, cut your dad some slack Rupert!" I tell him, putting some ketchup and mustard on my beef frank. "He just wants you to be happy!"

"I know, I know." He tells us, taking a bite out of his beef frank. "But...I don't that's the only reason..."

"What?" I ask, confused.

"I think it might have something to do with my mother." Rupert tells us, looking into the fire.

"..." Me, Todd, and Pauleen all look at each other, then back at him.

"What do you mean?" Todd asks.

"..." Rupert sits there for a second. "I think my father wants me to me 'the one' early in life, so that I can spend more time with them than my father got to spend with my mother..." He sits there for a few seconds, then puts his heel on the log, and hugs his knees. "My mother died about an hour after I was born." Me, Todd and Pauleen all look at each other with shock, then back at Rupert. "Father was devastated that she died, but he still loved me like how he would if she had lived. I never got to meet her, but she got to see me before she died. Father told me she told me that she still loved me more than anything, and that she wished me luck and happiness in my life."

"..." We all sit there in silence, the only noise the crackling of the fire.

"...That...that's terrible..." I tell him sadly. Todd gets up and hugs Rupert. Me and Pauleen do the same, and he hugs us back. We all stand there in a group hug for a minute, then separate. We sit back down, but Rupert just sits there sadly.

"..." We all sit there, looking at him sadly.

"Oh! I know what'll cheer you up!" I tell him. He looks at me, and I rush over to Todd's backpack, open it, and take out the video camera. I sit back down, and hold it out to Rupert. "Don't go telling people about this." He sits there for a second, then opens it. The video starts playing, and you can hear me singing. Rupert sits there confused for a second, then starts to chuckle, then he starts laughing. We all eventually start laughing, and you can hear me yell Todd's name on the video, which then stops.

We all sit there, laughing our heads off.

"Why was that so amusing?!" Rupert laughs.

"I diga-don't know, digadig!" Pauleen laughs. We keep laughing, and eventually calm down. I put the camera away, we eat our beef franks, then do some digging. We all head home at sun down, Todd showers, I lock the bathroom door THEN shower, pull on a clean pair of boxers, and go to bed.

"Night Red." Todd tells me from the top bunk.

"Night Todd." I tell him.

"Hey Red?"

"Yeah Todd?"

"When you leave, my colors fade to gray! A little lover stay, or all my colors fade away!" He sings.

"Oh, please don't hold that over my head." I groan, smiling.

"So long as you don't ditch me like that again."

"...No promises." He laughs, and I smile, roll on my side, and fall asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-YES. Got this done! Yes, Red sang the English version of Dragostea Din Tei, which does not belong to me. As for why I made him do that, I was listening to it, then got the idea...Oh MAN, I love this song!<strong>

**Red:...Well, Magma's listening to it...AGAIN...So, I'll do the review...thing...**

**Ben:**** Yes, Magma IS evil with the cliffhangers. Though, they keep telling me: Evil? Oh just WAIT...Hehe...**

**Adam S.:**** Magma says she has everything planned out, but just needs to get it untangled. And, WHY DO YOU WANT TO CUT M ARM OFF?! *hugs right arm* I'm already a cyborg technically, since I have the Doglish translator stuck in my brain!**

**Kenzie:**** Yes, there a actually a lot more chapters.**

**Anon Dude:**** Wow. That's a lotta damage...But no. The battle did not take long.**

**mysterydude123:**** Really?! YAYZ! ...That's what Magma would say if they were here.**

**Ninja of Night:**** Yes, your review went through. I agree with you on da Pipsqueak. WHY?! And yes, vivosaurs in human form is AWESOMENESS!**

**Oak:**** You have NO idea how happy you review made Magma. They were so happy...but, then you mentioned the knife.**

**Tabitha6000:**** Well, Magma said that updates might slow down since they get motivation blocks. But, they're not giving up!**

**Greywing44:**** Magma said soon. VERY soon.**

**ilovedogs12:**** YAYZ! I think I might love being the main character in this story! Perhaps. I'm not sure, especially with all the torture Magma's put me through.**

**Me: Okay, song's over, Review time!**

**Red: I already did it.**

**Me:...Okay then, DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Fossil Fighters games, or the song sang in the chapa. I only own Red.**


	57. A New Fighter

**AN-NEW CHARATER COMIN' IN! You guys are gonna hate them! :D**

**Red:...Don't you mean love?**

**Me: No. I mean hate.**

**Red:...Zuh?**

**Me: Disclaimer: I do not own Fossil Fighters or Fossil Fighters Champions. ONWARDS!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Fifty-Seven-The New Fighter<p>

"Ma-ya-HE! Ma-ya-HU! Ma-ya-HO! Ma-ya-HA HA!" I open an eye at the sound of me singing.

"Why are you watching that recording?" I ask Todd, who is sitting at the desk with the camera, sleepily.

"Because it's funny!" He tells me, looking over his shoulder and happily smiling.

"...I am going to destroy that camera." I tell him. He shakes his head, and I roll out of bed. I then get dressed, have a bowl of cereal for breakfast, and grab my pack. "Come on. Rupert and Pauleen are probably gonna be waiting for us." We head out, and see Rupert standing in front of one of the buildings in Ribular Town's square.

"Good morning, Rupert!" Todd says cheerfully. I just grunt, still tired.

"Well, it looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Rupert says, looking at me.

"Hey, Todd was watching the video." I tell him. Rupert laughs some, and Todd snickers. I sigh. "Well, how about you, Rupert?"

"I spoke with my father, and he's agreed to find another way to apologize." He tells us.

"Hm." I say. "The dream with the girl though, what was that?"

"Well," Rupert tells us. "I had a dream that I was walking through a park, and the whole world was gray and silent.I walked slowly, and I suddenly heard laughing, and color spread over everything, and me. I smiled, and I too started to laugh. I suddenly noticed someone. I looked at them, and they stood under a tree all alone, wearing a pitch black cloak, and the only thing I could make out about them besides there silhouette, was their were the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. They were a deep brown, and had flecks of gold, hazel and amber mixed in them. But, they were full of sadness and misunderstanding, and they looked lost. Like they had been very deeply hurt. I asked them what was wrong, and they told me: "That is not of your concern.", then faded away."

"...Weird." Todd says.

"That is not of your concern...?" I ask. "Where have I...?" Something jumps to the front of my mind. A dream I had back on Vivosaur Island...

_ I'm standing on a mountain, looking at the valley below. I jump from the top and ride down a crystal waterfall to a beautiful blue lake surrounded by a forest. I climb out of the lake, call out my vivosaurs, and we all run around and play. I roll around on the soft, cool, green grass, when I get the feeling I'm being watched. I sit up and look around. I freeze when I see I am being watched. Standing in the shadows under a tree, is a person my age wearing a pitch black cloak made of mystery, has pure black hair that looks like the pure essence of black was used to color it, and beautiful deep brown eyes._

_ That also have an eerie look to them._

_ They're my age, yet their eyes look ancient. They have a profound sadness in them, as if they have no ties to their life, yet still decide to live for no reason. They seemed to hold back an entire ocean of knowledge, that is so huge that if you tried to fill outer space with it, you would run out of room. Their eyes also have some sort of... anger... in them. As if they trust no one and nothing, and that they've had no peace in their life._

_ They even looked as if they had gone mad at one point._

_ The person's eyes looked as if they had been in extreme pain, and that they should have died a long time ago, and look worn. As if they had seen everything and been everywhere. The odd eyes they had made me want to give them a hug that you would give a person who was having a bad day. I stand up and look at them. The only thing I can make out about them is their eyes, which look like they were in the sun, while the rest of them looks like they were in complete darkness._

_ "Who are you?" I ask. They blink._

_ "That is not of your concern." The saw in a quiet whisper, that sounds like a hollow breeze. Their eyes close, they take a step back, and meld into the shadows._

"...They were in one of my dreams." I say. They look at me, and I tell them about my dream.

"...This is creepy..." Todd says. We look at him. "I had a dream and they were in it." Me and Rupert look at him with surprise. "I was climbing this really tall mountain, and when I made it to the top, I had practically gone to paradise. I looked around and I saw them standing there, and I asked them what they were doing there. They told me 'That is not of your concern', then disappeared."

"..." We all stand there in silence.

"This is spooky." I say. Todd and Rupert nod in agreement. We all stand there in an awkward silence, and we suddenly hear helicopter blades. We look to see the helicopter used to bring in new Fighters, a white painted tail to represent new opportunity. "Well, looks like we got a new challenger, am I right guys?" Todd and Rupert both nod in agreement, and we watch the helicopter descend, and it lands on the heliport. The door opens, and a single person steps out.

They're a girl our age. She has hair the darkest shade of the blackest black, pulled back in a ponytail with her bangs hanging down, covering the outer left side of her face and left eye, and freckles dusted across the bridge of her nose and cheek bones. She's wearing a navy blue collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows over a red sleeveless shirt, and the navy over shirt is undone in the front, allowing you to see the red shirt. She has on sandy-gold cargo pants, with the ends of the pants legs tucked into thick, brown hiking boots with tan soles and laced up tightly. She has black cut off gloves on her hands, an army green belt, and a red and black backpack. She has a build of a warrior mixed with a runner, she's very thin, has slender limbs, and just stands there, not moving.

She slowly surveys the area, and she turns her head towards us, allowing us to see her eyes.

She has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen.

They're a deep, dreamy brown, her face is unreadable, and has a small scowl edged into it. Her eyes though, have a profound sadness and anger in them, they look as if she was in extreme pain, but were ancient beyond measure, and held back an immeasurable sea of knowledge. She even looked as if she had gone mad at one point. She looked as if wouldn't trust anyone, and like a person you don't ever want to mess with. Like she would beat you up if you crossed her path. We all stand there, looking at her, and she slowly walks into the center of the four fountains, not making a single sound.

"...So, do you think she's a good Fighter?" I ask.

"I dunno." Todd says shrugging. "We can find out if we fight her, or watch one of her Fossil Battles."

"True..." I say. "What do you think-" I look at Rupert to see him looking at her, his eyes wide and a light blush on his face.

_'...' _Me and my vivosaurs say nothing. _'...I don't believe it.' _Me and Todd look at each other, and sly smiles suddenly spread across our faces.

"Come one, Rupert!" Todd says as we grab him by his upper arms and lift him off the ground.

"WHAT?!" He exclaims, confused and looking at both of us.

"As members of the Caliosteo Patrol Team, it is our job to ensure the safety of other Fighters!" I tell him as we carry him towards the girl. "So, we should probably tell her some rules so that she won't get hurt or anything!"

"And, since you're the best educated in manners, you should be the one to do it!" Todd tells him.

"WHAT?!" Rupert exclaims again. We put him down, and push him forward, towards her. She stands there with her back to him, looking up at the Fighter Station, and Rupert tenses. He looks over his shoulder at us, and we happily give him a thumbs up. He looks back at her, and gulps. He then reaches out with his hand to tap her shoulder.

She suddenly whirls around, and grabs his wrist before he comes within four inches of her. His arm is now raised up, and her fist is pulled back, ready to punch should he do something. Me and Todd get looks of surprise, and Rupert stands there, his face a little red, and surprised as well.

"...Uh...Hello?" Rupert asks. The girl stands there for a second, then lets go of his wrist and takes a step back away from him. "H-hello. My name is Rupert, and these are my friends, Red and Todd." She looks at us, only moving her eyes, her face still unreadable. "This is-"

"Ribular Town on Ribular Island of the Caliosteo Fossil Park, owned by world famous adventurer and Fossil Fighter, Joe Wildwest." The girl says in a flat voice. We all look at her with surprise. "These islands were once ruled by the evil king Zongazonga, who was a sorcerer and skull that could force his way into other's bodies, and completely take over. The other islands in this park are the desert island Cranial Isle and the arctic island Ilium Island, Cranial Isle homing Wildwest tower, where Joe Wildwest lives, and is located right above the Fighter Station. I already know Red, the kid who stopped Zongazonga and I'm familiar with Todd since they're closer than brothers, while I am unfamiliar with you...Not that I really care to know. Judging by your appearance, you're British, rich, and have a fear of being swarmed by fan girls, you didn't really get to enjoy your childhood due to some ridiculous responsibility, and for that entire time you only wished for a friend, while the only thing that came close enough to a friend was your vivosaurs."

"..." We all stand there, trying to decide whether to be shocked, surprised, uneasy, or confused.

_'...WHOA.' _Air Strike says. _'That...was...That was just WHOA.'_

_ '...I bet she could judge a book by its cover, and be exactly right.' _I say. I start to ask the question.

"No, I cannot judge a book by its cover, because they could change." She says. I get a slightly freaked out look on my face. "I've read almost every book on the face of the planet, so unless they changed the cover of the book, I would know exactly what it is, and what it's about."

"..." I start to ask another question.

"No, I cannot read your mind." She tells me, answering my unasked question. "I'm used to being asked that, so I can predict when a person is about to ask it, and you gave it away by the expression on your face." She stands there with a hard face, while we stand there surprised. She looks to the left, and me, Todd and Rupert look to see Pauleen running over to us.

"Hi, digadig!" Pauleen says to the girl. "I'm Pauleen, digadig! What's your name, digadig?"

"Nunya." She says.

"...NUNYA?!" We all exclaim.

"Nunya." She says again. "You know, as in none 'ya business."

_'What's her problem?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'I dunno.' _I tell her. "Hey, there's no reason to be rude." I tell her. She crosses her arms, and looks at me.

"So, I'm standing here minding my own business and you guys come up to me to tell me stuff I already know, and you're saying I'm rude?" She asks, her voice flat.

"..." I blink.

"...She DOES have a point..." Todd says. We've made a semi-circle around her.

"Okay, yes, but still." Rupert says. "If you like, we-"

"No." She tells him.

"...But-"

"No."

"Do you even-"

"Yes, I do know what you are about to say. If you like, we could show you around. But you didn't even let me finish. Do you even know what I'm about to say? Yes, I know what you're about to say, and my answer is no."

"...But-"

"NO."

"..."

"..." She turns her back to us, and we see Joe coming out of the Fighter Station, a large envelope under his arm and a warm smile on his face.

"Mornin' y'all!" He says, walking up to us. He looks down at us, and the girl. "Howdy. I'm-"

"I know who you are, I'm not stupid."

"..." Joe stands there for a second. "Alright then..." He looks at me, and holds out the envelope. "This is yer's. Ya came back, so I figured ya might want it back."

"Oh!" I say, remembering it. "Thanks Joe!" I tell him taking it. He looks back at the girl.

"Who're you?" He asks.

"That's none of your business, concern or problem." She tells him.

"...That's a mite bit rude, don't ya think?" Joe asks.

"No sir." She tells him.

"..." We all stand there for a second.

"Look, we're just trying to nice." I tell her, taking a step forward.

"Yeah! There's no reason to be...well...rude!" Todd says in agreement also taking a step forward.

"Diga!" Pauleen says in agreement, taking a step forward. The girl shuffles her feet back some, and her eyes start looking at us faster.

_'...What?' _I wonder.

"Ya alright pard?" Joe asks with slight confusion. She whirls around to look at him, making all of us confused.

"Are you alright?" Rupert asks, stepping forward. "You-" He reaches out to put a hand on her shoulder, and she suddenly whirls back around, punching him in the jaw. He spins in a circle, then falls flat on his face.

"Rupert!" I exclaim, dropping down on one knee next to him. The girl suddenly bolts, moving so fast she practically caused a blast of wind.

"I'm fine..." Rupert says, pushing himself up.

"Joe?" Todd asks. We all look to see Joe's cowboy hat was gone off his head. "Where's your hat?" Joe gets a look of confusion, and puts a hand on his head.

"My hat!" He exclaims. He looks in the direction she ran, which was towards the Jungle Labyrinth. "She up done took my hat!"

"Let's go!" Rupert says, darting towards the labyrinth.

_'He got over that fast.' _I think as we all run after him. We run into the Jungle Labyrinth, and into the jungle.

"Hello, digadig?" Pauleen calls. We look around for her, only to find no trace. Not even a set of footprints.

"Where'd she go?" Todd asks after a bit. "People don't just turn into thin air!"

"I know." I tell him. We all suddenly hear a strange bird call, I turn around to see where it came from, and I duck just as a rotten mango flies over me.

"Hey!" Todd exclaims, looking up at the trees. I look up, and I can barely make out her eyes. They suddenly disappear.

"Where are you, digadig?!" Pauleen asks.

"Right here." We hear her say.

"GAH!" Joe suddenly jumps forward and whirls around, to see that she had been standing right behind him, Joe's hat on her head. "When did ya get there?!"

"When I got here." She tells him flatly.

"..." We all stand there for a second.

"Uh...Could I have my hat back?" Joe asks. She takes it off her head, and tosses it to him. He catches it, and puts it back on his head.

"Much abides." He tells her.

"Whatever." She says, waving a hand. She then turns, and starts to walk out of the area.

"Wait!" Rupert says, rushing over to her. "Can we at least know your name?!"

"No." She tells him without stopping. She leaves, Rupert's shoulders slump, and he hangs his head some.

"..." We all stand there, saying nothing.

"That was...diga-different...digadig." Pauleen says.

A few minutes later...

I pull the jewel rock out of the hole, and put it into my pack, then look back at my sonar. We had all gone to the Petrified Woods to do some digging, and Rupert was still a bit down. I look up from my sonar to see him sitting on the edge of a fallen tree, his legs dangling down, and his head looking down at the water. I sit down next to him.

"You okay?" I ask. He shakes him head.

"I just want to know her name." He tells me. "But...she hates me."

"You don't know that!" I tell him. "If she hates anyone, it's me! After all, she threw a rotten mango at me."

"But she gave you a heads up with that bird call." Rupert tells me, his voice sad. "She might of just wanted to see how fast your reaction was."

"..." I sit there for a second. I have no idea what to say since I've never been in this situation before. My mom and dad always told me I had a way with words, and that I could probably convince a starving wolf to not eat a thick, juicy steak on a silver platter. I wasn't too sure about the scenario they used, but I am good at persuasion and reasoning. How I can help here, I don't know. "Well...maybe she was just in a bad mood, ya know? We just need to give her some time, and she'll get to know us, and tell us her name."

"...Maybe..." He says. He looks up some. "Wait...That's her!" He points, and I follow him indication, and see her. She's getting some vegetation off of one of the fallen trees under side. She has on a harness made of vines tied together, and hanging next to her, is a net made of vines with some rocks in it.

_'What is she doing?' _I wonder.

_'She might be getting those to study or something.' _Flamethrower tells me. _'But I must say, she's a genius! She has that net full of rocks to help her move up and down, and that harness is very well made.' _Me and Rupert sit there, watching her, and she takes some rocks out of the net, puts them in her pack, making her move down towards the water. She stops above the water, takes out a jar, dips it in the water, puts the jar back into her pack, and puts more rocks into the net, causing her to go up. She get to the top, pulls herself up onto the fallen tree, and pulls out a knife. She cuts the vine holding up the net of rocks, making it fall and sink down into the water, then cuts off the harness made of vines, and tosses it down into the water.

"She's a genius!" Rupert tells me. I look at him to see admiration in his eyes. He suddenly jumps up, and runs down the trees towards her. I run after him, and Todd and Pauleen start following me. "Wait!" Rupert calls to her. She ignores him, and keeps walking towards the exit of the dig site. He catches up to her, and walks along side her. "Did you find any good fossils?" Rupert asks her.

"No." She tells him, irritated.

"You didn't?" Rupert asks her.

"No, because I didn't look for any."

"...You didn't?"

"No."

"Why? Don't you want your vivosaurs to be strong?"

"No."

"...WHY?!"

"Because, they don't need to be."

"Why?"

"BECAUSE, I don't fight Fossil Battles."

"But that's what a Fossil Fighter does!"

"Well, didn't it occur to you that I'm not a Fossil Fighter?"

"So...You can here to become one?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to be a Fossil Fighter."

We all immediately stop walking.

"..." We stand there, shocked, and she just keeps walking, not even glancing over her shoulder at us.

"WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!" Todd suddenly says, running forward and jumping in front of her. "Did you just say you DIDN'T want to be a Fossil Fighter?!"

"Yes. Yes I did." She tells him. "And I meant it." She steps around him, and keeps walking.

"..." We all stand there, shocked.

_'...What IS wrong with her?!' _I ask, utterly shocked.

_'Red, she probably has a reason, for example...' _Flamethrower tells me. _'She...uh...Maybe...um...erm...'_

_ 'THERE IS NOTHING BAD ABOUT FOSSIL FIGHTING!' _Air Strike tells him. _'There's something wrong with that girl, AND WE ALL KNOW IT!'_

_ 'Oh BOY, will you two calm down?!' _Cloud Cover asks them. Joe suddenly runs up to us.

"I got some bad news y'all." He tells us. We all look at him. "Some varmint's been running 'round swipin' Dino Medals. We gotta find 'em before he snags someone else's medals!"

"We're on the job!" I tell him.

"Alright." He says nodding. "Todd? Pauleen? You two search Ribular, I'll search Cranial, and Red, Rupert, you two search Ilium."

"Yes sir!" We all say in unison, nodding.

"Patrol Team, move out!" I say, waving my hand in the 'follow me' motion. Todd and Pauleen run off, Joe gets out his Ptera, while me and Rupert run to the heliport, and onto the helicopter. We get into our snow gear, and hop off the helicopter when it arrives at Ilium Village. Rupert heads off the check Hot Spring Heights, and I head towards Icegrip Plateau. I wonder around, searching the entire area. I eventually come to the ice flow with the cave, and I head inside. It's a large cavern with the sun coming through a hole high up in the back, a frozen pond in the middle, and some short ledges everywhere, as well as some ice pillars. I hear something that reminds me of gold coins clinking together.

I quickly and silently head towards it, and peek over one of the ledges to see a man with a burlap sack in his hands, looking at the medals in it.

"I love this place already..." He mutters to himself, satisfied. "Like taking candy from a baby...And these vivosaurs...More powerful and some people haven't even seen these before...These'll fetch a VERY handsome price..." He has a black toboggan on his head, a violet red parka, red gloves, black snow pants, gold colored scarf, and brown snow boots.

"Hold it, mister medal-stealer!" I say, jumping into sight with my medals in hand. The man whirls around, to reveal an eye patch over his left eye.

My heart skips a beat.

Shock covers my face, and my medals slip from my fingers to the snow on the ground.

Medal-Dealer Joe.

From Vivosaur Island.

"Oh, we got a goody-two-shoes, do we?" He asks, irritated.

"..." I stand there, my face pale, and my eyes wide. He sits there, looking at me with a hard face.

"What?" He asks. "Never seen a guy with an eye patch before?"

"..." I take a jerky step back. He peers at me.

"You look familiar...Have...Have we met?" He asks, slowly standing up. I quickly and jerkily shake my head. He stands there, squinting at me with his right eye. "Oh. No, we haven't. You look a lot like that kid that got me thrown in prison. But, he didn't have a scar." My hand goes up to where my scar is on the left side of my face. I forgot to put on my thermal head band, and my bangs weren't over it. I fix my bangs to where they cover it. "Stupid kid..." Medal-Dealer Joe growls. "I had a great amount of medals, and he came along, and turned me in. A lot of good that prison did me. Got into a fist fight in there, guy did some bad damage to my eye."

_Oh thank goodness... _I mentally sigh with relief. He looks back at me.

"But, since you've found me..." He takes out an earth-type medal, and a Giga Raja comes out. It's a lot like Air Strike, but with gray skin, orange crystals, and orange claws. It roars, and I scramble to get my Dino Medals off the ground. Before I can, it slashes its tail at me, and I jump down to avoid it. It roars, and raises its claw to strike me.

A blur suddenly hits its snout, making it stagger back.

"WHA-?!" I look to see the girl that came here today standing there, ready to fight. She has a red toboggan on her head, with a hole cut in the back, allowing her ponytail to come through, a white scarf around her neck, a navy blue snow vest over a red parka with white fur in the hood, and a thick, black band around the middle over her upper right arm, sandy gold snow pants with cargo pockets on the sides and the ends of the pants legs tucked into her brown snow boots which are laced up tightly, black gloves, and her backpack.

"What?! Who-?! Who are you?!" Medal-Dealer Joe asks her.

"The person who's gonna kick your tail end for trying to hurt this kid, that's who." She tells him.

"Giga Raja, GET HER!" It raises its claws to attack again, but she jumps straight towards it, jumping over it, and hits her first two fingers against its shoulder. Its arm suddenly drops, and hangs uselessly. "Huh?" The Giga Raja slashes its tail at her, which she merely jumps over, and lands on its back. It then tries to get her off, to no avail, and she grabs the two longer crystals on its head, which makes it start swinging its head around to try to get her off. She holds on firmly, and I get my wits. I grab my team from the snow, then look back up as I hear the Giga Raja roar with anger. It slams its head against the ground, making the girl fall off, and it raises its other claw to slash at her. She jumps to her feet, and grabs the claws as they descend. She uses the motion to then throw the Giga Raja over her, and slam it into the ground.

"..." I sit there on my knees, hold my team in my hands, and my jaw dropped at what she just did. She stands up to her full height, and looks at Medal-Dealer Joe. She jumps at him, and the Giga Raja suddenly grabs her, and throws her across the cavern.

She hits on of the ice pillars, and breaks straight through it.

She lands on the ground, and I throw out my team. They come out, and attack the Giga Raja. I run over to her, to see her pushing herself to her feet.

"Whoa, stay down!" I tell her, forcing her back down. "You just smashed through a pillar of solid ice!"

"I'm FINE." She growls pushing me away. "I'm made out of tougher stuff then most people..." She starts to push herself up again, and stops as she grunts with pain.

"You to-" I stop as she takes out something that looks like a hand gun. "Whoa, whoa! What are you-?!" She pushes up her parka's sleeve, and puts the end of the barrel against the bare skin. "Hey! Don't shoot yourself!" I tell her, reaching for the gun. She pulls the trigger, and instead of a bullet or a gunshot ringing out, she turns white, then back to normal.

"That feels better." She says, pulling the parka sleeve back down. "This is an IHR, Instant Healing Ray. It speeds up the healing process by one hundred times the speed." She looks at me. "You like?" She puts it away, and looks back at the fight to see Air Strike's holding Medal-Dealer Joe by the hood of his parka in his teeth, Cloud Cover has the sack full of Dino Medals, and Flamethrower has the Giga Raja Dino Medal in his teeth.

"Good work guys!" I tell them. They grunt in response. Rupert, Kent and some staff run in. Rupert runs past me, and straight to the girl.

"Are you alright?!" He asks her, worried. She pushed him away. "I'm FINE rich boy. I'm not a dainty little girl that can't take a punch." Rupert sighs in relief.

"Yeah, thanks for asking if I was okay Rupert." I tell him flatly. He looks at me, and smiles awkwardly.

"Sorry..." He tells me.

"What happened little dude?" Kent asks me. I look at him. "That man is the one who's been taking all the Dino Medals." I tell him, pointing at Medal-Dealer Joe. "He had a Giga Raja come at me, and she," I point at the girl. "attacked it. So, she paralyzed its arm, threw it over her and slammed it into the ground, and it threw her through that ice pillar." Kent looks at her with shock, and she stands there, arms crossed and her bangs covering her eyes.

"Are-"

"Yes, I'm fine." She tells Kent, cutting him off. "I'm made of tougher stuff."

"...YOU WERE THROWN THROUGH A PILLAR OF SOLID ICE, AND YOU SAY THAT YOU'RE FINE?!" Rupert asks her, shocked and bewildered.

"Yup." She tells him flatly.

"So, my team dealt with the medal-dealer and the Giga Raja." I tell Kent. He gives me a death hug.

"Good work little dude!" He tells me happily. He puts me down, and helps the staff take away Medal-Dealer Joe and the sack full of Dino Medals.

"..." Me, Rupert and the girl say nothing.

"So, you just fought a Giga Raja with your bare hands, and you're just fine?" Rupert asks the girl.

"Yup." She tells him flatly.

"...You're CRAZY!" Rupert tells her.

"I'm not crazy." She tells him. She walks towards the exit. "I'm just desperate."

Later...

"...She IS crazy!" Todd tells me. Me, him, Rupert and Pauleen are all sitting in mine and Todd's bungalow, eating some soup in the kitchen.

"I know." I tell him. "But, if she can take out a Giga Raja without a vivosaur, what could her vivosaurs take on?"

"..." We all sit there.

"Let's not talk about that, digadig." Pauleen says.

"Hey Rupert," Todd says. Rupert looks at him. "if you're not gonna eat your soup, can I have it?"

"That's fine with me." Rupert tells him, pushing his bowl of soup towards Todd. Todd pushes his empty bowl aside, and starts eating the soup he was just given.

"Are you okay Rupert?" I ask him. "You haven't eaten anything, and I know there's no way you couldn't like my cooking."

"I...I'm...I'm not hungry is all." Rupert tells me, picking at the table top.

"..." We all sit there.

_'Oh boy...' _I think. _'You guys know what this means, right?'_

_ 'Yup.' _Air Strike says, mentally nodding.

_'Rupert has fallen in love with that girl.' _Flamethrower says.

_'He's screwed himself, hasn't he?' _I ask.

_'Big time.' _They tell me in unison.

_'Be nice!' _Cloud Cover growls. _'I'm sure that girl is nice! She just needs a friend is all! I bet she has a heart of gold.'_

_ '...' _Me, Air Strike, and Flamethrower say nothing.

_'She has a point!' _Air Strike and Flamethrower both say, getting on Cloud Cover's side.

_Oh DINO... _I mentally moan. We finish eating, and head out to the heliport, and get on a helicopter to Cranial. We arrive, and go out to Dusty Dunes for some digging. We dig for a few minutes, then I stop when I see the girl sitting up on top of the wall of rock. I look at her, and I can barely hear what she's saying.

"The world used to be mine,

I would walk with the rays of sunshine.

Now every night I lie awake,

The nightmares, just too much to take.

But there were clouds,

See the hate in my enemy's eyes,

Listen as they would all say

You need to leave, there's something wrong with you.

One minute I held the world,

Next the roof was falling in on me,

And I discovered that my enemies hate

Had gone too far for me to stop.

I hear their angry voices crying,

The sounds of war were ringing,

I turned around and ran for my life,

Only to bring myself to strife.

From some reason that I don't know,

Once I left, there was never a home,

But that was after I owned the world.

It was the bad man and the evil men,

Blew down the walls and came for me,

A shattered life and the sounds of war,

I couldn't believe, this had happened to me.

They all said that they could wait,

For my head on a silver plate.

Just a wolf in a lonely wood,

Oh, how could I let this happen to me?

I hear their angry voices crying,

The sounds of war were ringing,

I turned around and ran for my life,

Only to bring myself to strife.

From some reason that I don't know,

They would always spit at my name.

I know that they would never love me.

Never one nice soul,

But that was when I owned the world.

I hear their angry voices crying,

The sounds of war were ringing,

I turned around and ran for my life,

Only to bring myself to strife.

From some reason that I don't know,

They would always spit at my name.

Never one nice soul,

But that was when I owned the world."

She sits there silent, then gets up, and disappears. I look to see Todd, Rupert and Pauleen had all seen and heard her as well. We keep digging, the words replaying in my head over and over again. We clean the fossils we dug up, and run into Joe in the lobby.

"Howdy there, small fries!" He tells us.

"Hey Joe." I tell him with a smile.

"Kent told 'bout what happened with the medal-dealer." Joe tells me. "I gotta say, that's some right fine work there, buy you an' that girl, whatever her name may be."

"She got smashed through a pillar of ice, and she was fine!" Todd tells him. Joe looks at Todd.

"..." He suddenly bursts out laughing. "Good one Todd!" He laughs. "There's no possible way that coulda happened an' 'er be just fine!" He keeps laughing, and we all stand there, looking at him with flat faces. Joe begins to stop laughing, and realizes Todd's serious. "...Yer serious?!" We all nod. "That...That ain't possible! What is she made of, stone?!"

"Maybe."

"GAH!" Joe suddenly jumps forward and whirls around, and there she stands, arms crossed and bangs covering her eyes. "How do you DO that?!"

"Trade secret." She tells him flatly. "As for why it didn't hurt me, I've had extensive training to endure stuff like that, and I know what I'm doing."

"..." We all say nothing.

"By the way," She looks up at Joe. "I find it hard to believe that you were an evil, terrifying skull."

"I'm a good actor." Joe tells her happily.

"I don't believe it." She tells him flatly.

"Well then." Joe says. He laughs a maniacal, evil cackle. "Fear me mortals!" He booms in the voice he used as Don Boneyard. "I will use my living nightmares and my minions to take over this world, and destroy anyone who dares to stand against us! The sky will tear! The mountains will crumble! Asteroids will fall like rain! The coasts will be swept away by tsunamis! The volcanoes will erupt their molten rock! And I will grind you to dust!" He laughs again, and I can almost see the lightning flash behind him like in the cartoons. Joe then smiles his warm smile, and looks down at her, while me, Todd, Rupert and Pauleen all stand there, stiff with wide eyes. "How was that?" Joe asks the girl in his normal voice.

"...That all ya got?" She asks, just how she was before.

"...That didn't scare ya?" Joe asks her.

"Nope." She tells him. "It takes more than threats and an evil laugh to scare me."

"..." We all say nothing.

"Excuse me," Rupert says, stepping forward. "but, since you stopped that medal-dealer, and you're not easy to take down, could you maybe join the Patrol Team?"

"Why not, digadig?" Pauleen asks.

"Yeah dawg!" I say in agreement.

"You'd be great!" Todd says.

"What say you small fry?" Joe asks her.

"No." She says. We all look at her with surprise. "I don't want to be a part of your little team, and you can't change my mind." She turns, and walks out of the Fighter Station, not even looking back at us.

"...How rude, digadig." Pauleen says.

That night...

I sit there, at the kitchen table in mine and Todd's bungalow on Cranial Isle, thinking as some food cooks. Todd's sitting across from me as well, thinking.

"Well, she's not lying when she says she's made of tougher stuff." Todd says. I silently nod.

"But still, we're faced with a problem." I tell him. "Our friend Rupert, who has a heart of stone frozen in ice, has just flipped for a girl who practically hates us."

"..." We both say nothing.

"...How do you think Mr. Regius is going to react?" Todd asks. I shrug.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, at another location with the mentioned people...<p>

Rupert opens the front door to his home, and silently shuts it behind him. The room was white and red with a nice chandelier, thick red rugs on the floor, and marble stairs. His father sat in a nice, padded chair, reading a newspaper. Rupert walks towards the stairs, his eyes half lidded and a faint smile on his face. He walks u the first few steps, and his father looks up at him.

"Good evening Rupert." He tells him with a smile. "How was your day?" Rupert stops.

"Hm?" He asks, looking at his father. "Oh...Uh...It was...very...very nice actually." He hurries up the stairs, the girl at the front of his mind. He hurries to his room, goes in shuts the door, and leans against it. He smiles a wide, foolish grin, and walks over to the window with the window seat in it. He sits down on the seat, and looks out the window, thinking of the girl.

_'Why do you love her?' _Mapo asks. _'She's rude!'_

_ 'She is not!' _Rupert snaps at him. _'She's like how I was. But, she lost, hurt and misunderstood. I saw it in her eyes. She's been hurt very badly. All she needs is a friend.'_

_ 'And some counseling.' _Mapo adds on.

_'She does not.' _Rupert tells him. The door opens, and Rupert looks to see his father come in the room. "Hello Father." His father shuts the door, sits down on the window seat next to Rupert, grabs the sides of Rupert's head, gets an inch away from Rupert's face, and undoubtedly peers at him from behind his glasses. Rupert sits there, unable to move his head, and he looks around the room. "...What are you doing...?" His father's face suddenly brightens, he lets go of Rupert's head, and leans back.

"You've met a girl!" He exclaims.

"I have not!" Rupert tells him, his face turning a light shade of red.

"Yes, you have!" Mr. Regius tells him.

"No sir, I haven't!"

"YES, you have!"

"NO SIR, I haven't!"

"Rupert, why are you denying it?"

"I'm not denying anything!"

"Yes you are!"

"No sir, I am not!"

"...Do I need to raise up my glasses?" Mr. Regius asks, grabbing his glasses with one hand.

"That will not work me." Rupert tells his father flatly. His father slowly raises up his glasses, to show he had a flat look on his face, and to reveal his angled golden cat eyes. He slowly raises up and eye brow. "..." Rupert sits there, looking at his father. "...WHY DOES THAT ALWAYS WORK ON ME?!" Rupert says, grabbing his head with aggravation.

"I'm not sure." Mr. Regius tells him, lowering his glasses. "Now, who is she?"

"I don't know her name." Rupert tells his father sadly. "But...she's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. She has pitch black hair, and deep, beautiful brown eyes. She's a genius, and she's probably impossible to scare..."

"She does sound nice." Mr. Regius tells Rupert.

"I know, but..." Rupert looks away. "...she hates me."

"What?" Mr. Regius asks.

"She hates me." Rupert tells him again.

"Why?"

"I don't know..."

"...Don't worry." Mr. Regius says, putting a hand on Rupert shoulder. "I'll help any way I can."

"...Father?"

"Yes?"

"That does not mean that you'll call her here and make us sit at a table outside to get to know each other, correct?" Rupert asks.

"..." Mr. Regius sits there for a second. "...I will if I have to."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back at the previous location...<p>

Me and Todd eat a supper of cream potatoes, green beans, and baked chicken, he showers, I shower, and get into my bunk.

"Night Todd." I tell him.

"Night Red." He tells me. I roll on my side, and fall asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Yup. MEDAL-DEALER JOE...did not recognize Red. :P Anyways, what do you guys think of this new girl? TELLZ ME WHAT YOU THINK! Also, do you guys think I should write an FFC story using a female hero rather than a boy? Again, TELLZ ME WHAT YOU THINK! Also, I do not own the song that parody is off of. Only the parody.<strong>

**Adam S.:**** Dude, TAKE A CHILL PILL! I have a motivation block, and don't worry. I have everything worked out, and I'll be glad to help you with your fan fiction.**

**Dragunity Gemini:**** The correct question is this: WILL Red and Rosie met again?**

**Oak:**** Again, I have everything planned out. And that is not love you smell in the air. That is the spaghetti my mom made. IT'S DELISH.**

**Tabitha6000:**** Really?! YUSH! :D :D :D :D**

**Greywing44:**** Just wait. :D It gets better...MUCH better...*evil laugh***

**Ben:**** Yes.**


	58. Xavia Adven

**AN-Just wanna get something straight here, to Ninja of Night, I am SUPER EXTREMLY SORRY FOR FORGETTING ABOUT YOUR REVIEW! ;A; But, no, Rupert actually did not hear Zongazonga say "Red Ranger" because he was too busy being terrified by the Z-Ptera and the fact that ZZ took his body. Soooooo...ONWARDS!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Fifty-Eight-Xavia Adven<p>

I walk down the dark street, the only lights coming from the street lights, and the stars. Why I went out in the middle of the night, I have no idea. I'm in my long legged suit and long sleeved shirt, holding my backpack straps as I walk. I look over my shoulder, having the feeling someone's following me, to see nothing. I look back forward, and there stands the girl who came to the islands today, right in front of me and an inch away from my face, her bangs covering her eyes.

"GYA!" I jump back, and she just stands there, her hands as fists, and her face flat. "How-?!"

"The same way you do." She tells me. "I sneak."

"...What?" I ask her, confused. She sighs.

"You sneak..." She steps closer and lowers her head. "Remember? Like when you left your home and Vivosaur Island?"

"...I'm sorry, what?" I ask.

"You. Are a run away." She tells me.

"..." I stand there, and take a step back. "...What...?" I whisper.

"Your real name is Red Jacob Ranger." She tells me. "Not Red Zeke Walker, or Red Hart Broke. Nice pun though, 'heart broke', 'Hart Broke'. After all, you broke your heart when you left Rosie."

"...I..." I quickly turn away as panic fills me. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Zeke, your childhood friend, schoolmate, and fellow soccer player. Mary, your first crush, and schoolmate. From my understanding, you never missed one of her performances. Whether it be piano, violin, or flute, you were always there for support. Holt 'Lightning' Boltomore, your pal on Vivosaur Island, speedy runner, and a bit of a trouble maker for when your denied your love for Rosie...Rosie Richmond. Granddaughter of Mr. Richmond, and the girl you love. Bit short-tempered, but you love her." She tells me. She looks up at me some. "And you left them."

"I didn't have a choice, okay?!" I tell her, looking back at her. "...I didn't have one...It was either run, or have to go back home, and I knew if I ran, I could see them again!"

"If you live." She tells me.

"...Say what...?" I ask, taking a step back. She grins evilly, showing teeth that are longer and sharper than they should be. Fear covers my face, and I take another step back. She looks up at me some more, allowing me to see her eyes, which are a cold, ice blue with reptilian pupils.

She jumps straight at me, her mouth opening wider.

Everything suddenly goes black.

...

"GYYYYYYAAAAAAAA!" I yell, shooting up in bed, my arms in front of me for protection, while my skin is nightmare fevered and slick with sweat. Todd falls of the top bunk, letting out an exclamation of shock. I sit there, panting, and I quickly put my hand over my heart, and put my other hand on my forehead. "I'm okay...I'm okay..."

"DUDE!" Todd says, shooting up to his feet. "You scared me! What are you trying to-...Whoa. Are you okay?"

"I..." I pant, and run my hand down my face. "I just had a bad dream is all."

"Oh...Sorry." He sits down on my bed. "You wanna talk about it? I looked over the edge, and your face was contorted as if you were in pain, and you were on your side with your fingers looking like they were trying to sink into your pillow..."

"...I...I just need to take a shower." I tell him, pushing the covers off of me and grabbing my bath robe. It's five thirty in the morning, yet I feel like I didn't get a wink of sleep. I shower, the water cooling my fevered skin, and washing of the sweat, making me feel nice and clean. I get out, dry off, and get dressed, then have a bowl of cereal for breakfast. I pull on my pack, and me and Todd head out to meet Rupert and Pauleen. We head out to Cranial City, and see Rupert sitting on a bench outside the Caliosteo Museum, looking at the clouds pass by with a half-asleep expression on his face.

"Hey Rupert!" Todd says. No response. We sit down on either side of him.

"Yo, Rupert." I tell him, waving my hand in front of his face.

"Hm?" He looks at both of us. "Oh! Uh...Sorry..." He tells us, smiling awkwardly and nervously. "I was just..."

"You were dreaming about her, weren't you?" Me and Todd ask in unison, sly looks on our faces.

"...Yes..." He tells us, looking at his feet as his face turns light red.

"Don't worry." I tell him. "We won't tell."

"Thank you." He tells me. He looks back at his feet. "I'm just worried of what she thinks of me. I feel like I never saw any beauty in the world until I saw her. She's more beautiful than the stars in space, the most flawless of jewels, the softest sunset that has ever occurred...and I just said that all out loud, didn't I?"

"Yup." Todd tells him with a smile. Rupert hangs his head. I pat his shoulder.

"Again, we won't tell." I tell him. He just sits there.

"Hello old bean!" We all look up to see Professor Scatterly standing in the doorway of the museum, looking at us.

"Good morning professor." I tell him sleepily before yawning.

"I say, you seem like you didn't sleep at all last night, eh wot?" He tells me as I rub my eye.

"I just had this crazy and sorta creepy dream is all..." I tell him.

"Sorta creepy? Sorta creepy?!" Todd asks. "You shot up in bed yelling and made me fall out of bed!"

"Sorry..." I tell him.

"I what'll cheer you up!" Prof. Scatterly tells me. "Why don't you lads come inside from some tea and biscuits, wot wot?"

"I would love to." Rupert tells him with a small smile. "Thank you." Prof. Scatterly smiles, and we all go up to his living area above the museum. We sit at the table, and the professor sets a tray of cookies on the table, and pours us some tea.

"I must say," Rupert tells the professor. "I feel like I'm actually in a British area right now. It feels like home almost." He sips some tea from his cup, sitting up straight and holding the saucer in his other hand. The professor smiles.

"Any time you wish to have a spot of tea, just drop in old bean!" The professor tells him happily. I eat one of the cookies, and they're delish. The tea actually wakes me up, which I'm thankful for. I look at Rupert again, and he really does look very British right now.

A few minutes later...

I'm in the kitchen, helping the professor wash the dishes while Rupert stands by the window, looking out it, and Todd looks at some ancient pottery on a shelf. I finish up with the last dish, then go and look at some of the pottery as well, and the professor looks at Rupert.

"What're are looking at old bean?" He asks.

"Hm?" Rupert looks at him. "Oh...uh, no one." He looks back out the window. The professor raises an eyebrow.

"Don't you mean nothing?" He asks. Me and Todd quickly look at each other, then at Rupert. "A young lass perhaps?" Rupert looks at him quickly, his face turning red.

"No sir!" He tells the professor. I get an idea, and start hurrying over to the window.

_'Red, what mischief are you up to?' _Flamethrower asks me.

_'Call me mischievous if you dare, I don't care.' _I tell him. I look over Rupert's shoulder, to see that he's looking down at the girl. "Uh, Rupert? Isn't that the girl you told me had-" Rupert smacks his hand over my mouth, cutting me off.

"What?" Prof. Scatterly asks. Todd hurries over and sees her.

"Oh! Well, what Red was gonna say was-" Rupert smacks his other hand over Todd's mouth, cutting him off.

"Said what?" The professor asks.

"Nothing!" Rupert tells him quickly. Me and Todd grab Rupert's hands, pry them off, and I quickly pin them behind Rupert's back.

"He said," Me and Todd happily say in unison. "That she was more beautiful than the stars in space, the most flawless of jewels, and the softest sunset, and that he never saw beauty in the world until he saw her!"

"NO!" Rupert tells us, he face as red as his coat while the professor bursts out laughing. "Not funny, my friends..."

"You're right." I tell him sadly.

"It's hilarious!" Todd tells him happily.

"You two said you wouldn't tell!" Rupert tells us.

"Ah, but we didn't say WHO we would!" I point out.

"..." Rupert stands there for a second. "In this situation right now, I hate loop holes." Me and Todd smile, and the professor calms down.

"What...What does she look like?" Prof. Scatterly asks, chuckling.

"She has tan skin, freckles, hair darker than a starless night, and-"

"Wait," The professor says, cutting Todd off. "she wouldn't happen to have deep brown eyes that look wise and ancient, would she?"

"..." Me, Todd and Rupert all look at each other.

"She does..." Rupert tells the professor, a bit uneasy.

"..." Prof. Scatterly blinks, then hurries through the door, and down the stair to the museum. We all look at each other, confused, and I let go of Rupert's hands.

"Thank you." He tells me, rubbing his wrists. "Now, let's go see why the professor just hurried out." We rush through the door and down the stairs, and into the museum to see him standing there, talking to the girl who has an ancient book in her hands, and is eagerly telling the professor something as he listens with intense focus and excitement to what she's saying. She notices us, and immediately stops talking. The professor looks up at her, then at us. The girl silently closes the book, and puts it into her pack.

"It was nice seeing you again Professor." She tells Prof. Scatterly. She then turns, and leaves without another word or looking back.

"..." None of us say anything.

"Well, that was quite strange." The professor says, rubbing the back of his neck and leaning on the table with the Calio Slablets.

"Sir?" Rupert asks.

"In the years I've known her, she hasn't done that before." He tells us.

"...Years?" I ask.

"Oh, yes, quite." He tells us. "Red, I've told you about her. She is my star pupil from when I taught at the university."

"What's her name?" Rupert quickly asks.

"Xavia." The professor tells him. "Xavia Sarah Adven."

"That's...That's a nice name." Rupert says.

"Yes, quite." Prof. Scatterly says.

"Do you know she's a bit...out there?" Todd asks.

"Well, no I'm afraid." The professor says. "She was always strange. She's brilliant, but she never boasted or bragged, and she was always deathly silent. She always preferred to either be completely alone, or be with her friend. Then, she was always reading. She always made one hundreds in her classes, and how that's possible, no one really knows."

"...WOW..." We all say in unison.

"Indeed." Prof. Scatterly says. "But, there was a problem..."

"Problem?" Rupert asks, slight worry in his voice.

"She was actually very aggressive. She was fiercely protective of her friend, so she continuously got into fights." He tells us. "But, she had a right since the other person always started it. However, there was one time where she was knocked out..." He shivers some. "Her friend attacked then."

"...What happened?" I ask.

"..." The professor stands there for a second. "Well, first of all, her friend is undoubtedly the nicest person on the face of the Earth. But, when Xavia got knock out...well...When her friend attacked, she broke a total of thirty-six bones in the attackers, and caused five internal bleeding spots in them as well."

"..." We all stand there, our eyes wide.

"...Remind me to never tick her off." I say. Todd and Rupert nod in agreement.

A few minutes later...

"Huh, digadig." Pauleen says as we walk out to Rainbow Canyon. "She diga-defiantly is strange, digadig."

"Yep." Todd says. "Though, I wonder why she got into so many fights. Prof. Scatterly said she was aggressive, but-" We suddenly hear a bunch of high-pitched squeals.

"LOOK!" We hear a girl squeal. We all look to see a crowd of rabid fan girls.

"..." Me, Todd and Rupert all look at each other.

"GET THEM!" One squeals.

"RUUUUUUUUUUN!" I yell at the top of my lungs. Me, Todd and Rupert all turn and run as fast as our legs can carry us, while the rabid fan girls stamped after us.

"Oh MAN we're screwed!" Todd says.

"Tell us something we don't know!" Rupert tells him.

"Less arguing, more running!" I tell them.

"We're running as fast as our legs can carry us!" Rupert tells me.

"THAT'S NOT FAST ENOUGH!" I tell him. We go from running to sprinting, but the fan girls keep running after us.

"How do they run in heels anyways?!" Todd asks.

"I dunno!" I tell him. "How they even wear those is beyond me! Why they even MAKE them is beyond me!"

"Well, unless we do something soon, they're going to catch us, and undoubtedly take some of our hair!" Rupert tells us.

"I like my hair! I don't want them to take it!" Todd says.

"Ditto!" I say.

"Hey!" We all look to see Xavia looking at us from around a corner. She waves her hand for us to follow her, and we run after her. She darts around another corner, we follow her, and she suddenly pins us against the wall, putting some kind of small devises on our foreheads. "Now be still and don't make a sound!" She hisses. We do as she says, and she leans against a lamp post, looking casual with her hands in her pockets. The fan girls suddenly appear, and I resist the urge to flinch.

"Excuse us," One of the fan girls asks Xavia. "but did-"

"I see adventure boy, green string bean and rich boy go this way?" Xavia asks, finishing her sentence. "They went that way." She says, pointing away from us. The fan girls all run off in that direction. When they go out of sight, Xavia looks at us. "Y'all can take those Invisa-Chips off now."

"..." We all stand there, and she sighs.

"The little devices I put on your foreheads that made y'all turn invisible." She tells us. We look at each other, and I can't see Todd or Rupert. We take the small devises off, and become seeable.

"Thank you for-"

"Thank your friend Pauleen." She tells Rupert, cutting him off. "She came running to me and said y'all were gonna get mauled by fan girls, so I came A.S.A.P."

"...Green string bean?" Todd asks. Xavia shrugs.

"Why not? You remind me of one." She walks off, not looking back at us.

A few minutes later...

"Anyways, thanks for sending her to help us Pauleen." Todd tells Pauleen as we walk around, digging up fossils.

"My pleasure, digadig!" Pauleen tells Todd. We keep digging, then head to the Fighter Station, clean the fossils, then get some lunch, and then go back to the Fighter Station.

"Excuse me," We all look to see a staff member running up to us. "but we have a question."

"Yes sir?" I ask as we all look at him.

"Could one of you fight in a Fossil Battle?" He asks. "There's someone here who would like to become a Fighter." He looks over at the Commons Room door, and there stands Xavia, leaning against it. We all look at each other, then run over to her.

"I thought you said you did not want to be a Fossil Fighter!" Rupert tells her.

"I didn't." She tells him. "But, Flying Arrow said I should try to forget why I didn't want to, and try to be one."

"...Who's Flying Arrow?" Todd asks.

"My vivosaur." Xavia tells him. "She gave me a number of reasons, so if you're going to thank me for trying, thank her since she convinced me to."

"..." We all say nothing.

"I'll fight you." Rupert tells her.

"Alright, rich boy." She tells him.

"Will you please stop calling me that?" Rupert asks her. "My name is Rupert Regius, not rich boy."

"..." Xavia says nothing. "...Royal..." She murmurs.

"...Royal?" Rupert asks, confused. "No, my last name is Regius."

"That's what I said." She tells him. "Regius is Latin for Royal. Your ancestors were high ranking Roman soldiers that fought against Queen Boudicca for control of her home country, which is now Scotland and England. After the queen's defeat, your ancestors settled there, resulting in your British background."

"..." We all stand there, looking at her with shock.

"...How diga-do you know that exactly, digadig?" Pauleen asks her. Xavia looks at Pauleen.

"Because my ancestors fought alongside the queen, that's why." She stands up, the door slides open, and she walks in. Rupert hurries after her, while me, Todd and Pauleen head out to the stands to watch. There's already a crowd gathered, and we find some front row seats to watch the battle from. The announcers call them out, and the door opens. Rupert walks out, making the crowd cheer, while Xavia stands in the door way, not moving. Rupert stops, and looks back at her. I notice that she's oddly stiff.

_'She must have a fear of crowds or large gatherings of people.' _Flamethrower tells me. I mentally nod, and Rupert waves for her to come on. She instead stands there, and the crowd begins to whisper amongst themselves. Xavia draws in a deep breath, her flat chest puffing out, and exhales. She takes a small step forward, pauses, then takes another slow step forward, taking deep, even breaths.

_'Yep.' _I tell my vivosaurs. _'She must have a phobia.' _She keeps walking forward slowly, and makes it to her side of the Battle Area, but her face is paler, and her eyes are wider. Rupert lets out his team, a Mapo King and his other two Mapos, and Xavia lets out her team.

In the AZ is a Teffla. It's a bright yellow with a hint of green, has a somewhat long neck, short arms, long legs in a ready stance, a triangular head with turquoise eyes, and butter fly wings coming out of the sides of its face, that're the same color as it, but it also has navy blue and turquoise, then the same kind of wings coming out of its muscular thighs, but these are much larger. It has a periwinkle, cape like object at the base of its neck, that covers the top of its shoulders and very top of its back. At the end of its tail is a gold colored, hard object with a small spike sticking off of it.

In the bottom SZ is a Tricera with a silver fossil integrated, making the blue on it red and the cream on it turquoise, and in the top SZ is a Menchi, which is built like a long neck, has short, stubby white spikes on its back, the top of its sides, and the area where its head and neck connect on the back. It's top half is a bright blue color, the bottom half of it is a deep blue, and it has a gray wrecking ball like object about ten feet in diameter on its tail.

"Let the Fossil Battle begin!" The announcer says. The crowd bursts into excited cheers, and Xavia suddenly claps her hands over her ears, and falls to her knees. Her Teffla lets out a loud roar, making the crowd go silent, and rushes over to her. The Menchi is barely nudging her with his snout, and the Teffla stands over her, teeth bared. Rupert runs towards them, and suddenly stops when Xavia's Tricera skids to a stop in front of Rupert. He takes a few steps back as the vivosaur lets steam blow from its nostrils, and the Teffla looks at Rupert, letting out a threatening growl should he come any closer. I look at Xavia to see her breath is coming in uneven hiccups, and her lips are mouthing words incredibly fast. Some staff members run towards her, only to stop as the Teffla roars at them.

I jump over the side and land on my feet in the Battle Area as Todd climbs down, we catch Pauleen, and then run over to Rupert.

"What happened?!" Todd asks him.

"I know as much as you do!" He tell us. "The crowd cheered, and she suddenly fell to her knees!"

"Flamethrower said she might have some kinda phobia." I tell them.

"Wait," Pauleen says. "if we get her to think she's not in here, diga-do you think she'll calm diga-down, digadig?"

"Good idea." Rupert tells her, nodding. We get the crowd to be quiet, and we all watch as Xavia lays on her side, hands pressed over her ears and curled into a tight ball while her Teffla stands over her, her Menchi keeps his head close to her, and her Tricera watches us. After a minute, Xavia looses up, and she begins to slowly stand up, her eyes still closed. She puts her hand on her Menchi's snout, and puts her other hand on her head, her fingers dividing her bangs. Xavia gently pats her Menchi, which then nuzzles her hand. Rupert takes a step forward, and looks at her Tricera which makes no motion to stop him.

"Looks like she's better folks!" The announcer says. The crowd cheers some, and Xavia's eyes pop open, and her face pales even more. She then suddenly turns and runs like a madman towards the exit.

"Wait!" Rupert yells, running after her. Me, Todd and Pauleen run after him, following him out of the Fighter Station, into the Jungle Labyrinth, and we catch up with him. We go to the deepest part, and I notice the path towards the Stone Pyramid has been torn up. We run down it, across the rope bridge, up the stairs to the pyramid's entrance, down the hallway full of murals which still kinda creeps me out, and into the chamber with the stone chest. She's curled up into a ball with her hands pressed tightly over her ears, and her back to us while she's up against the door to the corridor with the guardian in it.

"Xavia?" Rupert asks, taking a step towards her. An Andrarch suddenly jumps out from behind the stone chest, fang bared and ready to attack. It's built like a wolf, is twice the size of one, and strangely has brown eyes, its main color is silver with pitch black rings on its snout, pitch black lines under its eyes, pitch black mane, tail, paws, rings on its ankles, and going down it's spine. It snarls at us, making us take a step back, fire in its eyes and its fangs gleaming like silver.

"..." We say nothing, and instead just stand there, wide eyed and with pale faces, unsure of what to do.

"S-S-Silv-ver..." Xavia stammers. The Andrarch pricks its ears, and looks back at her. It then calmly walks around the chest, to Xavia, and sits down next to her. We slowly and cautiously walk around the chest, and Xavia lifts her head up, a red bandana in her hand. "I'm okay...I'm okay..." Her Andrarch nudges her, then licks her cheek. "Good boy..." Xavia tells him, scratching him behind his ear. "Good Silver Fang..."

"You're sure you're alright?" Rupert asks her, kneeling down next to her.

"Would I be saying I'm okay if I wasn't?" Xavia asks him.

"...Good point." He says. She puts the bandana in her pocket, and the Andrarch, Silver Fang, goes into his medal, which Xavia puts in a side pocket on her pack.

"...I can't fight in the...place..." She tells us, allowing her bangs to cover her eyes.

"Why diga-did you get scared all of a sudden, digadig?" Pauleen asks.

"..." Xavia looks down some. "It's...a very...very long story..."

"If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to." Rupert tells her.

"..." She says nothing, and instead gets up, and walks out of the room. We walk out, to see her and her vivosaur team outside. "I may not be able to fight in the place, but I know where I can that won't make me lose it."

A few minutes later...

"Flying Arrow, Teffla Scale on Mapo!" Xavia's Teffla, Flying Arrow, attacks, knocking out the rest of Mapos LP, and ending the Fossil Battle. We're in a field with tall grass, and some ruins around the area where Xavia and Rupert had been fighting. Xavia catches her medals, and me, Todd, and Pauleen all congratulate her. The official that watched tells her she can now get her license, and they head off back to town.

"She's the best Fighter I've ever seen." Rupert says.

"Ahem." I say. He looks at me, and smiles awkwardly.

"Second. Best Fighter I've ever seen." Rupert tells me. I smile.

"Aw, I'm just messin' with ya." I tell him. "But, I would like to know why her vivosaurs were so strong despite the fact that she's now becoming a Fighter."

"..." We all think about it.

"Maybe her vivosaurs were given to her?" Todd suggests.

"...Probably, digadig." Pauleen says. We all stand there a bit longer, then walk back to Ribular Town, and to the Fighters Camp. We cook some beef franks over the fire, eat them, then head to our bungalows for the night, while Rupert heads home. Todd showers, then I shower, and I crawl under the blankets on my bunk.

"Night Todd." I tell him.

"Night Red." He tells me. I drift into a deep, restful sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-FINALLY! Whew! Oh, MAN that motivation block is starting to bug me! Argh...<strong>

**Red: Finally is about right! Oh that dream I had was so life like...**

**Me: I know, I know. DISCLAIMER: I do not own FF or FFC.**

**Greywing44:**** I know. We all wish to know. And yes. Rupert DOES have a heart! ...THE WORLD IS GONNA END!**

**Tabitha6000:**** SWEET!**

**Ninja of Night:**** Sorry about that. ^^; But, that was answered in the top AN, and, NO, XAVIA IS NOT THE REBEL LEADER. And I'm surprised you guys love her already.**

**Oak:**** *glare* Let those Fan Girls after Nonny, and I will send Xavia after you...But, I'm glad you're happy! :D I'll start working on it as soon as I can.**

**Charzard0312:**** Yush, Yush, and maybe. *troll face***

**Gunsandgames:**** Again, I will start the story as soon as I can! :D I'm excited about it. And Xavia, just wait. You guys are gonna LOVE HER~. As for Red and Rosie, maybe.**

**Adam S.:**** Actually, I don't think you're psychotic. Especially compared to Xavia. Wait, REALLY?! *happy face* You read my Fan fiction first! *happy face happy face happy face***

**Ben:**** -_- Well, if that's what you think, you don't have to read my story.**


	59. Explination

**AN-NOTHER CHAPA!**

**Red: Please, no fan girls.**

**Me: We will see! DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Fossil Fighter games!**

Fifty-Nine-Explanation

I wake up, hugging my pillow, then realize my chin is rested on something hard. I open my eyes to see Todd curled up against me, hugging his plush Stego, Stanly.

"...Todd...?" I ask.

"Hmm?" He asks, opening eyes.

"Why are you in my bed?" I ask.

"..." He lays his head back down. "...Had a life like nightmare of Zongazonga coming back." He tells me. "He slaughtered all of us."

"..." I hug him a bit tighter. "Alright." He falls back asleep, and I carefully slip out, not disturbing him. I get dressed, then start making a breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast with jam. Todd comes in, dressed and ready to eat. We have breakfast, then grab our packs and head out the door to Ribular Town. We arrive to see Rupert and Pauleen already waiting for us, and we all head out to Treasure Lake to dig. We dig up all detectable fossil rocks, then pay to go to the pay-to-dig site. As we walk down the path, Todd suddenly stops me.

"Crouch down." He tells me. I get a confused look, then crouch down. He hops over me, and lands in a crouch in front of me. I smile, and we play leap frog, hopping over each other as Rupert watches us, smiling, and Pauleen eagerly hurries along side of us. Todd suddenly stops and looks up. I look past him, and see Xavia standing on the trail, her bangs covering her eyes.

"Xavia!" Rupert calls, waving his hand and smiling. She turns on her heel, and starts to walk back towards the pay-to-dig site. Rupert runs past us and up to her. "Wait."

"What?" She snaps.

"Please, I know you said you didn't want to, but we know you would make a good member of our team." Rupert tells her. "Will you please reconsider our offer onto the Patrol Team?"

"I said NO." She tells him with irritation. "That's my final answer, and nothing that you say or do will never change my mind, so if you want to waste your time, I suggest you go do it elsewhere, and never ask me if I want to join your worthless team ever again!" She turns, and continues walking up the trail.

_...That was harsh. _I think. Rupert just stands there, and his hands curl into fists.

"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!" He suddenly roars at her, making her stop. "We haven't done anything to you, yet you act as if we're all just a huge waste of time, you're rude and cold-shouldered to us, and you've insulted us by calling the Caliosteo Patrol Team worthless! But then again, what kind of behavior should I expect from someone who was raised by half-evolved, heartless and brainless cave dwellers!"

"..." No one says anything, while Rupert stand there angry, and me, Todd and Pauleen stand there with wide eyes.

_...Well, that was TOO harsh... _I think. Xavia's hands slowly curl into rock hard fists, her shoulders rise as she takes in a breath, and her hands are curled so tightly, I can see the strain on her arms. She suddenly whirls around, an enraged expression on her face so terrifying, that it makes Rupert jump down and cover his head with his arms, while Xavia has her fist pulled back, undoubtedly ready to beat the tar out of him. We jump to our feet, about to stop her when Xavia suddenly stops. She stands there, an angry fire in her eyes, and her fist still raised.

"..." She says nothing, and instead slowly lowers her arm, and gets in a normal stance as Rupert lowers his arms to look at her. "My parents..." She growls between clenched teeth." were the most kind, loving, and caring people to ever grace this earth. You didn't know them, so you can't judge them." She then slowly turns, and continues to slowly walk up the trail. Rupert pushes himself to his feet, and looks at her.

"...Were?" He asks, asking the question we're all wondering. Xavia stops.

"..." She says nothing, and pulls a necklace out. The string around her neck is made from a thin, tough brown material, and on it is a small onyx star with a ruby X on the back. "..." She stands there, looking at it, then tucks it back into her shirt, and looks back up. "...My parents were killed." She bolts down the path before anyone can react.

It makes sense now.

Why she's so cold and distant.

"Xavia!" Rupert runs down the path after her, and we hurry after him.

Rupert runs down the trail as fast as his legs could carry him, looking around for Xavia. _Where is she? _He spots an over grown path branching off of the trail he was on, and turns to go down it. He pushes his way through the foliage, and come to a clearing with a cliff on one side. Xavia laid on her side, hugging her knees, looking out over the cliff with her back to Rupert, who goes over to her, and gets on his knees.

Tears poured from Xavia's eyes, and her breath came in jerky hiccups. Rupert raises a hand to brush her bangs aside, but Xavia suddenly grabs his wrist, stopping him.

"..." She says nothing, and lets go of Rupert's wrist after a second. He outs his hand back on his knee.

"..." He sits there and watches her, not knowing what to do. He wanted to hug her. He just wanted to take her in his arms, and gently cradle her to calm her down. He wanted to do something to make her feel better. "...How...How were they killed?" _'IDIOT! Of ALL the things to do, I just had to ask that!'_

_ 'Yes.' _Mapo tells him. _'Yes you did.'_

_ 'You're not helping.' _Rupert tells him. Xavia takes in a shaky breath.

"...A man killed them..." She tells Rupert. "...He...He came to my home and tried...tried to take me from them by force..."

"He tried to kidnap you?" Rupert asks.

"Sorta..." Xavia tells him. "I got away and had to hide. My older brother looked for me, but he didn't find me. My parents thought I had died, and it left them heartbroken. I came back to my home only to find them in their bed, dying of grief. I had to sit there helplessly, and watch them die. I hugged them, they hugged me back, and told me they loved and cared for me more than anything...They kissed my temples, and died right as they did...I was their love, their life, and their health, and I had to watch them die, and not be able to do a thing about it...Do you have any idea how hard it was on me? How helpless I felt?" Tears continues to pour from her eyes, her breathing grows haggard, and tears stream from Rupert's eyes. "My life just completely shattered after that. My brother grew distant, and I was left alone. No one cared for me, no one loved me, and I had to fight my battles for myself, by myself...I was only SIX when this all happened. I felt like I was just worthless. That I had no reason to keep living...Then she came."

"...Who?" Rupert asks, his voice shaky.

"My friend from collage." Xavia tells him. "I was alone and I thought I was going to die, but she found me. She took me to a hospital, and she never left my side until I was healthy enough to leave. She was the first person I felt safe with since my parents death, the first person who loved me, and the first person who cared for me. She became a part of me. We grew closer than sisters...She actually called me her little sister one time. It made me happy. She became the sunshine in my dark heart, and I felt like I was worth something again. We went to collage together. You have to understand, she looks like an angel. I never wanted her to feel the pain of a broken heart, so I never let a boy get close to her. She never stopped me. The only thing that mattered to her was me, and her studies...I never want anything to happen to her."

"...What if...something does?" Rupert asks.

"I will hunt down whoever did it, and give them the worst possible death more horrible than anyone could imagine." Xavia tells him. "I lost my parents, and she is the closest thing I've had to a parent since then."

"..." Rupert sits there as Xavia buries her eyes against her knees and silently cries. His throat was tight, and tear streamed from his eyes. _That...That's the saddest story I've ever heard... _"Will you please sit up?"

"..." Xavia says nothing, and slowly pushes herself up. Rupert suddenly hugs her, tucking her head under his chin. Instead of pushing him away, Xavia hugs him back, buries her face against his chest, and cries as he gently rocks her back and forth.

Me, Todd and Pauleen come to a clearing with a cliff one side, and see Rupert near the cliff, holding Xavia as she cries, her face buried against his chest. We silently walk over, and sit down, not saying anything. After a minute, Xavia lifts her head up, and wipes her eyes with the back of her arm. She pushed Rupert away, and sits with her legs crossed. She takes a deep breath, and explains to us how her parents died. When she finishes, she sits there quiet as I wipe some tears from my face, while tears stream from Pauleen's eyes, and Todd wipes the tears from his eyes.

"...I'm sorry." Xavia tells us. We all look at her. "I shouldn't of been a jerk to you guys, but after the death of my parents and the conflicts after it, I started to think that there was no one that would ever care for me. That I was unlovable. The thought made me bitter and distant, and I had a hate of others...But...she came. She loves me. I could never hate her, or hurt her...I just want you guys to know I'm sorry."

"..." We all say nothing. Rupert suddenly hugs her.

"It's okay." Rupert tells her. "I can relate to it." Xavia hugs him back, and me, Todd, Pauleen hug them as well. We all hug for a second, then separate, and stand up.

"Thank you." Xavia tells us. For the first time, she smiles. "I will try to stop being such a jerk."

"You actually aren't that bad really." Todd tells her.

"Sure, you were kinda a jerk, but not that bad." I tell her shrugging. Pauleen elbows me.

"Um...Xavia?" Rupert asks. Xavia looks at him. "Do you think you could reconsider joining our team?"

"So...you still want me to join the Patrol Team?" She ask him.

"Yeah dawg!" I tell her.

"You'd be great!" Todd tells her enthusiastically.

"Diga!" Pauleen says happily.

"..." She stands there for a second, then smiles a half smile. "Sounds like fun."

"Welcome aboard, digadig!" Pauleen tells her, hugging her.

"How do you feel?" Rupert asks. Xavia's smile widens, and she hugs all of us, lifting us off the ground.

"EXCITED!" She says, excited. We laugh some, and she puts us down.

"Let's go tell Joe so he can make it official!" Todd says, hurrying towards the path. We run down it, onto Treasure Lake, to Ribular Town, and climb aboard a helicopter to Cranial Isle. It arrives, we hop off, run into the Fighter Station, up the stairs, and step onto the elevator platform. It goes up to Joe's office, and we step off to see him sitting at his desk, doing some paper work, and whistling. He looks up at us, and smiles.

"Howdy y'all." He says. "What can I do fer ya?"

"Well Joe," I tell him. "we have some good news." Xavia steps forward.

"I would like o join the Caliosteo Patrol Team." She says. Joe blinks in surprise.

"Really?" He asks, surprised.

"We had a talk, and she's agreed to join." Rupert tells Joe.

"...Alrighty!" Joe says cheerfully. He gets up, walks around to the front of his desk, and shakes Xavia's hand. "I hereby declare ya a fully fledged member of tha Caliosteo Patrol Team!"

"Sweet." Xavia says, smiling. "Can I say one thing first?"

"'Course." Joe tells her. Xavia claps her hands over the small of her back, and stands there for a second.

"..." She says nothing, then suddenly gives Joe a death hug. "I THINK YOU'RE ONE OF THE COOLEST PEOPLE ON THE PLANET!"

"What-?!" Joe asks, utterly confused. Xavia takes a step back, and start talking so fast, it's just an excited blur. She says something about his hat being awesome, and about how amazing it is that he's such a good vivosaur handler, and just how epic his hat is. Me, Todd, Rupert and Pauleen all stand there, trying not to laugh, while Joe just stands there with a look of bewilderment on his face. Xavia suddenly stops and facepalms.

"And oh my science, I sound like a sugar high fan girl." She says. Joe laughs, and puts a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry small fry." He tells her. "It ain't the first time."

"Um, Joe?" Xavia asks. "Could you please just call me my name? I don't really like being called anything else..."

"Sure thing Xavia." He tells her happily. Xavia smiles.

"Now what?" Todd asks.

"I know!" Xavia says, her hand shooting up in the air.

A few minutes later...

Xavia pushes open a wooden gate for a fence that seven feet tall, and we step onto a stone path way. "This is my house." Xavia tells us. We look at the house, which is three stories tall, has white, grey and black rock arches holding up the part that hangs over a twenty foot cliff, is made of a reddish brown wood with more of the white, grey, and black rock pattern, a bridge entrance, and a beautiful flower and rose garden. I spot a set of stairs going down the cliff.

"What's that for?" I ask. Xavia looks at it.

"Oh. That's for getting down to the yard dash garden dash training area." She tells me.

"Training area?" Rupert asks.

"Yep." Xavia tells him. "C'mon. I'll show you guys." We all walk down the stairs, which are carved into the rock, and reach the bottom, which is a yard with green grass, a fruit and vegetable garden under the overhanging part of the house, while there's a small hill with a creek flowing into a pond, which has several wooden poles of varying height coming out of it, some bamboo, and a shady tree with a large, flat rock under it.

"Wow...It's beautiful." Todd says.

"Thanks." Xavia tells him. "But, I'm mostly proud of the garden. I specially bred all of the plants in it."

"Really, digadig?" Pauleen asks with surprise.

"'Corse." Xavia tells her. "They grow much faster, bare more produce, and they can re-grow the produce in about a week."

"WHOA." I say. I look at the plants in it. "You got just about everything in there."

"All I'm missing is a money tree." Xavia jokes. "But, the produce actually is ten times better than what you buy from the store. They're fresher longer, are bigger and juicer, and their color is much more vivid, not to mention they have a lot more nutrients in them."

"Again, WHOA." I say.

"What're the poles for?" Todd asks, pointing at the pond.

"That's part of the training." Xavia tells him. She spins in a circle, turning white, then stops, and the white subsides to reveal she's now wearing a sleeveless white karate uniform with a black belt that has golden stitched into it, and is bare foot. She sprints over, jumps in the air, and perfectly land on one foot on one of the poles.

"Whoa." Todd says, his eyes wide. Xavia jumps back in the air, turns white again, and lands in front of us. She stands up as the white subsides, to show her in her usual clothes.

"Hey, you can do that when you're a master in every form of self defence." Xavia tells him.

"Seriously?!" I ask, shock and bewilderment in my voice. "You're-?!"

"Yup." She tells me, nodding. "C'mon." She waves her hand for us to follow, and we all walk back up the stairs, walk across the bridge like structure to the front door, and Xavia opens it. We walk into a small foyer with a wooden floor, and white walls with turquoise at the top and bottom of them. We walk into a living room with the upper right corner being octagonal, and with a set of spiral stairs going up to the next floor. The walls are the same, but the floor is now white carpet, and the room is flooded with sunlight from the large windows with deep blue and turquoise curtains, and a glass door goes out to a deck that wraps around the house. The living room has a flat screen TV on a deep blue stand with green shelves, which contain video players and gaming stations, a stereo built into the wall, two chairs that are deep blue, white, turquoise, and green angled towards the TV, a sofa that's the same color, a turquoise, green and white rug under the sofa and chairs, with a deep blue boarder, a turquoise coffee table between the sofa and TV, a rectangular, turquoise dining table with deep blue and green chairs, while the wall on the left side has several indentions in it that act as small display cases, since they hold perfectly cut jewels, and the kitchen could be considered part of the room since there are no walls blocking it off.

It has white and turquoise tiles, white counters with turquoise counter tops, a white sink, a white stove with a turquoise top and green handle and knobs, and a white fridge with blue lining the doors, and blue handles. In the lower left corner of the room, is a hallway which leads somewhere else in house.

"Nice place you got." Todd says, looking at the jewels.

"Thank you." Xavia tells him.

"Why the bright tropical colors though, digadig?" Pauleen asks.

"According to studies, colors such as these can calm a person's mind, making a tranquil atmosphere. And I'm not the most laid-back person on the face of the earth, so this helps some." Xavia explains. I look at some paintings, which are of calm, nature scenes.

_'Wow...She's right.' _I tell my vivosaurs. _'This place does seem calming.'_

_ 'Like she said, bright, vivid colors can actually create a calm state of mind, which is why hotel rooms at a beach have the brightly colored decor. It makes the people staying there feel much more relaxed.' _Flamethrower says.

_'...' _I say nothing. _'Okay, seriously. WHERE DO YOU LEARN THESE THINGS?!'_

_ '...I'm not sure...' _Flamethrower tells me. I mentally facepalm. Xavia leads us down the hall way, and stops outside the only door in it, while there's an archway at the end with a staircase going down inside of it. She opens the blue framed, turquoise door, and walks in, followed by us. We come into a white room with counters, and several scientific mechanisms on them. There's also some large windows, and a sliding door going out onto the deck, which has a telescope on it.

"This is my lab." Xavia tells us. She points at a large screen with a slanted, highly advanced key board and rolling chair in front of it. "That, is the super computer."

"WHOA..." We all say in unison with awe.

"Yep." Xavia says. "Made it m'self. You like?"

"Yeah..." Todd says. "What can it do?!"

"It's a super computer." Xavia tells him. "If I told you everything it could do, we would be standing here for a while."

"Oh." Todd says.

"Yup." Xavia tells him. "But, I have made a wide variety of other things.

"Yeah." I say. "After all, you made all of the Fighter's gear, and-" Something suddenly pops to the front of my mind, making me stop.

"And what?" Xavia asks. I suddenly jump back, and point at her.

"How did you know that it wasn't safe here and how did you get Zongazonga's crown?!" I blurt out.

"..." Todd, Rupert, and Pauleen all look at Xavia, whose face hardens.

"...Do you REALLY...want to know?" She asks, her voice serious.

"...Yes?" I ask.

"..." Xavia stands there for a second, then smiles as her face brightens. "Okay!" She goes over to one of the counters, opens one of the shallow drawers, unlocks something, opens a bow, and pulls out a leather bound book. She walks back over to us, and holds it up. "This, is the rebel leader's journal."

"NO WAY!" I exclaim, taking it. "THIS...belonged to her?!"

"Yep." Xavia says.

"Wait," Rupert says. He looks at her. "how do you have this?"

"Because," Xavia tells him. "the rebel leader was my ancestor."

"WHAT?!" We all exclaim, looking at her.

"The rebel leader was my ancestor." Xavia tells us again. She takes back the journal, and locks it back in the drawer. "She had a box that kept ZZ's crown perfectly maintained, and it was passed down in my family until I gave it the professor."

"..." We all stand there, shocked.

"OH DEAR GOODNESS..." Rupert suddenly says, shivering.

"What?" Todd asks him.

"Red, remember how you told us about the dream the rebel leader gave you? The one with the entire battle?" Rupert asks me.

"Yep. Why?" I ask him.

"Remember how Zongazonga acted towards the rebel leader?" He asks. We all nod. "Then doesn't that mean that Xavia could have been related to Zongazonga?"

"..." We all stand there for a second, looks of shock, bewilderment, and disgust on our faces.

"Oh my science that's an extremely detestation thought..." Xavia says, her face having a disturbed and repulsed look. "I think I'm gonna be sick..."

"What're you currently working on, digadig?" Pauleen asks, trying to change the subject.

"Eh, nothing really." Xavia tells her. "Just a generator prototype that runs on some crystals that can be changed into a fuel with no harmful effects and can move whatever it's attached to at almost the speed of light. Nothing much."

"..." We all stand there, not knowing how to react.

"Whelp, let me show you guys the rest of the house!" Xavia says. We walk out of the lab, down the hallway, go up the spiral stair case, and into an octagonal room with windows on the outside wall, and some paintings on the inside walls. We go through an archway into another hallway, this one having two doors. Xavia walks past the first one, not stopping, and goes straight to the second door, opens it, and goes in, followed by us. We walk into a room with white walls that have red at the top and bottom of them, large windows on the outside wall. On the left side of the room is a twin sized bed with white sheets and pillows, with a red blanket, and it has drawers on the bottom part to hold stuff. In the lower left corner is a door which undoubtedly goes into the bathroom, while on the right side of the room is a large book shelf, a desk, rolling chair, hi-tech computer, and a globe on the desk.

"This is my room." Xavia tells us as we look around it. There's more pictures on the walls.

"Who painted these, digadig?" Pauleen asks.

"I did." Xavia tells us.

"Wow..." Rupert says, admire a painting of a waterfall.

"I also do impressions." Xavia jokes. We laugh some, and we walk back out into the hallway, and Xavia passes the first door.

"What's in there?" I ask, point at the door.

"That room's off limits." Xavia tells me. "It's Parker's room."

"Parker?" Rupert asks.

"My older brother, his name's Parker." Xavia tells us. We go up the spiral stair case to the next floor, and walk down another hallway with three doors. Xavia goes into the first door, and we come into an art studio with canvases, a wide range of paints, easels of every size, and some paintings in progress. We look around the room, then go to the next room, and go in.

There's a sound booth, several different instruments, recording equipment, and other stuff used in places like this. In the sound booth, is a man about twenty-three years old with black hair, a light tan, a red sleeveless shirt under a navy blue over shirt, cargo pants, and hiking boot. His eyes are deep brown, and he has head phones on his head, with his hands over the ear part, the microphone in front of him. He's singing something into the mike, but the booth prevents us from hearing. Xavia smiles, goes over to the controls, and pushes a button.

"I don't wanna gain the whole world, and lose control..." Parker sings, not seeing us.

"THEN DON'T GAIN THE WHOLE WORLD!" Xavia yells into a microphone.

"GYAH!" Parker suddenly jumps back, throwing the head phones off his head as we burst out laughing. He looks at us. "Xavia!"

"Sorry!" She tells him, laughing. "It was just such a perfect opportunity that I had to take it!" We continue laughing, and Parker just smiles, and comes out of the booth.

"Well, I probably would've done the same thing." He tells Xavia.

"Hey!" She says. Parker smiles, and looks at us.

"Who are these guys?" He asks.

"Parker, these are my new friends." Xavia tells him. "This is Red, Todd, Rupert and Pauleen. Guys, this is my older brother and guardian, Parker."

"Nice to meet all of you." Parker says, shaking our hands. After a minute of talking, he goes back into the booth and continues the song, and Xavia shows us the last room, which is just a bare, white, windowless room.

"This is the Holo-Room." Xavia tells us. "It's just here for fun really. It used holographic technology to create any environment you want."

"COOL..." We all say in unison with awe.

"Yep." Xavia says. She goes over to a small panel on the wall with several buttons on it. "For example..." She pushes one, and the room turns into a tropical beach, she pushes another one and the room turns into a forest, and she pushes another one, turning the room back to normal. "My favorite part about this room is that when the tech is being used, this room gets bigger on the inside than on the outside."

"Seriously?!" Todd exclaims, looking at her.

"Yup." Xavia tells him. "Now, what shall we do, my amigos?"

A few minutes later...

"You two still live here?" Xavia asks, as I put a platter of sandwiches on the kitchen table. We're in mine and Todd's bungalow in the Fighter's Camp on Ribular.

"Yeah, why?" I ask her, sitting down.

"Don't ya know?" She asks. "They opened a small housing area on each island. Anyone can purchase one of the properties, and they each have a house on them."

"..." ME and Todd sit there for a second.

"A house would be kinda nice..." Todd says.

**AN-Sorry about ending it there, BUT I GOTTA GET THIS CHAPERTER UP!**

**Tabitha6000:**** Sorry about the wait. ^^;**

**Greywing44:**** Sorry, Red don't tease people. Xavia does. XD And trust me, you will die laughing when she does.**

**Blossom:**** Xavia can take those fan girls. She will beat them so far down, they won't know which way is up. XD And as for you getting FFC, YAYZ! :D :D :D**

**Ninja of Night:**** You are welcome. ^^ Trust me, you guys are gonna love Xavia even more. And don't thank me, thank Xavia. SHE'S A BOSS. No, she is the BOSS of all BOSSES.**

**Adam S.:**** ...I just came up with her team. I didn't style it off of something. :3 But the arm braces sound kewl. **

**Dragunity Gemini:**** Really? I've never watched that show. :3 Xavia actually reminds me of Toph from Avatar the Last Airbender. I LOVE THAT SHOW. Especially Sokka and his hilarity. XD**

**DigitalEmperor001:**** WILL I put Rosie in my story again is the question.**

**Gunsandgames:**** Actually, Xavia is a Level 1 Fighter. Her vivosaurs are at max rank.**

**Charzard312:**** Yush mean yes. I was answering your questions. :P**

**Blossom (again):**** I will try. I need to get mah computer connected to the interwebs again.**

**mysterydude123:**** That haz been explained.**


	60. Moving

**AN-Short chapter. I guess. Maybe. But, Red and Todd go crazy with excitement this chapa. Heh.**

**Red: Disclaimer: Magma does NOT own Fossil Fighters or Fossil Fighter Champions.**

**Me: But if I did, I would make them into an Anime! Would you guys? And by the way, I have given Rupert's dad the first name Martian. He looks like a Martian, ya know?**

* * *

><p>Chapter Sixty-Moving<p>

"I got another!" I call out, holding the jewel rock up. We're at Hot Spring Heights, digging for jewel rocks.

"Awesome!" Todd says.

"Has anyone seen Xavia?" Rupert calls.

"She was here a second ago!" Pauleen calls. We look around, not seeing Xavia anywhere.

_Where'd she go? _I wonder. Rupert's standing by the entrance to the hot springs, and a large pile of snow suddenly falls on him, burying him up to his hips, and a pile of snow on top of his royal red toboggan, his eyes closed.

"MWA, HAHAHAHAAAAAAA!" Xavia laughs. Me, Todd and Pauleen all look above Rupert to see Xavia on the snow covered area over the hot spring entrance, the extra snow gone. I suddenly notice the thick, black band on the upper right arm of her parka has a red dragon on it.

_...That...looks..._ A long forgotten memory suddenly comes into my mind...

"What's in this box, Grandpapa?" I asked. I was young. Almost six, and I was in my grandparents attic, looking through some boxes that my grandpa was moving. He had grey hair, a white short sleeved shirt under a green over shirt with short sleeves, brown pants, and black shoes. He was oddly thin and muscular for his age, and he had broad shoulders.

"Hm?" He asked, looking at the box. He opened it, and pulled out and old newspaper. "Ah...I remember this." He said. He sat down, pulled me up onto his knee, and showed me the front paper. There was a picture of an exploration team. I couldn't read, so the words were just scribbles to me. "See these people? They were the Red Drago Exploration Team."

"Were?" I asked.

"Unfortunately, yes." He told me sadly. "They went on an exploration to try to climb to the top of the world's tallest mountain."

"What happened, Grandpapa?" I asked. He sighed.

"Some froze to death, some starved, while others either fell to their death or died from altitude sickness. Only two members survived." He said sadly.

"That not good." I said sadly. He just nodded grimly.

"The world is a dangerous place Red." He told me, putting the newspaper down and hugging me. "Even the most powerful and high ranking people die someday, no matter what they think or say. When they pass, they will be remembered for what they did. The people in this picture are still remembered as very brave people for what they did, even though they did die during one of the explorations...How do YOU want people to remember you though?"

"..." I sat there, my head on his chest. "...I want to be remembered as a hero. Someone who always helped people without asking for anything in return, no matter what it was that I did." My grandpa smiled.

"That's the best way to be remembered." He told me.

I suddenly snap back to reality, the memory fading. "Where did you get that parka?!" I suddenly ask.

"What?" Xavia asks, while everyone else looks at me with confusion.

"It...just...looks familiar." I tell her.

"Ah..." She says. She then jumps down to the area where we are. "It's styled after my great grandmother's parka. She was part of the Red Drago Exploration Team. She was one of the only two survivors after the team tried to climb to the top of the world's tallest mountain."

"Whoa, REALLY?!" Todd asks with amazement and shock.

"Yup." Xavia tells him. "She and a man on the team were the only two left. Believe it or not, she saved that man. He collapsed from exhaustion, but did she leave him? Nope. She got him over her shoulders, and carried him down the mountain through a blizzard."

"WHOA!" Me and Todd exclaim with amazement.

"That's amazing!" Rupert tells her.

"Diga!" Pauleen says with agreement. "How come she diga-didn't diga-die, digadig?" Xavia shrugs.

"Well, apparently there's something that runs in my blood line. I have it, and for some strange reason, it makes me much stronger and smarter than the average person. Like...having inhuman abilities almost."

"COOL..." We all say in unison with awe.

"Yeah...Though, one of my relatives a long time ago, they fought in the War of the World." Xavia tells us.

"What?!" I exclaim. "That was the fiercest, deadliest, most havoc-reeking war that's ever happened! IF you were lucky, you only left it with a broken bone."

"They were very lucky then." Xavia tells us. "They only left it with a few minor injuries."

"How?!" Rupert asks. "That's practically impossible!"

"Wasn't for them." Xavia tells us. "As you can tell, havoc runs in my blood, so I'm quite used to it..." She laughs some. "Havoc, chaos, panic, disaster...my work here is done." We laugh, then walk back to the Fighter Station, and clean the jewel rocks we dug up. Me and Todd gather them all up, and walk over to the guild, careful not to drop any. We sell all of the jewels, then walk back out of the guild, to see Rupert, Pauleen and Xavia waiting for us.

"We have enough moneys to buy a house!" Todd proclaims happily. They smile.

"According to what we learned, we'll be able to keep the bungalows on the other two islands in case we want to stay on an island over night."

"That's nice." Rupert says. I notice Xavia looking at someone, and follow her gaze to see Kaze standing there, sitting against the railing and writing in a note book. He stops to think some, then continues writing. Xavia starts to walk over to him, her footsteps eerily silent, even when she steps on the snow and ice. We follow her, and she suddenly jumps right next to Kaze.

"What'cha writing?!" She asks him.

"GYAH!" He exclaims, jumping to his feet and away from her. "Oh...uh...nothing." He tells her, holding the notebook behind his back.

"UH-HUH..." Xavia says, standing up. She suddenly grabs his arm, spinning him around and snatching the notebook from his hands.

"WHA-?!" Kaze exclaims, still spinning.

"WELL, what's this?" Xavia asks, a devious smile creeping over her face. "A poem?"

"GIMME THAT!" Kaze yells, jumping at her. Xavia merely side steps to the left, her right foot brushing over the ground, and she grabs Kaze's belt as he passes her. She then spins on one foot, letting go of his belt, making him fly through the air, and slide across the ice.

"Your orange hair that looks of fire," Xavia reads. Kaze shoots up, his face turning red. "And your green eyes that give me a passionate desire," Kaze again jumps at her, but she jumps right over him, landing noiselessly and softly on the roof of the Fighter Station. We all watch her, and she reads the poem to herself.

_'She's a bit of a trouble maker, eh?' _Flamethrower asks.

_'Yup.' _I say in agreement. Kaze suddenly lets out a vivosaur, a Menchi. It's the original colors, orange on the top half and a dark chocolate brown on the bottom half. It sweeps its head up towards Xavia, who jumps onto its head, slides down its neck and back, then jumps down to us.

"Give me that!" Kaze says, reaching for his notebook. Xavia holds it up, a sly smile in her face, and Kaze snatches it away from her.

"I read it all anyways." Xavia tells him, making his face turn red. "By the way, there's nothing that rhymes with silver besides quicksilver and quiksilver. Might want to use something else." Kaze stalks away.

"What was that all about?" Rupert asks Xavia.

"Meh, nothing really." Xavia tells him shrugging. "There are few things that amuse me as much as romantically torturing someone."

"..." Todd and Pauleen take a step away from each other.

"Well...Me and Todd better hurry over and purchase our new house." I say.

"Good idea." Todd tells me. We both hurry over to the helicopter, climb onto it, and ride it over to Ribular. We remove our snow gear on the way over, and head to the building that manages the living quarters on the island.

An hour later...

"Here it is!" I tell Todd, point at our house. The homes here are just like the ones on Vivosaur, with white wooden fences, sidewalks in front of them, have nicely cut green grass lawns, blooming flower beds, are two-story, are painted light green, rather than light blue, with white trimming, black roofs, have workshops rather than garages, and have trees neatly arranged in the backyards with a hammock hanging between two. Each house has a different number above the front doors and on the mailboxes which are right next to the front gates. They also have nice porches and back decks with swinging chairs, rocking chairs, and regular ones.

"Let's check it out!" Todd says, running up to the front gate, throwing it open, and dashing up the front walk. I run after him, and onto the porch, which I'm especially happy about. We open the front door, and come into a room with two arch ways on the left and right walls, and wide, brown stairs on the other side of the small room. The floors are dark brown, the walls are green with white floor boards, and there's a dark sand colored rug in the middle of the room. I go through the right archway, and come into a kitchen.

It's walls are green, it has white tiles for the floor, black high chairs with red cushions at a counter, which is dark brown with a dark sandy, black speckled granite top, while the regular counters are the same, and against the wall with cupboards above them, a stainless steel sink with a window in front of it, A white, double-door fridge, a stove with six cooking eyes, and two stainless steel ovens, one on top of the other. On the right wall, a small area sticks out some, with three windows on its walls, and a white table with two white chairs in it, making an area like a breakfast nook.

_I'm to enjoy cooking in here! _I think, rubbing my hands together. I notice another arch way, and go through it into a dining room with a table made of dark brown wood with a glass top, and chairs that are also dark brown, and have red cushions. I go through yet another archway, into an area behind the stair case. It's a short, narrow room, with another archway that goes under the stairs. I go through it, into a small room with a laundry hampers under laundry shoots, washing and drying machine, and a storage dresser on the far wall.

I walk back out, and through the other archway into the living room, which has a fire place, a flat screen, plasma screen TV over it, a black coffee table with a glass top, two brown easy chairs to the sides if it, and a brown sofa in front of it, across from the TV. There's a built in stereo, and a sliding door going out to the back deck, and a dark sandy colored rug under the sofa, coffee table, and two chairs. There's a table just like the coffee table, except higher up, against the wall behind the sofa, and it has a red lamp with a sandy brown lower half, and an off-white lamp shade.

I examine the fire place, which has white tiles in front of it, raised up about six inches, the bottom half of the rim of the fire place is also white, while the tops half is a bit bigger, and a sandy colored, with a shelf where you can place stuff. I go through the other arch way in the room, and come into the foyer.

I go up the stairs, and come to the hallway at the top, which has brown doors, and a window at the end. This place has a lot of windows, actually. Todd suddenly opens one of the doors.

"I call this room!" He says, pointing into it. I walk down the hall way and look in.

I don't blame him.

"WHOLE...LEE...DIE...NO..." I say, looking around the room. The walls are light green, the floor is tan wood, with a brown rug, and in the lower right corner of the room is a desk with a very nice computer, rolling chair, a table lamp, and shelves over it to put books and such. In the top right corner, is a large, round bed that's practically in a bowl, with the top half covered by half of a dome. The blanket is thick, fluffy, and green, while the sheets and pillows are white, and the bowl and dome are light green. The underside of the dome is a midnight blue, and has two slots in it, one being occupied by a digital clock. The bed is actually angled towards the lower left corner, which has a TV stand with a flat screen, gaming system, video player, and some shelves to hold video games. In the middle of the floor, are some green bean bags, and a small dark brown table, undoubtedly for refreshments. In the upper right corner is a built in stereo, a tan dresser, and next to the stereo is a white door, undoubtedly going into the bathroom.

"IT'S ALL MINE!" Todd says, jumping face first onto his bed.

"..." I stand there, amazed at the room. "...No wonder the house was so expensive..." I think aloud. I then dart out of the room, and into a room closer to the stairs. "...I CALL THIS ROOM!" I call down the hall way.

This room has light blue walls, a deep blue rug, a desk and TV stand just like the one in Todd's room, dark blue bean bags, black refreshment table, built in stereo, a black dresser, a bed just like the one Todd has, except this one is black with a blue blanket, white sheets and pillows, the underside of the dome is midnight blue, and I rush into the bathroom to see it has a white vanity in front of a nice mirror, light blue tiled walls, white tiled floor, and a large, octagonal chamber thing. I open the door, which is blurry, and realize that it's a tub and shower. It's probably big enough to swim in circles, with a set of steps going down into it, and a place to sit on running around it. The whole thing is made of blue tiles, and has a non-slip mat covering the bottom of the tub.

_...I LOVE THIS PLACE ALREADY..._ I think, closing the door back. There's some hand towels and regular towels hanging from their white racks. The towels are deep blue. I walk back into my room, and jump on the bed just as Todd did.

_'IT'S ALL YOURS!' _Air Strike tells me.

_'Now THIS, is living.' _Cloud Cover says.

_'I know...' _I tell them. I roll on my side, burying my face in the pillow. _'This bed is divine...' _

_'Lucky.' _Flamethrower tells me. I notice a small knob next to the digital clock, and I turn it until I hear a click. Nothing happens. I roll onto my back, and freeze.

The underside of the dome is now black with the constellations as small, bright white dots.

"Wow..." I sigh. It looks so real. I lie there on my large bed, staring at them. I turn the knob back, turning the star dome off, and head back into the hallway. I look in the room next to mine, to see a workout room. It has a chin-up bar, bench press, barbells, a mix between a step climber, a bike thing, and a treadmill, a punching bag, and some other work out gear, as well as a shelf for towels. The floor is the dark brown wood, and the walls are green while sunlight pours through the windows.

_Perfect! _I think, happy about the room. I look at the remaining rooms, to find them empty. "Come on Todd!" I call into his room. "We gotta get our stuff from the bungalow!"

"Okay..." Todd replies, coming out of his room. We leave the house, walk down the walk way, turn down to go to the Fighter's Camp, and go to our bungalow. We get our stuff from it, and before we leave, we take on last look around it.

"You know, despite how nice our house is, I'm actually gonna miss this place.

"Yeah..." Todd says. "The first place we had to stay when we came to the islands..." I nod. We linger a bit longer, then head back to our house. We put our clothes away, I put my ammonite fossil on the shelf on the mantle of the fireplace, and I find one of the picture devises in my desk drawer. I put it on, make pictures of the times me and Todd had, the events throughout the Cup, and the past couple of days after. I put the pictures in my scrapbook, which I kept in my backpack this whole time, and I hide it in my dresser drawer with all my shirts. Todd has one of the devises as well, so we head into town, buy some picture frames, then make some pictures of us together, then put them in the frames, which we hang up in the stairway, the hall way, in the living room, and our bed rooms.

"A LITTLE to the left..." Todd tells me. I move the picture frame to the left some. "Perfect!" I hang it, then step off the ladder. We hung a picture of us, Rupert, Joe, Pauleen and Xavia above the archway leading to the stairs. The door bell rings. "I'll get it!" Todd proclaims. He opens the door, and There stands Rupert, Pauleen and Xavia.

"Hello my friends." Rupert says.

"Hey, nice place." Xavia says, looking around the room.

"Hey guys." I tell them, picking up the step ladder. "I'll go put this away." I go into the kitchen, and through a door which goes into the workshop besides the house. It has several storage bins, a large work table with several tools, green walls, gray stone slab floor, and windows allowing the light in. I put the ladder away, the go back into the house and into the foyer.

"I brought you guys a house warming gift, digadig." Pauleen tells us, holding up a potted plant. It has a large deep violet flower in it, with a curled, golden middle sticking above the pedals, and red, blue, yellow, green, and white spots all over the petals. "It's a rare flower from Vivosaur Island, digadig. We call it a Colored Fossil Flower since it has the colors of the colored fossil rocks on it, digadig." Pauleen explains.

"It's beautiful..." Todd says, admiring it. Pauleen holds it out to him, and he takes it. "I'll put it in the dining room! It'll add some decor!" He hurries out of the room.

"I brought this." Xavia says. I look at her, she pulls her hand out of her pocket, and tosses me a white, rectangular object as big as my hand. I catch it, and see that it has a small screen on it, and a number pad. "It's a KAS, Keep Away System. It'll keep just about anything unwanted out. Insects, rodents, burglars, stalkers, and fan girls." I hug her.

"THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!" I tell her, overjoyed at the fact it'll keep fan girls off the property.

"You're welcome." Xavia tells me. "Now, get off me." I step back.

"Sorry." I tell her. I look at the KAS. "How does this work exactly?"

"I'll install it." Xavia tells me. "It'll only take about five minutes to get it installed, up, and running.

Six minutes later...

"I didn't know what you two might have wanted for a housewarming gift." Rupert tells me and Todd. We're in the living room, with me, Todd and Rupert sitting on the sofa, while Xavia and Pauleen sit in the chairs.

"It's all good." I tell him.

"Yeah!" Todd says in agreement. "After all, this is still a nice house."

"Indeed." Rupert says.

"Now all you need is a room full of props and costumes." Xavia jokes. We laugh some, then hear a phone ringing. Rupert pulls his cell phone out of his pocket.

"Hello?" He asks. He waits a second. "Oh, hello Father...I'm at Red's and Todd's new home...Yes sir. It's very nice actually...Yes sir...I'll be right there...I love you too Father, goodbye." He hangs up the phone.

"What was that about, digadig?" Pauleen asks.

"Father says he wants all of us to stop by the mansion." Rupert tells her. "He said he had a surprise for us."

"OH!" Todd exclaims, jumping up. "I love surprises!"

"ME TOO!" I exclaim, jumping in the air. "Let's go!" I grab Todd, and get him over my shoulder, then charge straight out of the house, Rupert, Pauleen and Xavia following.

A few minutes later...

"...WHOA..." Me, Todd and Pauleen all say at the say time, looking around the elegant room with a crystal chandelier, thick red rugs on the floor, marble stairs and red and white walls.

"Very quaint, isn't it?" Rupert asks Xavia.

"Nice architecture." Xavia tells him. "I believe it to be a mix of the Gothic style with ancient Greek or Roman. It would make more since with Roman, since your ancestors are from there."

"That's correct!" We hear a familiar voice say. We all look to see Mr. Regius walking over to us, smiling. "Welcome."

"Hello Mr. Regius." I tell him politely.

"Please, call me Mr. Martian." He tells me. "It's my first name."

"Yes sir." I tell him.

"This is a nice place you got...sir." Todd tells him, smiling.

"Thank you." Mr. Martian tells Todd. He looks at Xavia. "You must be Xavia. Nice to meet-" He holds out his hand, and instead of shaking it, Xavia grabs his wrist, and looks at the palm of his hand.

"..." None of us say anything for a second.

"You're an engineer, have tinkered with machines for about as long as you can remember, you do a large amount of writing and blueprint designs, and judging by the fact that your index finger is off by a third of a degree, you've broken it a few times." Xavia says. She looks up at Mr. Martian. "Am I correct?"

"..." We all stand there, surprise on our face, and he raises up his glasses to reveal his angled golden cat eyes, which are wide with surprise.

"...Yes?" He asks.

"Great!" Xavia says, her face beaming with a smile. She shakes his hand. "Xavia Sarah Adven, adventurer, scientist, archeologist, engineer and master of every form of self defence, at your service!"

"..." He just stands there, amazed. "...Rupert DID say that you were...different..."

"No sir, I cannot read your palm like a fortune teller." Xavia tells him, letting go of his hand. "I just observe the calluses, smoothness, and scars. It can tell you a lot actually."

"..." We all just stand there, amazed.

_Something tells me this girl is chock FULL of random stuff that'll just make you feel blunt..._ I mentally groan.

"Uh...well...You said you had a surprise for us Father?" Rupert asks his dad.

"Oh yes, follow me." He turns, and we follow him through the house, which is elegantly decorated with expensive furnishings, relics from other parts of the world, vases, and other things. We come out to the back patio, walk down the steps, and Mr. Martian looks at Rupert, then hands him some keys. "I hope you and your friends enjoy it."

"..." We all stand there in confusion. We then look back at Mr. Martian.

"Exactly how rich are you, Rupert?" Xavia asks. We all look at her.

"W...What...?" Rupert asks her.

"The keys, I know what they're made for by the make of them and the numbers stamped on them." She tells him. Rupert blinks, looks at the keys, then back at her. "So..."

"Just go that way." Mr. Martian tells us, pointing out to the back yard. We hurry down the steps, down a walk way, and come to a nicely made dock.

"DIGA!" Pauleen exclaims. We all look at her and she points. "He got you a YACHT!" We all look to see she's right. "...Digadig!" It's well made and expensive looking, and is royal red and snow white.

"AWESOME!" Me and Todd exclaim at the same time. Me, Todd, Pauleen and Xavia then run up onto it, and begin looking around, while Rupert stands on the dock, surprise on his face.

"Do you like it son?" Mr. Martian asks, walking up to him.

"I...It's perfect!" Rupert exclaims, a wide smile spreading across his face. He hugs his dad. "Thank you Father! Me and my friends will enjoy this!" Mr. Martian hugs him back, and I smile.

"You might want to hurry and go out on it." I hear Mr. Martian whispers in Rupert's ear.

...Wait, WHAT?!

I get a look of confusion, stick my finger in my ear, and twist it back and forth. _How was I able to hear that?! _I wonder. _I know I shouldn't of been able to, with them still over there and Mr. Martian WHISPERING it for crying out loud! _Rupert gets a look of confusion on his face.

"But why-"

"RUPERT!" We all hear two people exclaim. Rupert's face instantly pales, and he gets a look of horror on his face. We all look to see two woman in their mid-twenties standing at the land end of the dock. They look exactly the same. They have silver hair that comes to their shoulders, black coats with long tails and are open in the front to reveal their white dress shirts and undone gray vests. There pants are white with a thick black stripe going down the fronts, and the pants legs poof out down to the knee, then comfortably hug their skin, and black boots that come up to their knees. The only difference between them is their eye color. The one on the left has green eyes, and the one on the right has hazel eyes.

"YOU COULDN'T OF TOLD ME SOONER?!" Rupert asks his father, who just smiles awkwardly and shrugs.

"Sorry?" He asks.

"Martian, Rupert! So good to see both of you again!" The two woman say in perfect unison, walking down the dock to them, their strides also in perfect unison.

"It's good to see both of you as well, Emerald and Amber." Mr. Martian tells them. The both smile, then look at Rupert.

"Hello, Rupert!" They both say, hugging him.

"Hello..." Rupert says quietly with slight embarrassment. They both kiss his forehead, much to his embarrassment.

"...Who are they, digadig?" Pauleen asks. Rupert and the two women look at us.

"My friends, these...these are my aunts, on my mother's side." Rupert tells us. Well, should of seen that coming. I can make out some of Rupert's features in theirs. "Aunt Emerald and Aunt Amber, these are my friends, Red, Todd, Pauleen and..." He looks up and down the yacht. "Now where did she go?"

"Under the deck probably." I tell him as me, Todd and Pauleen disembark.

"Greetings." Rupert's aunts say in perfect unison.

"You're twins I presume." I tell them.

"That is correct!" The one with green eyes, Emerald, tells me happily.

"Well, we are now." The one with hazel eyes, Amber, says.

"Yes..." Emerald says. "We used to be a triplet."

"But, then our sister, Rupert's mother, unfortunately died." Amber says sadly.

"Aye." Emerald says sadly.

"ZUH-HUH-**WHA?!**" We all look to see Xavia standing in front of the boarding spot to the yacht, a look of surprise on her face. "Emerald?! Amber?!"

"XAIVA?!" Rupert's aunts exclaim in unison, also surprised.

"What are you doing here?!" Emerald asks.

"What're YOU two doing here?!" Xavia asks.

"Visiting our beloved nephew and brother-in-law." Amber tells Xavia.

"You all know each other?" Rupert asks, dumbfounded.

"Know each other?!" Xavia asks him. "We had the same engineering class at the university!"

"Indeed." Rupert's aunts say in unison.

"Tell us, how is your friend, Ms. Eastward?" Emerald asks.

"She's doing good." Xavia tells her. "We talk on the phone every night. She's gotten a job at the local hospital, but she's just a nurse on call. She doesn't do much."

"I'm not surprised." Amber says flatly, as she twirls a silver lock of hair around her index finger. Anger flashes in Xavia's eyes.

"What's THAT suppose to mean?" She growls, her fists slowly clenching. Amber realizes what she just said.

"Uh...nothing?!" She asks, nervously.

"It's just...she lives in a small town, right?" Emerald asks, nervous as well.

"So there's not going to much openings in that area, correct?" Amber asks.

"No...there isn't..." Xavia tells them, anger still smoldering in her voice. "Just don't underestimate her, got it? She's brilliant, and is gonna do great things." Her voice has extreme protection in it. Rupert's aunts both quickly nod. "Good..."

"Uh, what say you that we go out on the yacht while Emerald and Amber get settled in?" Mr. Martian asks.

"Excellent idea Father!" Rupert quickly tells him. "Let's go!" He says, him and his dad practically dragging us onto the yacht, then Mr. Martian steering it out. After a few minutes, he stops, and the anchor drops into the water.

"I'm sorry I didn't warn you sooner." Mr. Martian tells Rupert, sitting down in a chair. We're in a room that resembles a living room, with wood panel walls, dark sandy floor, a sandy colored, leather sofa that occupies two walls, a TV on the wall, and some bean bags on the floor. Me, Todd, Rupert, Pauleen and Mr. Regius are on the sofa, while Xavia just lays stretched out on the bean bags, her ankles crossed and her arms folded behind her head.

"It's not your fault father." Rupert tells him. "It's theirs."

"I'm guessing they're a bit obnoxious." Todd says. "Ya know, with how you guys rushed us outta there..." Rupert sighs.

"You guessed right." He tells us.

"They're different than Crystal..." Mr. Martian says quietly. We all look at him, and he notices. "Crystal...My...my wife...She had the most beautiful, crystal blue eyes in the world...She was nothing like Emerald and Amber though..." He sits there in silence for a bit, and a tear streams from under his glasses. "Crystal..." He quietly whimpers before burying his face in his hands. Rupert hugs him, and the rest of us all do the same. He silently sobs.

_The poor guy... _I think. _He really loved her... _I've never had a family member die in my life. My great-grandparents died before I was born, and I still have both sets of grandparents...I wonder what it's like for them. That I'm gone.

"Mr. Martian?" Xavia asks him. He looks at her. "You don't need to miss her, because she never left."

"...What?" Mr. Regius croaks. He then raises up his glasses, wipes his arm across his eyes, then lowers his glasses back down. Xavia looks at the wedding ring on Mr. Regius' finger.

"She still with you." She tells him. "In your heart, and in your memories. She's always right next to you, watching over you and loving you..." She leans back against the sofa, hugging herself, her knees against her chest. "Just like my parents..." She whispers. "...Even after they died, I felt like they were still there. That it had just been a nightmare...That when I opened my eyes in the morning, my father would be sitting on my bed, and that he would...would brush my bangs back out of my face..." Her breath comes in shallow gulps. "An'...Then he would pick me up, and carry me down into the kitchen...and...my mother would be there...cooking breakfast...she would smile as my father walked in...and...Parker would be at the table, eating his breakfast...My mother would kiss my forehead, and hug me...then give me my breakfast...the smiles on their faces...The glow they had could rival the sun...how warm they were...how they always came when I had a nightmare...how safe I felt in their arms when they cradled me...After they died, I would wait for my father to gently wake me up...every time I walked down the street, I would always...always imagine that they were waiting for me, just around the corner...that when I got to them, they would take my hands...that everything would be as it...as it should..." Tears pour from her eyes.

"...why did they have to die?" She asks, her lower lip starting to quiver. "They didn't deserve it...they never hurt anyone...they were selfless...gentle...kind...just..." She buries her eyes against her knees. "I wish I could've helped them..." She silently whimpers. Rupert sits down next to her, and hugs her, resting his head on top of her. She silently cries. "..." She slowly stops crying. "We would give the world to you..." She says softly. "our sweet little angel...we know you would be the greatest leader it would ever see...that you would bring it to a golden age...know that we love you, our little angel...our dear, sweet little angel...we will always be with you...keep us in your heart, and in your memories...and we will be with you..." Xavia whimpers.

"...Do not beware the dragons of your dream...for they are not what they seem...let the sunlight brighten your mind...listen only to the words of the wise and kind...let the silver rays wash over you...hold to the ones you knew...lock them in your heart...do what you know is right, and play your part...and know that when you wake...the first golden rays will color the lake...and that we will be here...and that we love you." She softly sings.

"..." We all sit in silence.

_'...This got emotional.' _I think, wiping a tear from my face. We all calm down after a bit, and Xavia suddenly realizes something.

"Uh, Rupert?" She asks him.

"Yes?" He asks her.

"You can stop hugging me now." She tells him.

"Sorry!" Rupert exclaims, jumping back as his face turns red.

"It's alright...but...you're Emerald's and Amber's only nephew, right?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"..." Xavia suddenly bursts out laughing. We all look at each other in confusion, then back at Xavia. She sits there, laughing her head off to the point to where I'm bewildered how she's still breathing.

"What's so humorous?" Rupert asks her. She gasps for a deep breath, then points at him.

"YOU!" She laughs. "YOU'RE 'Little Ru-Ru'?!" Rupert's face turns the same color as his coat, and horror covers his face.

"YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?!" He asks, humiliation in his voice.

"Yeah!" Xavia laughs. "Your aunts were always talking about you! They referred to you as, 'Our precious Little Ru-Ru'!" She keeps laughing.

"...Little...Ru-Ru...?" Todd asks, trying not to laugh.

"What...else...did they speak of...?" Rupert asks, worried.

"Oh, they talked about whenever they could." Xavia tells him. "They did mention in explicit detail of some flower garden incident..."

"..." Rupert stands there for a second. "**THEY TOLD YOU ABOUT THAT?!**"

"Yeah, they did!" Xavia tells him.

"What was the flower garden incident, digadig?" Pauleen asks.

"Oh, well, you see-"

"FATHER!" Rupert exclaims, cutting off Mr. Regius. "PLEASE...don't tell them."

"...Alright son." Mr. Regius says. Rupert sighs.

"Thank you..." Rupert tells him.

A few hours later...

"It feels weird that we won't be sharing a room anymore, huh Red?" Todd asks me. We're in the living room of our new house, watching a movie and eating popcorn, wearing our pajamas. Or Todd is anyway. I'm wearing my boxers.

"Yeah." I say in agreement. "I've gotten so used to it...But, if you have a nightmare, just come get me, alright?" I tell him.

"Thanks Red." Todd tells me with a smile.

"You're welcome." I tell him with a smile. We finish watching the movie, then head up the stairs. "Night Todd." I tell him when I get to my door.

"Night Red." Todd tells me. We go into our rooms, shutting the doors behind us. I fall down on my bed, get under the covers, and flip a switch next to the clock that turns the lights off. _Sweet dreams Rosie. _I drift into a deep sleep, and into a dream of me and my parents reuniting.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-FFFFFIIIIINNNNNAAAAALLLLLYYY YY! Oh, MAN oh man! I am really, really, really, really,<strong>

**95 reallys later...**

**REALLY sorry about how later this is. I got a motivation block, school's started, and I KEPT PLAYING SKYRIM AGAIN! *goes into kitchen, and flips table***

**Red: Whoa, MAGMA! Calm down!**

**Me: I don't WANNA calm down! NARGH! *breaks through window* LEEEEEROOOOOOY JEEEEEENKIIIIIINS!**

**Air Strike: I'll get Magma. *runs after them***

**Red:...Erm...Uh...Well...Review time? I guess?**

**ilovedogs12:**** Magma said they would try updating faster...even if it means cutting back on Skyrim.**

**Tabitha6000:**** YAYZ! Magma said they have a surprise for me...*shiver* I DON'T LIKE IT! It was bad enough with the torture I never signed up for! ...You know what?! I'm calling my lawyer! ...As soon as Magma imagines me one...**

**Dragonity Gemini:**** Yeah, Magma understands. They said there's gonna be random silliness at times, dead seriousness at others, and...yeah.**

**Ninja of Night:**** I understand how Xavia meting Joe was funny, but how was the leap frog funny and what about Xavia's connection to the Rebel Leader?**

**Greywing44:**** Magma wants to know if what happened was good. Was it? And don't worry. Magma said that Xavia, in no shape, form or fashion, (or anything else) is related to ol' ZZ. So, no, Xavia is NOT related to ZZ.**

**DigitalEmperor001:**** I hope Magma does...I HOPE SO BADLY! ;A;**

**Blossom:**** Yeah, that chapter did have some funniness in it. But, if you do die, we will all remember you. (PARTY AT BLOSSOM'S PLACE! :D)**

**Adam S:**** Oh. Magma got confused...But don't worry. The people in the State of Confusion know them. And yes, it seems that Xavia has a pretty wacked out family...(PLEASE don't tell her I said that!)**

**mysterydude123:**** Of course! Magma answers all the reviews in the bottom AN! :D**

**Ben:**** Yeah...It makes me wanna run all the way home to my parents and tell them I love them...*sniff* But, Magma hates the blocks as well. MAGMA, KILL THEM! KILL THEM WITH FIRE! And I know. I WILL BEG FOR ROSIE TO COME BACK! I mean, we all know that Magma's heartless but...uh...yeah. I honestly don't know. ^^;**

**Taylor:**** *gasp* Real-**

**Me: *knocks Red out of chair* THIS BE MAH SPOT!**

**Taylor:**** Really?! NO WAY! *happy dance***

**Red and team: ...**

**Flamethrower: Magma Does not own Fossil Fighters, or Fossil Fighter Champions!**

**Cloud Cover: But if they did...oh boy. They would make it a WHOLE lot crazier...**

**Me: LEAVES REVEIW! *puts on armor, grabs sword and shield, and charges towards a castle* LEEEEEEEROOOOOOOY JEEEEEEEEENKIIIIIIIIINS!**


	61. An Old Friend

**AN-Okay, I am going to get this chapa up SOON! I PROMISE IT!**

**Red: Disclaimer: Magma does not own FF, or FFC.**

**Me: And, something Red has been wondering for a long time will finally be answered in the chapa...**

**Red: Wait, REALLY?! ONWARDS!**

**Me: *rage face* THAT'S MY LINE!**

**Red: GYAH! *runs away***

**Me: HOI...He'll fight BB Bandits, Aliens, and an Ancient Skull Sorcerer, but he'll run away from me...**

* * *

><p>Chapter Sixty-One- An Old Friend<p>

I stir at the noise of a tekking sound. Like the sound of someone typing on a computer keyboard. I open my eyes, and blink a couple of times, then look at the clock. It's after three in the morning. I push myself up, taking a deep breath through my nose, and lean forward to look out the half dome over my bed. Standing on the top of the desk, typing on the computer keyboard, is Flamethrower. He's the size of a small dog.

"...Flamethrower...?" I ask, half-asleep. He looks at me, his golden eyes glowing in the dark, which isn't as dark as I remember it.

_'Hello Red.' _He tells me. _'Sorry to wake you. I guess I was typing too fast.'_

"It's alright..." I mumble, lying back down. "Just don't..."

...Wait...

"What the WHAT?!" I exclaim, shooting up in bed. I look back at Flamethrower. "What are you doing on the computer at three in the morning?!"

_'Oh, just reading about String Theory and checking the stock market.' _Flamethrower tells me. _'FossilDig Inc. has gone up by 39%. That's pretty good.'_

"THAT'S how you know all this stuff!" I exclaim, it all clicking in my brain. I sometimes thought I heard typing noises in the night while I was on Vivosaur Island. I always figured it was a dream, so I ignored it. "You've been getting up after I've gone to sleep and reading about stuff!"

_'That is correct.' _He tells me casually.

_'How long have YOU guys known about this?!' _I ask my vivosaurs.

_'Hey, we just found out.' _Air Strike tells me, surprise in his voice.

_'Yeah. He never told us.' _Cloud Cover says in agreement.

_'...Aye, aye, AYE!' _I mentally groan. _'And you always said-...Wait...__**SINCE WHEN CAN YOU GUYS SHRINK TO A SMALLER SIZE?!**__' _I ask in bewilderment.

_'Oh, we've always been able to do that.' _Flamethrower tells me.

_'WHY DIDN'T YOU GUYS DIGGIN' TELL ME?!' _I ask.

_'You never asked.' _Air Strike tells me.

"..." I sit there, then fall back, my head landing right on the pillow. _Why must my world make no SENSE? _I ask myself. I lie there, and eventually fall back asleep. I wake up at about seven, and get up. I get dressed, then go down to the kitchen, and make some breakfast of some French Pastries. Todd comes down stairs into the kitchen, sniffing the air. He sees the pastries, and jumps right into his chair.

"Those smell yummy Red!" He tells me as I put a plate with two pastries on it in front of him.

"Thanks." I tell him with a smile. "My mom had a French cookbook, so I learned some dishes. Those two are strawberry cream. I also made blue berry jam, and raspberry syrup ones."

"I MUST TRYZ THEM ALL!" Todd tells me. He gobbles one down, practically having stars for eyes. "SO GOOD..." I smile, sit down in the chair next to him at the counter, and eat a raspberry syrup one. We eat all the pastries, and the phone rings.

"I got it." I tell Todd, sliding out of my chair, pastry in hand. I push the speaker phone button, since the phone is built into the wall. "Yo, Red here."

"Hello Red." Rupert says.

"Wuz up?" I ask, taking at bite out of my pastry.

"Oh, nothing really." Rupert tells me. "I'm just sitting on the patio, enjoying a cup of tea and some pastries with Father, enjoying the morning breeze and sun on my face."

"...Sounds relaxing." I tell him, taking another bite of my pastry. "Me and Todd are just eating some French pasties I whipped up."

"THEIR AWESOME!" Todd says, Rupert being able to hear.

"I guess you'll have to let me taste them sometime." He tells me.

"No prob." I say, finishing my pastry. "So, what'cha call for?"

"Joe called a moment ago and asked if we wished to go digging with him today." Rupert tells me as I lick the syrup from my fingers.

"Sounds good." I tell him. "We'll met you outside of the Caliosteo Museum."

"I shall be there." He tells me. I hang up, me and Todd wash the dishes, then head out. We ride the helicopter over to Cranial Isle, and hop off when it arrives. We look to see Joe standing next to the benches in front of the museum, while Rupert's sitting on one.

"Hey guys!" I call, waving. I run towards them, then do a cartwheel, pushing myself in the air, only to land perfectly in the bench, next to Rupert.

"Since when can you do THAT?!" Todd asks me in bewilderment, running over.

"...I don't know..." I tell him, slight confusion in my voice. "It just...happened..." Todd shrugs.

"Hey guys, digadig!" Pauleen calls as she runs up to us. "So when diga-do we start diga-digging, digadig?"

"As soon as Xavia gets here." Rupert tells her. "She's in the museum chatting with Professor Scatterly."

"We might as well get comfortable." I say. "When they 'chat' they're probably having a historical discussion that lasts for about...oh...long enough for them to have a discussion about it." Joe laughs.

"Ya got that right pard!" He says.

"Hey look!" Todd says pointing. The helocopter used to bring in new fighters comes into view.

"'Nother day, 'nother fighter." Joe says. "That's what mah Pa always told me, 'cept insted'a fighter it was dollar." We all laugh. We calm down after a moment, then we notice Joe's staring at something, nervous.

"Joe, digadig?" Pauleen asks. He keeps staring. Todd waves his hand in front of Joe's face.

"Joe?" He asks.

"Earth to Joe, please respond Joe!" I say tapping the side of his head. He keeps staring. We all turn to look at what he's staring at. My eyes widen, and my shoulders slump some as shock fills me.

_I don't believe it... _I think.

I don't see how anyone COULDN'T stare.

Stepping off the landing pad, is undoubtedly a wingless angel. She has hair that looks like pure, golden sunshine that shines like gold in the midday light and is done into a braid that comes to the middle of her back with bangs that barely cover the top of her green eyes, giving her an innocent, curious look, while her eyes shine and sparkle like the purest and most perfect emeralds that contained stars where in them.

She's wearing a red cowgirl hat with a white band, a pure white short sleeved shirt, red cowgirl vest, a tan backpack, cargo style denim shorts that come down midway between her upper legs, and thick brown hiking boots that have white socks barely peeking out from them. She has a light tan, is very thin with slender arms, legs, and shoulders, a petite figure but has a flat chest, is about five foot ten inches, and has a completely natural completion, giving her thick, long black eyelashes that flutter like a butterflies wings, a beautiful blush that reminds me of an autumn sunset, full, pink, kissable lips, and is probably twenty-four.

She walks so gracefully, that it would make even the most perfect angel in the entire cosmos jealous. She looks around in awe at everything, then stops and looks up at Wildwest Tower. Her eyes contain a childish innocence, giving her a naive look, but she still held back an ocean of knowledge behind her eyes. Yet she still looked sweet and delicate...like a rose carved from stained glass.

I look back at Joe to see him standing there eyes big, stiff, and still nervous, almost jittery even. I look back at the woman, then Joe, then the woman, then back at Joe.

I see it...

But I don't believe it.

_ Joe's in...in...in...in LOVE?!_

...

_'Someone smack me upside the head, I have GOT to be dreaming!' _I think. Cloud Cover mentally smacks me upside the head.

_'Better?' _She asks.

_'Nope.' _I tell her, still looking at Joe. _'He's still in love.'_

_'Well, that woman's an angel...' _Air Strike says. I look back at the woman. He's right. If angels do exist, she would be proof.

"Sorry I'm late y'all!" Xavia says, coming out of the museum. "Me and the Professor got into an interesting debate about the celestial calendars used by the Aztecs, and-" She stops, and me, Todd, Rupert and Pauleen all look at her to see shock on her face, and to see she's looking at the woman. We all look back at the woman.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Rupert asks.

"OH...MY...SCIENCE..." Xavia quietly whispers, shock in her voice. "SARISA!" She suddenly squeals with glee, running straight towards the woman.

_'DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?!' _I ask, bewildered.

_'What do you mean?' _Flamethrower asks.

_'Xavia, rude, cold-shouldered Xavia, just SQUEALED WITH GLEE.' _I tell him. _'SQUEALED. WITH. GLEE.'_

_ '...' _My vivosaurs say nothing. The woman quickly looks at Xavia, and her face brightens, making her face glow like the sun.

"Xavia!" She exclaims, her voice flowing like water and absolutely beautiful. Xavia hugs the woman, lifting her right of the ground, and the woman hugs her back as Xavia jumps around in circles, squealing with glee.

"..." I say nothing. _'Who is she and what has she done with Xavia?' _

"...Is this the same Xavia?" Rupert asks. "I've yet to hear of Xavia...squealing."

"I dunno." Todd says, shrugging.

"Well, it's Joe I'm worried about, digadig." We all look at Joe, who's still watching the woman, and is stiffer than a board, and a blush creeping across his face.

"Well, it's inevitable." Rupert says. We look at him.

"What?" Todd asks.

"Well, let's face it." Rupert says. "Even though Joe is the 'adventurer for life' type, it's inevitable that he would one day meet the woman of his dreams that will completely destroy his view of the world. I doubt he's ever experienced this before, and it completely goes against everything he's done up to this point. So, he's been thrown on a wild ride undoubtedly filled with utter confusion and complete nervousness."

"..." None of us say anything.

"Wow...digadig." Pauleen says. "You sound like a super smart cool guy who keeps to himself, digadig."

"I suppose." Rupert tells her. I look back at Xavia and the woman, to see them excitedly chatting.

"Why didn't you tell me you were visiting?!" Xavia asks her. "I would've made all your favorite foods and everything!" The woman laughs. It's a beautiful laugh, able to rival angel's music.

"Well, because I'm not visiting, I'm moving here." The woman tells her. She doesn't have an accent, but her voice is almost alluring in a way.

"Seriously?!" Xavia exclaims, shock covering her face.

"That's right!" The woman tells her happily.

"YAY!" Xavia squeals, jumping in the air. She then grabs one of the woman's hands in both of her hands. "C'mon Sarisa! You gotta meet my friends! You'll love 'em!" I look at Joe, to see he's still how he was, and I quickly elbow him.

"Ow!" He exclaims, grabbing his arm. He looks at me. "What'cha do that fer?!"

"To snap you out of your trance." I tell him.

"...What?" He asks, confused. I nod towards Xavia and the woman, he looks, and instantly stiffens again.

"Guys, guys, guys!" Xavia says, bringing the woman over. "This is my best friend in the WHOLE world and my college roommate, Doctor Sarisa Ann Eastward!"

"Hello." She tells us. Her voice was sweet. I already like her.

"Are you an angel?" Todd asks, amazement in his voice. Sarisa laughs.

"No, I'm not." She tells him, smiling. "But, if wings did sprout from my back, I would be very surprised."

"Well, you look like one, digadig." Pauleen tells her.

"So do you." Sarisa tells her. Pauleen smiles.

"What kind of doctor are you?" Rupert asks her.

"I'm a medical doctor." Sarisa tells him. "I got my degree from Scientia University, and graduated second."

"Second?" I ask.

"Xavia was first." Sarisa tells me. "I think she deserved it. Being only ten years old, but able to go to the best university in the world on a full scholarship."

"Well, I still think you should've been first." Xavia says, her arms crossed. "After all, you're the smartest person I've ever met."

_'Huh...As smart as she is beautiful...After all, I'm pretty sure Xavia would be, arguably, the smartest person on the face of the Earth...Her telling someone that has to mean they're brilliant.' _I think.

"No, you really did deserve being first." Sarisa tells her. Xavia hugs her, a big smile on her face.

"No, YOU did!" She...giggles...

_...Who IS this?!_

"Isn't she adorable?!" Sarisa asks, hugging Xavia back.

"..." Me, Todd, Rupert and Pauleen all look at each other, then back at them.

"The last time I saw someone call Xavia adorable, she beat them up." Rupert tells Sarisa.

"That's 'cause only Sarisa can call me adorable and go unscathed." Xavia tells him. "But, lemme introduce mah pals!" She points at Rupert. "This is Rupert Regius. His father owns FossilDig Inc."

"Latin." Sarisa says. "Regius meaning royal. Your ancestors fought against Queen Boudicca."

"How does everyone know that?" Rupert asks. Xavia points at Pauleen.

"This is Pauleen." Xavia tells Sarisa. "She's from Vivosaur Island, and her grandfather is the Digadig Chieftain."

"Hello." Sarisa tells her. "I remember going to Vivosaur. It was a lovely island."

"Oh yes, digadig." Pauleen tells her happily. "It's wonderful diga-during the spring, digadig."

"This is Todd Monte." Xavia says, pointing at Todd.

"Hiya!" Todd says happily. "What's your favorite outdoor activity? Mine's climbing!"

"Well, I like climbing trees." Sarisa tells him.

"This is Red Broke." Xavia tells Sarisa, pointing at me. "He's the one who defeated the skull."

"Nice to meet you." I tell her, nodding. "And that skull was the creepiest thing I've ever seen..." I tell her, folding my arms behind my head.

"It would be." Sarisa says. "After all, a person couldn't live as skull since they require oxygen to live, and they can't get it without the lungs sending it into the bloodstream and the heart then pumping the blood...Unless he had a brain, heart, and lung in his cranial cavity...But, then a person also requires energy, which is gotten from digesting food, and the heart can only beat for so long before the muscle wears out, so by definition it was impossible for him to live..."

"..." We all stand there.

"...You ARE smart." I tell her.

"Oh, that's simple stuff." Sarisa tells me with a smile. "I knew that when I was only three!"

"WHA-?!" Me, Todd, Rupert, and Pauleen all exclaim, almost falling over.

"Yup." Xavia says. "She learned how to read before she could talk!"

"ZUH?!" We all exclaim, falling over cartoon style. Sarisa laughs.

"Then of course..." Xavia says as we get up. "we have the owner here, a world famous vivosaur handler and Master Fighter, the big man himself, Joe Wildwest!" Xavia says, point at Joe. Sarisa looks at him, making Joe stiffen even more.

"Nice to meet you." Sarisa says holding her hand out.

"..." Joe just stands there, stiffer than a marble pillar. I again elbow him.

"Ow!" He exclaims. He notices Sarisa's outstretched hand. "Oh, uh...S-sorry!" He quickly shakes it, smiling awkwardly.

"It's alright." Sarisa tells him.

"So, where should I start showing you the islands?" Xavia asks Sarisa. "There's Ribular, this isle, and-" We all hear a ringing, and Xavia pulls out a cell phone. It's black with a red case, has a white atom on the back, is a touch screen, and half the size of my hand. "Yes?" Xavia asks, answering it. "...Oh Hia Parker! Guess who's here!...What?...Oh dear goodness...Alright I'm on my way." She hangs up.

"What's wrong?" Rupert asks her.

"Parker just called about something in the lab malfunctioning." Xavia explains. "He's not the genius I am, so I gotta run over there."

"Need any help?" I ask.

"Sure." Xavia tells us. She looks at Sarisa. "Sorry, I'll show you around as soon-...Hey, wait." She looks at Joe, who's still stiff and watching Sarisa. "Joe, you own this place. Why don't you show her around?" He whips his head to look at Xavia his eyes wide and a light blush on his face.

"What?!" He asks.

"Whelp, we gotta run!" Todd says. "If you see a stone pyramid, don't go in it!" Me, Todd, Rupert, Pauleen and Xavia all bolt for the helicopter before Joe can do anything, and ride it to Ribular Island. We hop off, run down the walk way that leads to the Fighter's Camp, then turn off a path that branches off of it. We run down the walk way, come to Xavia's house, throw open the front gate, run over the bridge, into the house, down the hall, and into the lab.

Everything looks perfectly fine.

"Uh...I'm sorry, but what's th emergency here?" I ask. Xavia turns white, and when the whiteness disappears, her clothes are different. She's now wearing a navy blue shirt, a white lab coat, light blue jeans, and her boots. She goes over to the super computer, types something, opens a sub menu, then another one, types something in, then goes over to a shallow drawer, opens it, and pulls out a...fly?

"What is that?" Rupert asks Xavia. "Could you please explain why you have a dead fly?"

"It's not a fly, it's a camera." She sets it down on a counter, and we watch it. Xavia types something, and the fake fly rises into the air, and out the sliding door which Xavia opens.

"So...what's it for, digadig?" Pauleen. Xavia smiles deviously.

"Amusement." She tells us. She gets up, turns white, then it subsides to show her in her regular outfit. She quickly heads out of the lab, and we follow her down the hallway into the living room. She jumps over the dining table, and lands right on the sofa, picks up the remote, turns on the flat screen, then clicks another button, changing it. In the bottom right corner, is **FLY EYE CAM** in white letters, and Joe and Sarisa are on the screen, Joe showing Sarisa around Cranial Isle, and looking like he's nervous out of his wits.

"You're SPYING?!" Rupert asks Xavia, appalled.

"I prefer to think of it as observing from a distance." Xavia explains. "I want her to acquainted with someone of her age, and one that won't assault her, so I know she and Joe could be good friends."

"So...you brought us why?" I ask.

"Well, I want her to get to know all of us, but it would go faster if there were fewer people so there would be less of a distraction." Xavia explains.

"...While you have a point, I refuse to watch." I tell her.

"No one's making you." She tells me.

A few minutes later...

Me, Todd and Xavia are all sitting on the sofa, while Rupert and Pauleen sit in the chairs. We're all eating popcorn, and watching the TV screen, which is still 'observing' Joe and Sarisa. They're on Ribular Island now, and Joe's taking her to see the Stone Pyramid at her request. But, Joe's still so nervous, I'm surprised he's made it this far.

"C-careful." He tells Sarisa, who's walking along the edge of the trail, which is now going down the decline, a steep slope on the side she's on. "Th' soil here's real loose."

"Don't worry." Sarisa tells him with a smile, making Joe blush. "I know what-" The soil under her foot suddenly gives way. She starts to fall, about to roll down the rocky hillside, when Joe grabs her hand, stopping her.

"..." Neither of them say anything, and Xavia lets out a small sigh of relief. Sarisa looks at Joe's hand which held hers, then at him. Joe just stands there, stiff, and a drop of sweat runs down his jaw.

"U-uh..." His face starts turning red, and he quickly pulls her up.

We all burst out laughing.

"EPIC fail Joe!" Xavia laughs. He accidently pulled her a bit too hard, so their faces are about an inch apart, making Joe's face turn a deeper shade of red. They both just stand there, staring each other in the eye. Sarisa looks at their hands, which are still clasped, then back at Joe.

"Joe?" She asks, her voice quiet.

"...Uh...Y-y-yeah...?" He asks her, nervous.

"You can let go of my hand now." She tells him, her voice at a normal volume.

"Sorry!" Joe exclaims, jumping back, letting go of her hand and his face turning an even deeper shade of red. His cheeks probably sting from the heat.

"It's alright." Sarisa tells him, smiling sweetly. Joe's hat covers his face as he looks down at his feet, rubbing the back of his neck. Sarisa continues down the trail, and Joe quickly hurries to catch up with her.

"Well, it seems our friend, the famous Joe Wildwest, has completely flipped head over heels for Sarisa." Xavia says, stretching her legs out, and folding her arms behind her head.

"Wait...If you beat any boy who comes too close to her half to death, then why did you set this up?" I ask her.

"Because, while most men only flock to her because of her appearance, I know that he will like her for who she is on the inside, her personality." Xavia says coolly. "While I hold complete, unbreakable loyalty to Sarisa, I'm afraid I don't have one for Joe. He's unaware of the fact that he is in love, while Sarisa currently thinks of him as an acquaintance. Therefore, it's interesting and amusing to watch him as he's unable to realize it."

"...So he's almost like a toy." Rupert tells her.

"I wouldn't say that." Xavia tells him. "After all, at one point or another in almost everyone's life, they'll experience the feeling, and depending on the person, the reaction will vary. After all, you could meet 'the one', and flip for them, you could meet them, become friends with them, then fall for them, you could meet them and flip, but not know, or you could meet them, gradually fall for them, but not know. I'm sure there are other ways, but still. Some may not realize it unless pushed, and I believe Joe might be one of those people."

"...So...what you're saying is..." Todd starts. "...that we have to romantically torture Joe until he realizes it?" Xavia half smiles.

"No one's making you guys." She tells him.

A minute later...

"So...what should we do now?" I ask. We're on Cranial Isle, sitting on the benches outside the museum.

"Beats me." Xavia says.

"Hey guys!" We all look to see Sarisa and Joe walk over to us, Joe's hat tipped down to cover his face. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Xavia smile deviously.

"Hey Sarisa!" Xavia calls waving. "Did he give you a nice tour?" Sarisa nods, then looks at Joe.

"Thanks, by the way." She tells him. "For showing me around." Joe stiffens some.

"Uh...A-anytime..." He says, jittery.

_Wow...he's worse than I was. _I think, remembering the utter confusion I went through.

"Hey Joe." Xavia says, he looks at her, she jumps at him, snatching his hat right off his head, doing a roll as she hits the ground, to come right up on her feet and take off running.

"H-hey!" Joe yells, running after her. "Gimme back my hat!" Sarisa laughs, her hands over her mouth.

"What's so funny?" Todd asks her.

"I somehow expected Xavia to do that." She tells him. "She'll give it back, though. She just wants to have fun." She looks in the direction they ran. "It makes me happy to see her smiling and laughing. Not too many people have shown her kindness in the time she's been alive, so I'm glad she met y'all." She looks at all of us, smiling. "So, thank you. I was worried that she wouldn't be able to make any friends, but now that I know that she's met you guys, I'm as worried about her." She looks back at where they ran off. "There are still...other things...that make me worry about her, but...there's nothing I can do about it. Even though we're closer than sisters, I know we haven't told each other all of our secrets. But, some things are best staying secrets I guess."

"You really care about her." Rupert says. Sarisa nods.

"I want her to be happy." She says. "I'm aware of her ancestor, the rebel leader who over threw Zongazonga...Xavia had her journal, and the rebel leader had a self portrait of them self in it. Xavia's the spitting image of them. When I heard that he had taken Rupert's body, and began to regain his powers, I was worried he would come for Xavia..."

"He probably would've." I say bitterly. Sarisa looks at me. "I saw the rebel leaders memories...somehow...but, I can tell that ZZ felt something he shouldn't for the rebel leader. So I don't exactly blame her."

"Well, there's two things I'm worried about." Sarisa tells me. "That's one of them. Despite the fact that she says she's ugly, even though she's not, I'm worried. I doubt she'll want a man because of an incident and Zongazonga, but I still think that she shouldn't think she's ugly when she's not."

"Well, she's beautiful and shouldn't thing so lowly of herself." Rupert says. We all look at him, and he realizes what he just said. His face turns red, and he looks down at his feet.

"Well aren't you a gentleman?" Sarisa asks him.

"What was the incident you mentioned, digadig?" Pauleen asks.

"It..." Sarisa looks down. "When I met her...or found her more like it...she was in a pool of some kind of black substance. I took her to the hospital, and they were unable to identify it. But whatever it was, it...well...She's mentally unstable."

"What?!" We all exclaim, shocked.

"She...but..." Rupert says, sorrow in his voice.

"I know she seems normal, but...her brain has blockages in it." Sarisa tells us. "It's one of the reasons why she's a tomboy and so independent. Because of the blockages, she can only respond to what is required for survival. For example, you could offer her make up or a pocket knife, and she would take the knife instead. She sees anything that doesn't contribute to survival unneeded, and a waste of time. They aren't as strong as they were, so she's not as centered on bare needs, but there's no way her mind will ever fully recover...She can't even sleep."

"Insomnia?" Rupert asks.

"No." Sarisa tells him. "Nightmares. She has an excellent mind's eye, and she only goes into a nightmare fevered doze at night...whatever she dreams, I know from when we share a dorm room, must be worse than anything, real or imaginary."

"..." We all say nothing.

"...Wow..." I say. "So...just...wow. I knew Xavia must've had a mental issue, but...I didn't know that it was that bad."

"She won't be mad at you for telling us this stuff, right?" Rupert asks.

"No, she doesn't get mad at me." Sarisa tells us. We all look at her with surprise.

"Why?" Todd asks. Sarisa shrugs.

"I don't know." She tells us. "I believe it has something to do with our friendship, but still."

"Sarisa!" We all hear Xavia squeal. She runs up to Sarisa, and hugs her, Joe and his hat nowhere in sight.

"Uh, where's Joe?" Todd asks as Sarisa hugs Xavia back, smiling.

"Oh, he'll be here in a second." Xavia tells us. We than all hear a yell, and look to see Joe run straight across the square. He's practically running for his life, since he's being chased by a bunch of rouge women. Xavia bursts out laughing at the sight, Sarisa puts her hands over her mouth and laughs, while the rest of us laugh.

"What did you do?!" I laugh.

"I sprayed him a cologne!" Xavia laughs. "It's guaranteed to attract women since it smells like money!" We all laugh at this even harder.

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE AND LAUGH!" Joe yells as he runs back across the square. "HELP ME!" He trips, falls down, and the women jump him. He yells as they swarm him, and we just laugh harder. We stand there, laughing, while Joe continuously tries to free himself, only to be dragged back into the crowd.

A few minutes later...

"Don't you think it was a bit cruel leaving Joe there without helping?" I ask. We're in the Fighter Station, sitting on the sofas.

"Nah, he'll be fine." Xavia says.

"Oh really?" We all turn our heads to see Joe standing there, an unamused look on his face, which is streaked with lipstick, his hat is oddly intact, while his bandana is missing, along with the collar of his vest and coat, the sleeves of his coat are torn, he's missing one of his boots, his vest is torn, and his brown, short sleeved shirt is torn on the side, while he holds his pick in his hand.

"Who has a grumpy face?" Xavia asks happily. Joe hangs his head, letting out a miserable grunt.

"I'm goin' to my suite..." He tells us, dragging himself over to the stairs to go up the elevator.

"Poor guy." I say, remembering my first fan girl attack.

"Oh he's fine." Xavia tells me. I look at her flatly. "C'mon Sarisa!" Xavia says, taking her hand. "Lemme show my house!"

"Alright." Sarisa says, Xavia pulling her up.

"C'mon Pauleen! We all have some girl time together!"

"Diga!" Pauleen says happily, the three of them running out of the Fighter Station.

"..." Me, Todd, and Rupert all sit there.

"Well, while they're doing that, what should we do?" Rupert asks.

"I dunno." Todd says.

"We could do something boyish or something I guess." I suggest.

"While I'm thinking about it," Rupert says. "would both of you like to come over to my home tomorrow night for a sleepover?"

"Yeah dawg!" I say excitedly.

"Yea!" Todd says, jumping in the air.

"Wait, is your dad okay with it?" I ask him.

"Father is away on a short trip." Rupert tells us. "The company is developing electronics for Fighters. They're light weight, durable, and have a very long battery life. Speaking of which..." He takes out two cell phones from his pocket, and holds them out to us. "These are for you two." We take them. They're touch screens, are black, about half the size of my hand, and mine has a blue case with a Giga Spinax on the back, but it's dark gray with deep blue crystals, and Todd's case is green with a Stego, and both of them have **FD **on the back, with a circle around the letters.

"Thanks man!" I tell him.

"Yeah! These are awesome!" Todd says, admiring his.

"Thank you." Rupert tells us, smiling a small smile. "The new electronic releases did make our stock go up 39%. But back to the topic, Father won't return until the day after tomorrow, so he won't be there, and my aunts went with him since they're engineers, and the developers are trying to redesign a new product."

"Well, it's gonna be a fun night." I tell him, folding my arms behind my head.

"So, are we gonna be the only ones?" Todd asks.

"No, I've already asked Joe and he's agreed, and I thought we could invite Kaze." Rupert tells us.

"What about me?" We all turn our heads to see Kaze walking over to us. He hops over the back of the sofa me and Todd are on, and lands sitting down on it.

"I was wondering if you wanted to come to a sleep over I'm having at my home tomorrow night." Rupert tells him.

"Sounds like fun." Kaze says, half smiling.

"Hey." We all hear someone say.

"GYAH!" Kaze exclaims, falling off the sofa and right on his face.

_Ow. _

"Like, are you alright?" Lola asks, looking down at him.

"I must say, that was a real fail right there." Cole says.

"I-I'm fine." Kaze says, pushing himself up. Lester pulls him right onto his feet, then claps him on the back.

"Good to hear." He tells Kaze.

"Well, long time no see guys." I tell then. Lester laughs his deep laugh.

"Ain't that the truth?" He asks.

"We've been working at the BB Brigade Base." Cole tells us. "Joe's had it made into an attraction, and we work there with the other BB Brigade members."

"Cool." I say. The phone in my hand suddenly starts ringing, and I look at the screen to see Xavia sent me a message. "Hey, Xavia just sent me a message with a video attached."

"WHAT?!" Rupert exclaims. "Why would she send you one and not me?!"

"..." We all sit there, not saying anything in an awkward silence.

_'Jealous much?' _Air Strike asks. I ignore the comment, and open the message.

**Red,**

** Since I am a techno-genius, Terry asked me if I would help test the firewall for the C.N.S., (Caliosteo Network System) so I did, and I got through like it wasn't there. :D (show off, I know) And, I found some security footage from a camera in Joe's Office from when ZZ was posing as him. Me, Sarisa and Pauleen almost died laughing. XD So, I thought you guys might wanna see it. **

** ENJOY!**

**-Xavia**

**P.S. Please remember, this is ZZ, not Joe.**

"She set a video of something ZZ did while he was posing as Joe." I say. "It almost made her, Sarisa and Pauleen die laughing."

"Well, let's see it!" Rupert says, still ticked. They all crowd around me, and I play the video.

It shows Zongazonga sitting in the desk chair, while Terry stands in front of the desk, giving him a report. I can tell it's ZZ from his eyes. "All right. When you get the chance, tell the Fighter who saved the girls I wish to speak to them." ZZ tells Terry.

"Will do Joe." Terry tells him. He leaves, and Zongazonga sits back, sighing.

"That cursed skull..." He mutters. "The last thing I need is someone trying to stop me..." He sits there for a second, then opens one of the desk drawers, and pulls out a small devise, and pushes a button, causing music to start playing.

_What is he doing? _

The music keeps playing, ZZ jumps onto the top of the desk, and tips Joe's hat.

"Young man!" He sings along with the song.

"There's no need to feel down...

I said, young man!

Pick yourself off the ground!

I said, young man!

'Cause you're in a new town!

There's no need to be unhappy!

Young man!

There's a place you can go!

I said, young man!

When you're short on your dough!

You can, stay there!

And I'm sure you fill find many way to have, a, good, time!" He jumps down off the desk, jumps around, and we keep laughing our heads off.

"It's fun to stay that the Y-M-C-A!" He sings, forming the letters with his arms.

"It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A!

They have everything for you men to enjoy,

You can hang out with all the boys...

It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A!

It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A!

You can get yourself cleaned,

You can have a good meal,

You can do whatever you feel!

Young man!

Are you listening to me?

I said, young man!

What do you want to be?

I said, young man!

You can make real your dreams!

But you got to know this one thing!

No man!

Does it all by himself!

I said, young man!

Put your pride on the shelf!

And just go there!

To the Y.M.C.A.!

I'm sure they can help you today!

It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A!

It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A!

They have everything for you men to enjoy,

You can hang out with all the boys...

It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A!

It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A!

You can get yourself cleaned,

You can have a good meal,

You can do whatever you feel!

Young man!

I was once in your shoes!

I said, I was down and out with the blues!

I felt, no man!

Cared if I were alive!

I felt the whole world was so tight!

That's when someone came up to me!

And said, young man!

Take a walk up the street!

There's a, place there!

Called the Y.M.C.A.!

They can start you back on your way!

It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A!

It's fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A!

They have everything for you men to enjoy,

You can hang out with all the boys...

Y-M-C-A...You'll find it at the Y-M-C-A!

Young man, young man!

There's no need to feel down!

Young man, young man!

Get yourself off the ground!

Y-M-C-A...You'll find it at the Y-M-C-A!

Young man, young man!

There's no need to feel down!

Young man, young man!

Get yourself off the ground!

Y-M-C-A...You'll find it at the Y-M-C-A!

Young man, young man!

Are you listening to me?

Young man, young what do you wanna be?"

He keeps going, while me, Todd, Rupert, Kaze, Cole, Lester, and Lola laugh so hard to the point where we're rolling around on the floor, holding our sides and people are watching us like we're crazy.

_I must say! I never thought ol' ZZ could make a person laugh like this!_

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Let's face it people, who else can imagine ZZ doing that? I know I can.<strong>

**Red: *still laughing***

**Magma: Something tells me he's not gonna stop anytime soon...**

**Tabithia6000:**** I'll try it. :)**

**Greywing44:**** Oh yes it is...*evil grin* YES IT IS...but, I don't think our comrades are gonna be happy with us...^^;**

**Gunsandgames:**** Yup! Just thought I mix it up some. :D**

**Ninja of Night:**** Hm. Guess so.**

**Dragon girl Mew:**** YES! I love making my readers laugh, and I'm pretty sure that's what the puppy thought. XD**

**Guest:**** ...What's a Slender Man?!**

**Magma: But, if you guys don't mind, I got questions!**

**1. What other possible pet names could there be for Rupert?**

**2. With what Xavia has already put Joe through, what else could you see her doing to the poor guy?**

**TELL ME! ...in reviews!**


	62. Whispers in the Night

**AN-WE'RE BAAAAAaaaaaCK!**

**Red: Yes. Yes we are.**

**Magma: Disclaimer: I do not own Fossil Fighters, Fossil Fighter Champions, or Kaze. Kaze belongs to Grey Wing.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Sixty-Two-Whispers in the Night<p>

After we all manage to stop laughing, Joe comes down, changed and he had washed off his face. We show him the video, and I'm surprised that he hasn't died of laughter yet. Cole, Lester and Lola all head back to the BB Brigade Base, Kaze goes to clean some fossils while me, Todd, Rupert and a still chuckling Joe walk out to Dusty Dunes for some digging. We dig until noon, then Joe invites us to have lunch with him. We go back the Fighter Station, Ride up the elevator to Joe's office, then go up the stairs into the kitchen.

_It's just like how I remember it. _I think. _When I was running from the Staff Leaders when Zongazonga told them to take them to me, even if they had to drag me to him, kicking and punching. Ah...The good ol' days...OH who am I kidding? The good old days was when I was on Vivosaur...I...I'm not just that hyper, love-struck kid anymore...I've grown. I...I prematurely matured. I'm like a mini-adult now._

"Nice kitchen Joe." Todd says, looking around.

"Thanks small fry." Joe tells him, smiling. "But, I ain't much of a cook. I practically live off of canned goods, steak, mashed potatoes and salad."

"Then let me make you a real meal Joe!" I tell him happily. _It scares me some to think about it, me getting so mature so fast. _I think, getting some food from the fridge. _Before I ran away, I was dependant on my mom and dad rather than myself. _I dice some meat and slice some vegetables. _After all, now I could take care of them...It's probably not that bad though. After all, if I had to go back home, I would still be on my own one day, so...no...I...My parents... _I can't help but think back to the night I ran away...

"James?" My mom said. She was wearing her pajamas, a white shirt, long blue pajama bottoms, and a lavender night robe. My dad looked at her. They were in the living room, my dad was sitting on the sofa, reading a book. My mom sat down next to him, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"What's wrong?" He asked her.

"I'm worried..." She told him. "about Red." I was standing in the hallway, wearing my navy blue, button up pajamas with long sleeves, and my navy blue slippers on my feet, leaning against the wall.

"I know." My dad sighed. "He's...been acting different for a while now. He's been distant and quiet...always doing something..." A tear ran down my face. "I feel like he's keeping something from us." I heard my mom sniff.

"It's like he's already become independent...like he doesn't need us..." She said, her voice shaking. "When we got the news we were going to be parents, I knew that he would be on his own one day, not needing us to look after him, but...I didn't know it would come so soon...I looked forward to watching him grow as a child and teenager..."

"..." I stood there, tears streaming down my face. I took a deep breath, and walked into the archway to the living room. My parents saw me, my bangs covering my eyes, and tears streaming down my face. I ran to them and hugged them as tightly as I could. "I'm sorry." I silently said, my parents hugging me back. "I didn't mean for you to think that. I still need you mom and dad..." They hugged me tighter. "I know that you guys want to watch me grow and mature...I love both of you, and you're the best parents I could ever ask for." We all sat there, hugging, my parents not knowing this would be the last time they saw me for who knows how long. They both kissed my forehead.

"We love you Red." My mom told me. "Don't you ever doubt that." I nodded.

"No matter what happens," My dad said to me. "we'll always, always love you, and be proud of you. You're the best son anyone on this world could ask for...You're going to do great things, even if you're independent of us or not." I nodded again. Rex came in, and rested his head on a cushion, then softly whined. He knew I would be leaving.

"Sweet dreams, my sweet little boy." My mom told me, kissing my forehead. I nodded, slipped down to the floor, and slowly walked into the hallway, up the stairs, and to my room. I shut the door after Rex came in after me, slumped against it, then slid down to the floor. I curled up into a ball, hugging my legs, my eyes against my knees and silently cried. Rex came over and laid down next to me, sad.

_I'm sorry..._ I thought. _I'm so, so, so, so sorry..._

"Looks good, Red!" I hear Todd's voice say, snapping me out of it. I look at the dish I prepared, only to cause pain inside of me. I made a cream soup my mom taught me. It was my mom's and dad's favorite dish. My hands tremble some, I hang my head a bit, allowing my bangs to cover my eyes, and a tear streams down my face.

"Ya alright pard?" Joe asks me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"..." I turn to leave. "I...I'm not hungry."

"Why?" Rupert asks. I stop.

"...That...That's my parents favorite dish." I tell him. "I would make it for them sometimes. They loved it when I did." I walk down the stairwell half way, then just sit down on a step, my knees together, my forehead against them, and my arms around my head. I just sit there, tears streaming down from my eyes. I just want to go...somewhere. A place where I can forget all of the bad stuff. I just want to curl up into a tight ball and stay there.

"Red...?" I hear Todd's voice ask. I just sit there. I feel him hug me. "I know your parents love you, and that you love them. You'll get to see them soon. I know you will. You can't let something from the past bother you, or you can't enjoy the present...okay?"

"...Thanks..." I whimper, pressing my forehead against his shoulder. Tears keep streaming from my eyes though. We sit there for a bit before I sit up. I take a shaky breath. I can still feel guilt and sadness pressing against my mind.

_'Red...' _Cloud Cover says softly. I feel them wrap a blanket around my mind, blocking out the sadness and replacing it with a fuzzy warmth.

_'...Th...Thanks...' _I sit there a moment longer, then we both get up, and go back up the stairs into Joe's kitchen.

"Ya alright?" Joe asks me.

"Yes sir." I tell him. "I just wish I could visit my parents...The only problem is that they're always busy."

"I know how you feel." Rupert tells me. "But don't worry. I know everything will work out."

"Thanks..." I tell them, smiling faintly. "...Now I'm hungry." They laugh some.

"Well, lunch is on th' table!" Joe tells me happily. I smile, sit down in a chair, pick up my spoon, and we all start eating, enjoying the soup.

A few minutes later...

"Nice place, you got here Joe." I say, looking around the living room. It has a large window on the wall, a door on the left and right wall, the archway going into the kitchen, while the walls are white and the carpet is navy. There's a TV on the wall, a three person, white sofa under the window facing it, a coffee table in front of the sofa, and two white chairs angled towards the TV. I look at some pictures on the shelves. One of them is a picture of Joe when he was about six or seven. He has his hat on his head, his bandana around his neck, a brown coat, white shirt, black overalls, and his boots. He's smiling, to show the tooth next to his front left tooth is missing, and the permanent one about to come in.

I look at the next one to see Joe when he was little, and another boy about two years older than him. He has brown hair and green eyes, a tan cowboy shirt, blue jeans, black chaps, an off white cowboy hat, and cowboy boots. Joe's pointing and laughing at him, while the boy managed to get himself tangled up in a lasso.

"Hey, who's this Joe?" I ask. Joe looks at the picture I'm point at.

"Oh. That's Jack." He tells me. "He's my somewhat dimwitted and obnoxious older brother."

"Ah..." I say. Todd and Rupert look at the picture.

"You and him share some resemblance." Rupert says.

"I guess." Joe says. "We're opposites though. Never did get along." We look at the next picture, which is of Joe and two other boys. One of them has blonde hair and blue eyes, a sandy cowboy hat, a long sleeved denim shirt, leather vest, red bandana around his neck, blue jeans, black belt, and light brown cowboy boots. The other boy has dark tan skin, black hair, dark brown eyes, a sandy colored sombrero, off-white short sleeved shirt, a light orange, brown and tan poncho, black pants, and black boots.

"Who're they?" Todd asks.

"My best friends." Joe tells us with a smile. "Sam, the one with the red bandana, and Pablo with the sombrero. Sam was the quiet, scheming one, and Pablo had more energy than he could use. He was always excited, ran around like a manic, and had those not-too-bright moments."

We look at the next one, which is one of those where you can go into those booths and have a series of photos taken, and they're all about twelve, Joe now having black pants and his vest. The first one has Sam posing as The Thinker, Pablo doing the "Fire Power" poise, and Joe looking like he's riding a bull. The second one has all of them making faces, the third one having Pablo sweeping his arms out, Joe ducking down to avoid getting hit, but Sam getting smacked upside the head. The forth one having Sam smack Pablo back, and the fifth all of them fighting, and the last one with their arms around each other's shoulders, smiling.

We look at the last one, which has a man and a woman in it. The woman has brown hair in a bun and light blue eyes, a blue dress and white sweater that stops at her elbows and the bottom of her ribcage. The man has strawberry blonde hair and green eyes, and is wearing a nice suit.

"I'm guessing these are your parents." I say.

"Yup." Joe says happily. "M' Ma and Pa, Charles and Maple."

"..." I stand there for a second, then look at Joe. "Your mother wouldn't happen to make sweet pecan pies, would she?"

"They're th' best I've ever had." Joe tells me, smiling. "Why?"

"..." I blink. "You...wouldn't just happen to have a cousin with black hair and side burns named Rockin' Billy, would you?"

"Yeah, actually." Joe tells me. "I haven't heard from 'em in a while though. Wonder what he's doin'."

"..." I stand there awkwardly. "Uh...I...heard he...got into managing." _Managing to hire two guys to take fossils for him._

"Really?" Joe asks.

"Yes sir." I tell him. "He has a big house with a big yard, and a really good security system..."

"..." Joe just stands there. "He's in prison, ain't he?" He asks flatly.

"Yep." I tell him. "He got arrested for trying to scare away Fighters and taking rare fossils for himself."

"...I ain't surprised fer some reason." Joe tells me. We laugh.

A few minutes later...

"So, y'all like the gondolas?" Joe asks. We're at Rainbow Canyon, digging.

"They're very easy to operate." I tell him.

"Joe!" We hear someone call. Xavia appears from out of nowhere, and jumps on Joe's back.

"What th'-?!" He looks over his shoulder at her.

"Hi." She says. She jumps to the ground, grabs his wrist, then runs in circles around him extraordinarily fast, making him spin around. Me, Todd, and Rupert laugh some, Xavia lets go of Joe's wrist and stops running, while Joe spins around some, then slowly stops, dizzy.

"Why exactly did you do that?" Rupert asks.

"Hey guys!" We all hear Sarisa call.

"GAH!" Joe falls over from dizziness, while Sarisa and Pauleen come over.

"What's wrong with Joe, digadig?" Pauleen asks, looking at him, while he tries to push himself up.

"He's dizzy." Xavia tells her happily.

"Why'd you have to make him dizzy Xavia?" Sarisa asks her.

"Why NOT him?" Xavia asks her happily. Sarisa just smiles, and looks at Joe, who's sitting back on one hand and rubbing his forehead with the other.. She goes over, crouches down next to him, pulls his hand away from his face, puts her index finger and thumb over his eyebrows, and pushes down, making Joe squeeze his eyes shut.

"...Why...?" He asks.

"Trust me, this helps." They sit there for a second, Sarisa pulls her hand back, and Joe blinks. "Better?"

"Much..." He tells her, looking away and allowing the brim of his hat to cover his face. Sarisa stands up, Joe pushes himself up, and Xavia looks at us.

"I hope y'all have something to do tomorrow night since we gals are gonna be busy." She tells us.

"Why?" Todd asks.

"Xavia invited Sarisa, Lola and I to a sleepover tomorrow night, digadig." Pauleen tells him.

"That's fine." Rupert says. "We're going to be busy tomorrow night."

"Good, good, good." Xavia says, nodding. "Whelp, now what should we do?"

"Digging." I say.

"Can't." Xavia says.

"Why not?"

"Sarisa doesn't have a pick to use."

"Oh..."

"So, I made her one!"

"...But..."

"Ah, I said she didn't have one, but I never said that I had one for her to use."

"Good point."

"Exactly." Xavia pulls a pick out of her back pack. It has a head that's emerald green and transparent, a red rose on top, a white stick, and a blue handle. She holds it out to Sarisa. "Here you are!" Sarisa takes it, and hugs Xavia.

"You're just the sweetest little person I've ever met, you know?" Sarisa tells her smiling. Xavia hugs her back.

"And you're the sweetest person in the cosmos." Xavia tells her.

"C'mon, digadig!" Pauleen says. "The fossils won't diga-dig themselves, digadig!" Her pick has a dusty red head with feathers on top, a red stick with small white dots, and a green handle with a yellow zigzag running down it.

"Let's go!" Todd says.

A few hours later...

"Good haul today, huh?" I ask Todd. We're at our house in the kitchen, eating some spaghetti I made.

"Yep!" Todd tells me. We finish eating, watch some TV, dance to some music, then go to our rooms. I shut my door, and fall face down on the bed.

_'Been a strange day...' _I think.

_'How so?' _Air Strike asks.

_'I met an angel, Joe flipped head over heels in love, I found out that rude, cold-shouldered Xavia can actually squeal with joy, giggle, and has a second side that strangely reminds me of a small child, I saw ZZ sing and dance, and I found out Joe has an older brother. I always thought he was an only child.'_

_ 'It has been a strange day.' _Cloud Cover says.

_'Well, I believe that a strange day for us is a normal day, and a normal day is a strange day.' _Flamethrower points out.

_'...Good point.' _Me, Air Strike and Cloud Cover say in unison. I push myself up, shower in my giant shower, pull on a clean pair of my navy blue boxers, and jump in bed.

_'Night guys.' _I tell them.

_'G' night.' _Air Strike tells me.

_'Good night Red.' _Cloud Cover tells me.

_'Sleep well.' _Flamethrower tells me. I close my eyes, and drift asleep.

_I'm standing in a field of wildflowers, the sky clear and blue. I turn to see Rosie, and she runs up to me, jumping into my outstretched arms. My arms wrap around her, her arms wrap around my neck, our eyes close, our heads tilt to the side, and-_

"**REEEEEEEEEEEEED!**" Someone yells, jumping on top of me.

"GEEEEYAAAAAH!" I yell. I push them off of me, and we get into a slap fight.

"RED!" They say, my mind recognizing the voice. I get my senses, and actually look at them. Again, the dark isn't as dark as I remember it.

"TODD?!" I exclaim. His helmet sits crooked on his head, he's wearing his short sleeved, light green button-up pajamas with white along the collar and near the end of the sleeves, and light green pajama shorts with white near the end of the pants leg. "DUDE! WHAT THE WHAT?!" I look at the clock, then back at him. "It's two in the morning!"

"I THINK THERE'S A GHOST IN THE HOUSE!" Todd tells me, shaking my shoulders.

"...I'm sorry, what?" I ask.

"I woke up because I thought I hear something, and I realized that the whisper wasn't your voice!" Todd tells me, fear edged into his voice.

"..." I blink. _Wouldn't I of heard it? After all, my hearing is a lot better- _

"Come." I suddenly hear a hallow voice whisper, making my scalp prickle and a shiver run down my spine.

"DID YOU HEAR THAT?!" Todd asks, near hysterics. We tightly hug each other.

"YES, I HEARD IT!" I tell him. "But does...IT...hear us?!"

"..." We both sit there, then look at each other with wide eyes.

"...What did it mean by come?" Todd squeaks, his voice scared.

"I don't know..." I squeak back. "We need to check it though." We separate, I climb off the bed, go over to the desk chair where I hug my back pack from one of its straps, I open it, and pull out a baseball bat. "Let's go." I say nodding towards the door.

_'Wait. How long have you had that?' _Air Strike asks.

_'I bought it on Vivosaur Island.' _I tell him. _'Never know when you might need one.'_ Todd get behind me, and puts his hands on my shoulders. I crack open the door, and peek out, seeing nothing in the hallway. I open the door all the way, step out into the hallway, Todd right behind me. We slowly walk over to the stairs, I step down one, and it creaks, making us jump back and yell.

"...Wow I can't believe us." I say.

"I know." Todd says shamefully. "Jumping at a tiny creak from a stair." I step down again, making it creak, then the next one which squeaks.

"Do you think the ghost did this?" I whisper. "After all, this is a new house and these stairs haven't made these noises.

"You're probably right." I step down to the third one, which makes no noise. We go down the rest, which don't make a sound.

"So, you surviving?" Something asks. Todd suddenly jumps into my arms, and we yell with fear.

"Eh, it could be worse." Something else says.

"...It wasn't talking to US?!" Todd exclaims.

"Todd?" I ask. He looks at me.

"Oh...Sorry." I put him down, and tighten my grip on the baseball bat.

"How?" Something asks. Todd hugs me, and we both stiffen.

"I dunno. It just could be somehow." Something says. We both peek around the corner into the kitchen.

It takes all my nerves to not runaway yelling like a maniac.

There, in the kitchen, is five ghosts.

Five.

Ghosts.

"DUUUUUUUDE..." Todd squeaks. I can tell he felt the same way about running.

"I know..." I squeak back. All the ghosts are transparent, are wearing sherbet green vests tied at their side, dusty red shirts with collars that stick out from their vests and sleeves that stop at the middle of their upper arms, dark ice blue belts and pants with the pants legs tucked into their black boots, and black gloves on their hands. There's three men, and two women, the men having their hair in wolf knots and the women having theirs in ponytails.

The man standing up, holding an invisible object in his hands, which must be a tray, has blonde hair and glow brown eyes. One of the men sitting down has black hair and glowing silver-grey eyes, silver freckles dusted across his face, and the other man, also sitting down, has fiery red hair and glowing lighting blue eyes, giving him an eerie look. Both of the women are sitting down, one of them having blonde hair with her bangs covering her forehead and glowing light blue eyes. The other woman, has brown hair with her bangs covering the complete upper left side of her face, including her eye, and glowing brown eyes. While the others have either relaxed or small smiles on their faces, she has a somber look.

"He could...Aye, I don't know how it could be worse, having to put up with that stuck-up, man-dog." The man with the invisible tray says, putting on an invisible surface which must be a table. The others laugh, while the woman with brown hair sits silently, faintly smiling.

"He could blast you with fire or-" The woman with blonde hair smacks the man with fiery red hair upside the head, cutting him off, and the others fall silent, their smiles vanishing.

"Think about what you're about to say!" The blonde hair woman hisses at him. The other two ghosts look at the brown haired woman, which has a tear stream down her face from her right eye.

"I-I'm sorry!" The fire-haired man says. "He could...shoot you lightning?"

"..." Everyone sits silent, and the man with black hair hugs the brown haired woman.

"It's okay..." He tells her, stroking her ponytail. She cries, not making a single noise.

"...What's wrong with me?" The man with fiery hair asks.

"You forgot about..." The man with blonde hair starts. "...You know." He sighs. "But...you know...I...I feel a bit...of hope." The others look at him, shock on their faces.

"Are you crazy?!" The fiery haired man says. "There..."He sighs sadly. "...There IS no hope...The king is here to stay..."

"No." The blonde hair man says. "He's not. Pipsqueak, she...SHE'S giving me hope. She's not afraid of the king! She stands up to him! She's but a small child, yet she says her mind to him, with no regret or fear! She's why I have hope! She gives ME bravery to stand up to the king! If everyone would just push the idea that we're hopeless out of their head, and watched her, they would see that we're not! If we were like Pipsqueak, then we could overthrow the king! We could bring a golden age! Everyone for the last one hundred thirty years has said it's impossible, but it's not! Pipsqueak can do it, so why can't we? We have reasons to fight!" He looks at the black haired man and brown haired woman. "Isaac, you know that Zongazonga tried to kill you mother with that toxin! Jennifer, he killed your father and hurt you in the process!" He looks at the fire-haired man. "And remember what he did to your father?! Isn't that worth fighting against him for?! Shouldn't he pay for his crimes?! If I'm wrong, then tell me!"

"..." None of them say anything for a second.

"...You are..." The blonde hair woman says. They all look at her. She raises and invisible glass, and stands up. "in all the right ways."

"Yeah!" The fiery haired man says, standing and raising his glass as well. The other two, Isaac and Jennifer stand and raise their glasses as well.

"So raise your glass if you are wrong!" Isaac says.

"In all the right ways!" The blonde haired man says, standing and raising his glass. They clink them all together, big smiles on determination on their faces. They drink from their glasses, and the blonde haired man turns to leave.

"Were you going, big brother?" The blonde haired woman asks.

"To the castle." He tells her. "I need to speak with Pipsqueak." He sighs. "Honestly, ONE more attempt on her from the king, and I'm taking her from that place to stay with me."

"JACOB!" I suddenly say. They all suddenly blink and look around.

"WHAT THE-?!" Isaac exclaims, looking around. "What happened to your house?!"

"I-" Jacob suddenly looks at me and Todd, then jumps back and yells. "GYYYYAAAAH! When did YOU TWO get here?!" The other four look at us, shock covering their faces. The two women then suddenly look away from us.

"We live here!" I tell him. "We just bought this house! Who-"

"Um, excuse me?" The man with fiery hair asks, cutting me off. Me and Todd look at him. "But...could you please...put some trousers on?"

I suddenly remember I'm only wearing my boxers.

I dash up the stairs, my face growing hot, go into my room, throw on one of my suits, and whip my hair back and forth, making it go from a mop head hair style to stand on end in its usual style. I put my goggles on, and go back down stairs.

_Dino, and there were women in the room too! _I think, my face still flustered.

A minute later...

Me and Todd are sitting on two of the stools, turned to look at the five ghosts, which just stand. "So...Your house used to be here?" I ask Jacob.

"That's right." He tells me, nodding. "But I must say, your home is much nicer than mine. I might of been the king's top advisor, but I still get paid the same of the mine workers while the king hogs all the wealth."

"Aye." The blonde haired woman says. "I'm Wendy, Jacob's twin sister. But, my hair is bleach blonde and my eyes are blue while he has blonde hair and brown eyes."

"I'm Andrew." The man with fiery hair says. "I work in the quarry over on Cranial." Me and Todd nod.

"Ya know, for ghosts, you guys aren't half bad." I tell them.

"Thank you." Isaac says.

"What did Zongazonga do to your parents?" Todd asks.

"..." They all stand there, silent. Andrew steps forward.

"...He..." He takes a deep breath. "...He sent my father to the Realm." The two other men shiver at the word "Realm".

"What's that?" Todd asks.

"A terrible place." Jacob tells us. "He sends people there. It's wonderful at first...then turns against you."

"My father was sent there, because the king wanted him gone." Andrew says. "I wasn't born, yet, but when the king discovered my mother and father had married, he was furious. My mother was a servant in the castle, and she disliked the king. My father worked in the quarry, and was sent to give the king a message from the Overseer. He and my mother met, and they grew to like each other...You undoubtedly can figure out the rest, but the Realm...My father returned from it, his skin white and his eyes terrified. My mother didn't leave him though. She stayed with him, and I was born with my lightning blue eyes. My father was terrified of lightning, but, nevertheless, he overcame his fear of it, and loved me. Had he not been sent to the Realm, my eyes would be normal colored."

"Wow..." I say. Each time he mentioned "The Realm" The air seemed to grow cold for a second. Isaac steps forward.

"My mother was poisoned by the king." He tells us. "My parents were also married in secret, so my mother refused the king when he wished to have an affair with her. He grew angry, and order to have her poisoned. She feel ill, but my father kept her alive. She mainly slept, and the poison didn't kill her, but it did affect me. It had moonstone it, so it made my gray eyes silver-grey, and my freckles silver."

"..." Jennifer says nothing.

"But she had it the worst." Wendy tells us. "Her father had hope with some others. They were rioting, and she ran out to find her father...The king showed up. He set the revolt ablaze, killing all of them, and hurting Jennifer. She hasn't said one word since her father death."

"..." Me and Todd both look at her, tears streaming from her right eye. Isaac carefully puts his hand on the left side of her face, and brushes her bangs aside. It was a tender, gently motion.

Me and Todd gasp with horror.

That part of her face is streaked red and pink from a terrible burn, but she has her eye closed. She opens it. Her eye is pure white with a black streak going through it. "She's completely bind in this eye." Isaac says. Her eyes squeeze shut, and her mouth quivers. Isaac hugs her, and she buries her face against his chest. Todd hops down, and goes over to her, then tugs on the sleeve of her shirt. She looks at him.

"Even with that scar, I still think you're beautiful." He tells her.

"..." She stands there a second, then smiles a small, sad smile.

"There's something you guys should know." I say. They all look at me. "You see..."

One explanation later...

"..." The five of them stand in disbelief.

"He's...He's really dead?!" Jacob asks, joy lighting up his face.

"Dead as doornail." I tell him.

"..." They all just stand there.

"...That means he's dead."

"Oh." Jacob says.

"We need to tell the others!" Wendy says, jumping in the air.

"Aye!" Isaac says. "Come on Jennifer." He says, taking her hand. The five of them rise into air some, and wave.

"Thanks for killing that tyrant of a king!" Andrew says, a wide smile on his face.

"It's what I do!" I tell him.

"It was nice meeting you guys!" Todd says, waving. The five of them fade away, and disappear. Me and Todd stand there for a second.

"Whelp, they were nice." I say. Todd nods, and we both yawn. "But, back to bed." We go up the stairs, Todd goes to his room while I go to mine, I put away my baseball bat, put the suit away, and jump back in bed, curling up under the soft, warm blankets into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-WHOO! Didn't you guys ever wonder who the other five people carved into the walls in the Guardian chamber were?<strong>

**Red: I know I did.**

**Magma: Of course you did.**

**DigitalEmperor001:**** She could do it. XD Don't ask how, Xavia is not the person you want to trifle with...Physically, Emotionally, or Mentally.**

**Blossom:**** I know. XD I was sitting there, doing absolutely NOTHING, and it came to me. I then laughed.**

**corinster2:**** Well, everyone, even horrible wizard people, will have their stupid-weird-funny moment.**

**Tabithia6000:**** She would find away to do it.**

**mysterydude123:**** YUP! It came to me, and I thought: YES...I SHALL ENJOY THIS! MWA, HAHHAHAHHAHAHAAAAAA!**

**Tacogirl456:**** YAY! I'm NOT alone!**

**Ninja of Night:**** I'm pretty sure everyone's view has.**

**Greywing44:**** Thanks! Now, what shall I do for an encore? **

**Adam S:**** They're gonna be busy tomorrow night...heh heh...**

**Dragon girl Mew:**** YAYZ! CHALLENGE COMPLETE.**

**sniperjun899:**** Xavia could do it. XD She could do just about anything she wanted to. **

**Guest:**** Oh...OH! That rings a bell...I thought they were pedophiles though. But, Red would win. He would just lay down, act like he's asleep, and when it gets close enough, he jumps up and BAM! Breaks its neck!**

**random dude:**** DON'T WORRY. I haz everything planned out.**

**1T1S1T:**** (Your pin name is long) *complete happiness***

**Guest:**** I don't think Joe would be too happy...**

**Well, it looks like Rupert's pet name is officially Little Ru-Ru!**

**Trust me people, tell me anything, even if it's insane. Xavia will find a way to do it.**

**Red: And that concludes this chapter. Up next...Eh, whatever story gets updated next. LEAVE A REVIEW(S)!**


	63. A Normal Day

**AN-*listening to music***

**Red: *bursts into room by kicking down the door* I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!**

**Magma: *falls out of chair* EH?!**

**Red: YOU'RE WRITING A STORY WITHOUT ME IN IT?!**

**Magma:...Uh...Sorta.**

**Red: Whaddaya MEAN SORTA?!**

**Magma: You're not the main character.**

**Red:...OH.**

**Magma: Whelp, time to write!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Sixty-Three-A Normal Day<p>

I wake up at six forty-five, get up, and change into some exercise clothes. I still have my goggles and hair in their usual style, but I'm wearing a white sleeveless shirt with black around the edges, long black exercise pants with two white stripes going down the outside of the legs, and gray boots with black soles and dark gray laces tightly laced up. I go into the workout room, lift some weights, run on the treadmill-bike-step climber thing, do some stretches, then go back in my room, take a quick shower to wash the sweat off of me, then change into my regular clothes.

I go down into the kitchen to see Todd eating a bowl of cereal. I get myself a bowl, eat some cereal, and we head out the door. We walk out to Ribular Town, ride over to Cranial, and sit down outside the museum.

"Good morning." Rupert says. We look to see him walking over. "Are you both excited about tonight?"

"Yeah dawg!" I tell him with a wide smile.

"Yep!" Todd replies, enthusiastic.

"Mornin'..." We hear Joe say. We all look to see a half-asleep Joe walking over to us.

"Wow. You look tired." I tell him, as he plops down on one of the benches.

"What gave it away?" He asks sarcastically.

"Did you get any sleep?" Todd asks. Joe shakes his head.

"Ptera didn't help to much." He tells us.

"How?" Rupert asks.

"..." Joe sits there, then looks off into the distance, as if to have a flash back.

* * *

><p>In Joe's mind...<p>

Joe laid there, in bed, unable to fall asleep, despite the fact that it was two in the morning. He rolled on his side, then on his other side, then on his back with his arms stretched out to the sides, then on his stomach, then back on his back.

_'Why can't I SLEEP?' _He asks. Ptera sleepily yawns.

_'I dunno.' _He tells Joe. _'It could be your mind is full and your stomach's empty.'_

_ 'I ain't hungry.' _Joe tells him.

_'...Hm...' _Ptera says in response. Joe feels Ptera probe his mind. All he could think about was Sarisa, which always made his face red and flustered. _'...Oh...My...Goodness...'_

_ 'What?' _Joe asks. Ptera merely bursts out laughing in response. _'What? What's so funny?!'_

_ 'YOU!' _Ptera laughs.

_'...What?'_

_ 'YOU, Joseph Nicodemus Wildwest, have flipped head over heels, madly in LOVE.'_

_ '__**WHAT?!**__' _Joe exclaims, shooting up in his bed. _'That-! I-! HAVE NOT!'_

_ 'HAVE TOO!'_

_ 'HAVE __**NOT!**__'_

_ 'Deny it all you want, a vivosaur knows if it's Fighter is in love before the Fighter does, and you, ARE IN LOOOOOOOOVE!'_

_ '__**AM NOT!**__'_

_ 'Joe, you're a grown, well mannered man. You're not suppose to lose your temper.'_

_ 'I AM __**NOT**__ LOSIN' MY TEMPER!'_

_ '...Point-blank.'_

_ 'I-!' _Joe sighs. _'I'm not in love! I barely-'_

_ 'You know a lot about her since Xavia set you up to show her around.'_

_ '...Well-! I-! I just met her!'_

_ 'And you flipped for her.'_

_ 'I-! Did not!'_

_ 'YEEEEEEEEEES you did!'_

_ 'Oh, shut up.' _Joe growls, rolling on his side.

_'So you want me to stop talking?' _Ptera asks.

_'YES, I want ya to stop talkin'!' _Joe tells him. _''Specially 'bout her. Then I can stop thinkin' 'bout 'er, an' get some sleep.'_

_ '...So you DON'T want me to talk about Sarisa?' _Ptera asks.

_'YES, I don't want ya talkin' 'bout 'er.' _Joe tells Ptera, who sighs.

_'Oh well...' _Ptera sighs._ 'I guess I won't talk about her golden, sunshine hair, her sparkling emerald eyes with that innocent, naive look, her sweet, angelic smile, her beautiful laugh, her musical voice, her rosy, autumn blush, or her full, pink, soft, smooth, kissable lips that-'_

_ '__**PTERA!**__' _Joe yells, his face a deep, solid, flustered red, and stinging from the heat of his blush. He had broken out into a cold sweat as Ptera talked as well.

_'...' _ Ptera says nothing. _'...THAT MAKE YOU GO CRAZY!'_

_ '__**NARGH!**__' _Joe yells, pulling his pillow over his head and lying on his stomach.

_'Oh come on Joe.' _Ptera tells him. _'You KNOW that when she smiled that sweet smile it made you melt and whenever you looked at her lips you got a wild, crazy feeling in you!'_

_ 'Did not...' _Joe growls.

_'Did too.' _Ptera tells him happily.

_'Stop talkin' or else.' _

_ 'Or else what?'_

_ '...' _Joe sighs, gets out of bed, goes over to his coat that he hung up, pulls Ptera's medal out of the inside coat pocket, goes over to his dresser, and pulls out a black, velvet lined box.

_'Whoa...WHOA, HEY! Don't put me in that!' _Ptera tells Joe as he opens the box. _'HEY! Hold on a se-' _Joe shuts the box with Ptera in it, cutting off their mental connection. He puts the box down on the dresser, goes back over to his bed, and gets back in it.

* * *

><p>Back in reality...<p>

"...He just didn't help." Joe tells us.

"Hm." Me, Todd and Rupert all say in unison.

"HI!" Xavia yells, jumping out of nowhere, landing next to Joe on the bench.

"GYAH!" Joe exclaims, jumping back as she appears. "Will ya quit doin' that?!"

"NOPE." Xavia says, shaking her head. "I would've come over with Sarisa, but, turns out 'The Nag' came with her, so she told me to just go on ahead and she would meet up with us after she braided her hair real quick."

"The Nag?" Rupert asks.

"Yup." Xavia tells him. "That's what I call her older sister since she nags so much."

"Ah." Rupert says.

"Yup." Xavia says. "But anyways, Sarisa's hair is perfect in a braid. After all, it's really thick, smooth, soft, and it actually smells faintly of freshly made apple cider." She looks at Joe. "Do you like apple cider?"

"Uh...Yeah...My Ma always made it when it was chilly out." Joe tells us, his face a light shade of red.

"What's th' matter Joe?" Xavia asks as Joe lets the brim of his hat to cover his face. "Hey, did you know that Sarisa's always thought cowboys were brave? After all, they gotta keep dangerous animals away from the herds, and they gotta fight of bandits, not to mention they get to travel a lot."

"..." Joe's shoulders hunch some, and his toes point inward a bit from nervousy. Even though I can't see his face, I know it must be red. Xavia cocks her head, looking under the brim of Joe's hat.

"Wow." Xavia says, Joe looking away and allowing his collar to hide his face. "You're redder then a sunburned tomato." I see a flash of mischief in her eyes. "You know, when I was in the hospital, I had a fever of one hundred twenty-three. I never let a person touch my face though. Even if it was a doctor. They would keep trying though, but I wouldn't let them, and they eventually gave up. But Sarisa didn't. She stopped the first time, and every time after I regained consciousness, she would try again. I had a horrible nightmare one time, and when I woke up, her hand was against the right side of my face. It felt...nice. Her skin was smooth, soft, cool, and it felt soothing as she stoked the side of my face, telling me I was safe. She almost stopped, but I didn't want her to, so she didn't...I'll never forget it. It's not something that you CAN forget really. She was always in the room when I woke up. She never left my side once...I'll always be grateful to her for it. It always calms me down when she's there, stroking the side of my face. Anyone would enjoy it really. But, I'm not about to let anyone take advantage of her."

"She really is an angel then." Rupert says. Me, Todd and Xavia all look at him. "Think about what you said. How her skin was cool, smooth and soft. I think only an angel would have skin like that."

"It's like ivory almost." Xavia tells him. She looks back at Joe. "What do you think?"

"...U-uhh..." Joe gulps. "W-well, I..."

"Hey!" We all look to see Sarisa hurrying over. "Good morning!" She says cheerfully. She's an obvious morning person, awake, bright-eyed, and ready to take on the day. I find it hard that she attacked those boys who knocked out Xavia and broke thirty-six bones in the attackers, and caused five internal bleeding spots in them. She seems way too nice and sweet. She's always so cheerful.

"Good morning!" Todd says happily.

"Good morning." Rupert tells her.

"Mornin'." I tell her.

"Hey guys, digadig!" We all look to see Pauleen running over to us. "What're we diga-doing today, digadig?"

"Digging." I tell her with a smile. _So long as Joe doesn't faint._

"Let's go!" Todd says, running off. We all walk out to Mt. Krakanak, and start digging. I look over at Sarisa, and she's not really built to dig. She doesn't have enough muscle, and quickly tires after digging up a few fossil rocks. She starts to raise up the pick to dig some more, but she instead starts to fall backwards, unable to keep herself up. I start to run towards her as she falls, but Joe suddenly catches her, her pick slipping out of her hands as her eyes close.

"Sarisa!" Xavia exclaims, practically teleporting over to them. She puts her hand against Sarisa forehead as the rest of us hurry over. Xavia sighs with relief. "She's okay...It's just this heat and the digging. She's not used to this and doesn't have a lot of muscle." Xavia then takes her from Joe's arms, and picks her up like she doesn't weigh anything. "I'll take her back to my house. She can get some rest there." Xavia then walks off the dig site, gently carrying Sarisa without a problem.

"..." We all sit there, watching until they disappear from view.

"So, Joe." I say looking at him. He looks at me. "Did you enjoy holding Sarisa in your arms?" His face turns a deep, solid red.

"It wasn't like that!" He tells us as we all burst out laughing.

"I dunno, you did hurry to catch her!" Todd laughs, making Joe's face only turn a deeper red.

"Well, I-! I didn't want 'er to hit the ground an' get hurt from it!" Joe tells us, nervousy obvious in his voice.

"Todd's right Joe, digadig!" Pauleen tells Joe. "And you DID seem to enjoy holding her!"

"I-! I-!" Joe stammers, his face turning redder. It's dark crimson now. "Well-!" He suddenly whirls away from us, and hurries off.

"...He didn't have to leave." Rupert says. "We were only teasing him."

"Well, we should still know better." I point out. "After all, we're a lot more mature than that." Todd, Pauleen and Rupert all nod in agreement.

"Well, let's keep diga-digging." Pauleen says. "There's nothing we can do now." We all nod in response, then continue digging.

Two hours later...

"This is it." I tell Todd, Rupert and Pauleen. We all look at the one story house with a white fence, it's light green with white trimming, black roof, but it doesn't have a workshop. It has flowers blooming along the fence and in front of the house, right under the windows. Todd opens the gate for me since I have an apple pie in my hands. I practically had to chain Todd down in order to keep him from eating it.

We walk down the walk way, step up onto the porch which is small and has two potted plants on it, and Rupert rings the door bell. We all stand there for a moment, before the door opens. A woman looks down at us, undoubtedly Sarisa's older sister. Her blonde hair is pulled into a bun, she's wearing a nice, button-up collared shirt that's light blue, a dark blue skirt, a white apron tied around her waist while her face has a bland expression, and I feel as if her ice blue eyes are piercing my soul.

"Yes?" She asks, her voice flat.

"Um...Hello, Ms. Eastward." I say politely, smiling some. "We're friends with your younger sister, Sarisa." I hold out the pie I made. "I brought this for the two of you. It's apple pie."

"Hm." She hums, the tone bored and flat. "Well, you children might as well come in." She steps aside, letting us enter the house. We're in the living room, which has sandy was, a wooden floor of brown wood, a glass sliding door on the far wall which leads out to a patio and the back yard, a white sofa against the left wall, two white sitting chairs, a coffee table, a TV against the right wall, and archway going into the kitchen, and another archway going into a hallway. The room is warm and welcoming, with a vase of roses on a shelf that brighten up the room and give it a wonderful fragrance. Sarisa's older sister takes the apple pie from me, and takes into the kitchen, while we all look at the same thing: a plaque, which turns out to be Sarisa's degree in medicine. There's another one, and as it turns out, she could be a medical or surgical doctor, meaning she knows how the human body works, and everything.

_Xavia wasn't kidding...Sarisa really is brilliant. _I think looking at the plaques.

"Well then," We all look to see Ms. Eastward come back in the room, a tray of tea in her hands. "since you are all here, I might as well get acquainted."

_'That was a bit...rude...somehow...' _Flamethrower says.

_'Yeah...' _I say in agreement.

"My name is Elizabeth." Sarisa's older sister tells us. "I'm two years older than Sarisa, and I'm here to look after her."

"Doesn't Xavia already have that covered?" Rupert asks.

"Please, don't mention that brute of a child in front of me." Ms. Elizabeth tells Rupert. Anger flashes in his eyes.

"Xavia is not a brute!" Rupert tells her defensively. "She's very well educated and has manners!"

"Then you don't know her!" Elizabeth snaps at him.

"No ma'am, YOU don't know her!" Rupert snaps back. "She DOES in fact have a good side, and she just must not like you enough to let you know it's there, or you just haven't gotten to know her! Xavia looks out for Sarisa, and trust me when I say this: Xavia is the only person who needs to look after her since they're so close, and anyone who dares lift a finger against Sarisa is practically asking for a death sentence!"

"What about me?" We all look to see Sarisa standing in the door way, Xavia to her right and back some, almost reminding me of a master and a loyal pet.

"Anyone who tries to harm you is asking for a death sentence from Xavia." I tell her.

"Ain't that the truth?" Xavia asks.

"Elizabeth, you don't know Xavia like I do." Sarisa tells her older sister, with an angry look.

_She can be angry? _I think, surprised.. _Wow...I didn't know that was possible!_

"I know enough." Elizabeth growls. "She's a brute that isn't worth your time!"

"She isn't a brute!" Sarisa tells her, anger in her voice. Me, Todd, Rupert and Pauleen all shrink away, while Xavia stands there, her bangs covering her eyes.

"Well, whatever she is, she ought to be locked up in an asylum!"

"She isn't a nut case!"

"Well she's close enough to be one!"

"Why don't you just leave her alone?!"

"Because you shouldn't be friends with her! She'll do something horrible to you!"

"If that had been my intention," Xavia says, making all of us look at her to see her eyes are still covered by her bangs. "then wouldn't I have done it by now? Face it Elizabeth, while you refuse to get to know me, you know enough to know that I am undoubtedly one of the most dangerous people on the face of the planet. I could do anything, and not even leave the smallest trace. I could get away with it with ease. And since that is true, then doesn't that mean I could take over the world within only a day? And, if I really am the brute you claim I am, I don't think I would be able to. But, if I was a brute, and I could, then wouldn't I have already done it? And if you claim I would hurt Sarisa, then wouldn't I have done it while we were at the university? After all...Lab accidents will happen...swap the talc with sodium before mixing it with water...cut the gas hose for the burner...or just in general. After all, people can be clumsy. Fall down a tall flight of stairs...fall out a window on the top floor...or perhaps put sleep serum in a drink...and while they're a sleep and pleasantly dreaming...set the bed on fire...There's many ways. Some not too bad, others so horrible not even the devil would speak of them. So...if I really am the heartless, brainless little devil-monster you accuse me of being, then wouldn't I have already done something horrible?"

"..." We all stand there, looking at Xavia with surprise, then look at Elizabeth to see she's stand there, looking at Xavia with horror and a pale face.

"I believe I have made my point." Xavia says. She tosses her bangs, making them get back in their normal spot.

"How...! How...! How DARE you talk back to me like that!" Elizabeth exclaims, her face flushing with anger.

"Trust me," Xavia tells her. "you haven't even found the surface to scratch."

_'...What?' _I ask.

_'You know that saying: You've only scratched the surface? Well, what that means is that you know almost nothing about whatever you're trying to learn about.' _Flamethrower tells me. _'So, Xavia's saying that the little bit Elizabeth knows about her, is practically nothing compared to what there is to know about her.'_

_ 'Wow...' _I say.

_'I bet Sarisa's scratched that surface.' _Cloud Cover says. _'I doubt we've found it. We're probably close to finding it though.'_

_ 'That's true.' _Air Strike says in agreement. _'But, she does have three sides.'_

_ '...WHAT?' _Me, Cloud Cover and Flamethrower all ask in unison.

_'Well, think about it.' _Air Strike tells us. _'She has a white, gray, and black side. Her gray side is the normal one, where she's rude an cold shouldered, then her white side is when Sarisa's around, when she gets excited, smiles, squeals and giggles. Then, there's the black side, which is when she gets like how she was. When she's serious, and is most dangerous.'_

_ '...' _I say nothing. _'Wow...I didn't know you were that observant.'_

_ 'HEY!' _He exclaims. I hide a smile.

"I'm sorry, but she just burned you Elizabeth." Sarisa tells her. Elizabeth sighs, irritated.

"Well I..." She says. She then looks away. "FINE. I guess you're not so much of a brute..." She looks back at us. "You." She points at me. "You're that boy who defeated that skull...Red Broke, correct?"

"Yes ma'am." I tell her, nodding.

"Well, it's good to see that there's some good people in this world." Elizabeth says. "And at least you haven't done anything like that other boy, Red Ranger." I raise my eye brows some at the mention of my real name. "After all, what kind of juvenile runs away from home without leaving a note?"

"Well, I'm sure he had a good reason." I tell her.

"But still." Elizabeth says. "After all, a child running away is a sign of bad parenting. He must've been a brat since I know his parents are good people from what I read, and on top of it all, he ran again when the police found him. They were so happy to find him, but he just ran again. What's even worse, he left behind all his friends." I've clenched my fists.

"I'm sure he had a good reason." I tell Elizabeth. "After all, it's not like he left everyone to die or anything."

"But that still doesn't making it right." She tells me. "After all, he's probably living out in a cave somewhere. He's a horrid juvenile who should be taken home and punished for his actions. He doesn't deserve the freedom he has, and if he kept it, he would no doubt only take advantage of it and-"

"Well maybe he's not a bad guy!" I suddenly yell, anger exploding inside of me. Everyone looks at me with surprise. "I've gone to Vivosaur Island! I met him! He was one of the nicest guys I've ever met! If you don't know someone maybe you shouldn't talk about them so lowly and critically! It only makes you look like some know-it-all jerk and lowers yourself to the point where people won't even wish to come near you, so why don't you just SHUT UP?!"

"..." Todd stands there, looking at me with his jaw dropped and his eyes wide, Rupert, Pauleen and Sarisa look at me with their eyes wide from surprise, Elizabeth stands there, appalled at me, and Xavia just raises an eyebrow.

Everything Elizabeth mentioned weighs me down, and the hurt already inside me couples with it, making my fists start to shake some, and I feel my throat tighten. The next thing I know, I'm running down the side walk to Mine and Todd's house, Todd running after me and calling my name. I throw open the front gate, run through the front yard over to the side gate, throw it open and run into the back yard, which has several shady trees, a stone walk way going over to the back left corner, which has a tree and a gazebo. The gazebo is made of wood painted white, and has dark brown, whicker furniture with red cushions, and in the middle of the yard is a dark brown, wooden picnic table.

I fall down under a tree, curl up into a ball, hug my legs, bury my face against my knees, and silently sob. _I'M NOT A BAD PERSON! _I mentally yell. _I DO THINGS FOR A GOOD REASON! I'D NEVER HURT SOMEONE FOR NO REASON! I HAVE A HEART! I'm...I'm a hero...not some juvenile...I...I-I... _I keep sobbing, my shoulders rising and falling as I do.

"Red...?" I hear a gentle voice ask, as someone brushes my bangs aside. I look up some, to see it's Sarisa. She's down on her knees, sitting back on her heels. Xavia wasn't lying. Her fingers stroke the side of my face, her ivory skin soft, cool, and smooth. I suddenly hug her, my face against her shoulder. She hugs me back, her hand still stroking the side of my face.

"..." Neither of us say anything for a minute.

"What's wrong?" Sarisa asks me, her voice soft and gentle, just like a loving mother's.

"..." I don't say anything, but keep sobbing for a second. "I...Like I said...I met him...He was really nice...He would never hurt anyone...without a reason...And she doesn't know him...but she says that stuff...He did what he did for a reason...but she refuses to believe that." I sit there quiet for a second. "He's a lucky kid. I barely ever see my parents since they're so busy...but...He has parents who always have time for him...but he had to leave them. If I ran away...I don't think my parents would even notice..." I sit there, Sarisa cradling me, while my sad, deep blue eyes blankly stare.

"We would." Sarisa tells me, her voice still soft. "We don't want you to leave. You're a wonderful child Red, and you're on a road that's going to lead you to greatness. You shouldn't think about what you're missing. You should think about what you have. You have wonderful friends, you're smart, you're strong, the bluest eyes the world's ever seen, Xavia says you're an amazing cook, and you're the best Fossil Fighter in the world." She gives me a loving squeeze. "A lot of people admire you Red...don't forget that."

"..." I sit there, then bury my face back against her shoulder. "...Thank you..." I tell her quietly. I can feel her small, sweet smile looking at me. It makes me feel batter. We sit there a few more moments before I push myself up. I extend my hand to Sarisa, and she takes it. I help her up. "Would you like to stay for lunch?" She smiles.

"Thank you." She tells me. I smile back, and we go up the steps onto the deck. It has a black table with a glass top and red parasol, some chairs as well, a nice stainless steel grill, and a wooden bench with an end table next to it. We go through the sliding door into the living room, then go into the kitchen to see Todd, Rupert, Xavia and Pauleen all sitting in the stools at the counter. They all look at us.

"Red!" Todd exclaims. He jumps down from his stool and hugs me. "You okay?"

"...Yeah..." I tell him, a smile spreading across my face. I hug him back. "Thanks." He smiles. _Sarisa's right. I have a lot to be thankful for... _

"So this means you'll be able to make lunch, right?" Todd asks. Everyone laughs.

"Way to ruin the moment Todd." Xavia says, a half smile on her face.

"Can't say I saw it coming." I say. "But anyways," I rub my hands together. "who's hungry?"

A few minutes later...

We're all sitting in the kitchen at the stools, enjoying the lunch I made.

"You are a good cook." Sarisa tells me. I smile.

"Thank you." I tell her. "By the way, I made you and your sister an apple pie."

"Finally something edible." Sarisa says.

"Ma'am?" Rupert asks.

"Elizabeth is a terrible cook." Xavia tells him. "She never lets Sarisa cook, so they're stuck eating...uh what would I call it...? A...Ah! A mixture of sewer sludge and incinerated matter!" We all laugh.

"Yep! That's pretty much the end result." Sarisa says. We laugh some more.

A few minutes later...

Me, Todd and Rupert are all standing outside of the museum, looking up at Wildwest Tower and leaning against the building next to the museum. Xavia went to the store on Ribular to get some food for her sleepover tonight, Pauleen said she would help, and Sarisa went to the hospital to help out with something. I look down at the ground, where the structure of the Fighter Station is, I see Joe hurrying by with a book under his arm.

"Eh?" I ask aloud. Todd and Rupert follow my gaze, and see Joe as well.

"What's that book?" Rupert asks, confused.

"I dunno." Todd says shrugging.

"Joe!" We hear Sarisa call. Joe practically jumps out of his boots, then whirls around, holding the book behind his back. Sarisa appears, and goes over to him.

"Uh...H-howdy...S-S-Sarisa..." Joe says, looking at his feet, allowing the brim of his hat to cover his face.

"What's that book you have?" Sarisa asks.

"B-book?" Joe asks, looking up at her, the brim of his hat right over his eyes. He has a shy look on his face. "I...I ain't got a book."

"Yes you do." Sarisa tells him. "I saw it under your arm."

"Uh...It..." Joe quickly looks back down at his feet. "It's n-nothin' really..."

"Oh, really?" Sarisa asks, cocking an eyebrow.

"..." Joe stands there for a second, the reluctantly hands her the book.

"Medicine and Medical Terms." Sarisa says, reading the cover of the book. She looks up at Joe. "Joe, if you want to learn about medicine, you could just ask me."

"I...well...I was...I was j-just worried I wouldn't be able to understand ya..." Joe tells her, fumbling with the words.

"I have an idea." Rupert says. Me and Todd look at him.

Five seconds later...

Sarisa's standing with her back to us, which right now, is a good thing. Joe looks up from the ground, and sees us, making his face turn deep red.

We're standing there, in front of the building next to the museum, behind Sarisa so she can't see us. But, Joe can see us acting love-sick and making that kissing face at him. We're just teasing him about his, unknown to him, love for Sarisa. His eyes dart back and forth between us and Sarisa, his face deep red, he looks back down at the ground. Whenever Sarisa looks over her shoulder at us, we instantly stop, making it look to her like we're just standing here doing nothing. When she looks back at Joe, we continue doing it, much to his dismay.

After a bit...

We're doing the love-sick stuff at Joe, which we've been doing for about twenty minutes.

"REAL. FUNNY." We all freeze, our eyes popping open, and look to see Joe standing in front of us, his arms crossed, and an angry look on his face with a glare to match.

"...Run!" I yell, bolting off with Rupert and Todd following right behind me.

"GET BACK HERE!" Joe yells, running after us and shaking his fist at us.

A minute later...

I sit there, a grumpy look on my face, and buried in the ground up to my neck out in Rainbow Canyon. I look to my left, to see Todd and Rupert likewise, with their facial expressions and buried up to their necks in the ground, while Joe stands there, the head of his pick on the ground, his hand on the end of the pick's handle, his other hand on his hip and his foot on a rock, in a victorious stance and looking down at us, a wide smile on his face.

"Whelp, how y'all feel now?" Joe asks.

"Bravo!" We all look to see Xavia and Pauleen standing there, daintily clapping their hands. "Excellent way to punish them! What say you, Duchess Pauleen?" Xavia asks Pauleen in a very good English accent, sounding like a stuck-up snob.

"Oh yes, digadig!" Pauleen tells Xavia in the same tone. "Quite well diga-done indeed, Lady Adven, digadig!"

"Oh yes!" Xavia says. "And the way he buried them! Excellent form and the perfect amount of anger put into it!" They both laugh, and Joe laughs as well.

"Oh, just get us out of here!" Rupert says.

"Alright rich boy." Xavia says. She crouches down next to him, digs up the soil around him with her hands, then grabs the back of his collar. "Ready?"

"...For what?" Rupert asks, a bit of fear in his voice. Xavia then pulls him right up out of the ground, as if she was a carrot she was picking.

"There you go!" She tells him, dusting her hands off.

"Thank you..." Rupert tells her, brushing the dirt off of him. Xavia does the same with Todd, then me.

"Better?" She asks as we brush the dirt off ourselves.

"Much." I tell her.

"While we're here, we might as well diga-do some diga-digging, digadig!" Pauleen says. We all dig until the sun starts to dip below the horizon, then head back to our homes. Me and Todd arrive at ours, 'The Base' as we agreed to refer to it as, and head in. I go into my room, take a quick shower to get rid of any remaining dirt from when Joe buried me, then put on some clean clothes, grab my duffle bag, put some clothes in it along with my tooth brush, comb, tooth paste, and my pillow. I get a deep blue camping sleeping bag from the hall closet, and meet Todd on the porch to see he's got his duffle bag, pillow, sleeping bag, and Stanly the Stego.

"TO RUPERT'S HOUSE!" We both say, grabbing our stuff and hopping onto Water Logged.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-YES. GOT THIS DONE.<strong>

**Red: And we'll get to go to the sleep over next chapa! :D**

**Magma: Yup...**

**Red: O_O WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING?!**

**Magma: D:} You're accusing me?! I'm not planning anything! *sobs in corner***

**Red:...I...Guess...I'll do the reviews then...**

**Adam S:**** What do you mean? And Magma said that they have everything planned out. DON'T FRET!**

**mysterydude123:**** Oh, don't worry. I won't kill you. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN MY VIVOSAURS WON'T! GET 'EM! Nobody snoops around my house and sees me kissing my pillow...Wait...Since when did Air Strike, Cloud Cover and Flamethrower play poker?**

**sniperjun899:**** I WANTS TO SEE MAH FRIENDS FROM VIVOSAUR AGAIN! *despair* But Magma always dodges the question...**

**corinster2:**** Of course Magma is...THEY ALWAYS HAVE TO BE! *bangs head on desk***

**Dragon girl Mew:**** Magma never answers me...**

**Tabithia6000:**** Magma says they have a lot of ideas for this story. One of which they say they will enjoy very much...THAT'S NOT A GOOD SIGN FOR ME!**

**Greywing44:**** Magma says that there actually will be a few chapters where we're at the beach.**

**Dragunity Gemini:**** Magma says they have...Honestly, they don't even know.**

**Ninja of Night:**** THA VIDEO WAS SO FUNNY! *laughs* That's so weird with the babysitting though. Coincidence? As for Todd, HE WOKE ME UP IN THE MIDDLE OF A REALLY GOOD DREAM AND GOT US INTO A SLAP FIGHT!**

**ilovedogs12:**** 'Nother day, 'nother chapa.**

**Magma: *still sobbing***

**Red: Uh...Well...That's all for this Chapa!**

**Flamethrower: Disclaimer: Magma does not own FF or FFC.**

**Air Strike: Peace out boy/girl scout!**


	64. Sleepless Sleep Over

**AN-SLEEP OVER TIME!**

**Red: But will we do any sleeping?**

**Magma: Probably not.**

**Red: WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING?!**

**Magma: D:} Again with the accusing?! *sobs in corner***

**Red: Aw, don't do that now! You gotta write the story!**

**Magma: Fine... *still sobbing***

**Cloud Cover: Magma does not own FF or FFC *continues playing poker with Flamethrower and Air Strike***

**Air Strike and Flamethrower: *get whipped at it***

* * *

><p>Chapter Sixty-Four-Sleepless Sleep Over<p>

I knock on the front door to Rupert's house, and me and Todd wait a second before a butler opens the door. He certainly looks like a butler. He lets us in, and shows us through the house to a hall, then to a door.

"Right in here, sirs." He tells us.

"Thank you sir." I tell him. He smiles, then heads off. I open the door, and me and Todd walk in.

"WHOA!" We both exclaim, looking at the room. It's a big room, with one half lowered down three feet, and having the biggest flat screen I've ever seen along with a big, nice brown leather sofa and some large brown leather chairs to sit in, a movie rack, video game systems, some brown bean bags, and a purple rug under the coffee table, sofa, chairs and bean bags. The carpet is a light sandy color, the walls are white, and one the higher up half of the room, there's a table packed with food including pizza, popcorn, chips, cola, and several other snack foods. In the middle of the raised up half is five black rectangles set into the floor. I go over, and step on one, to find that they're very comfy mattresses. I look around again, to see there's a surround sound stereo system.

"Do you like it, my friends?" Rupert asks. We look to see him standing in the door way, a sleeping bag under his arm.

"Yeah dawg!" I tell him.

"I'm with him!" Todd says, still looking around the room. Rupert smiles, and puts his sleeping bag down on one of the mattresses. Me and Todd drop our stuff down, me next to Rupert and Todd next to me.

"Hellooooooo?" We all look to see Kaze standing in the door way, looking in.

"Hey Kaze!" I tell him happily.

"Hi Red." He tells me with a smile. "Hey Todd. Thanks for the invite Rupert."

"Your quite welcome." Rupert tells him.

"Howdy!" We hear Joe say, popping his head through the doorway. Kaze and Joe put their stuff down on their own mattresses, Joe having a black and brown sleeping bag and Kaze having a camouflage one. Rupert's sleeping bag is royal red and royal purple, and we all roll out our sleeping bags, incase we're too tired to do it later.

"What should we do first?" I ask.

"Ah, I have something." Rupert says. We all follow him down to the lower half of the room, and he holds up a video game that I immediately recognize.

"NO WAY!" I exclaim. Everyone looks at me, and I point at the game. "YOU HAVE FORTRESS FIGHTERS?!" Can't help it really. Zeke wanted that game so badly. The only problem was that it's so high quality, he was never able to earn enough money to get it. He could only dream...

"Uh...Yes?" Rupert asks, everyone still surprised by my outburst.

"Well then, let's play it!" I say, a wide smile spreading across my face. "I heard that game is EPIC!"

"Alright." Rupert says, putting the game in. We all grab a controller, and sit down.

Two hours (of intense playing) later...

"GET 'EM!" Todd yells.

"Quick! He's frozen by the Ice Wizard!" Rupert says, his player attacking.

"The Cyclops is getting away!" I exclaim.

"I'm on it!" Kaze says, his player dashing towards the Cyclops.

"KILL IT! KILL IT WITH FIRE!" Joe suddenly yells.

"..." We all look at him with the 'where did THAT come from?' look. He slowly looks at us.

"..." Joe says nothing. "...I have no idea where that came from." He tells us, shaking his head.

"...Okay then..." I say. We then continue playing the game, going nuts when we defeat the Cyclops and Ice Wizard.

"Let's take a break from this and eat, hm?" Rupert asks.

"Sounds good." Todd tells him, Todd's stomach rumbling. We all grab something to eat, stuffing our faces with pizza, and the other snack food. I only drink one cola though. My dad always told me that if I just guzzled them down it wouldn't be very good for my health, so I've always only drank one. I remember one time...

"Why do you always only drink one?" One of my cousins asked. We were in the kitchen, eating burgers and drinking cola. I was seven, and I swung my feet back and forth while I sat in my chair.

"Daddy told me that's all I needed to." I told him.

"He's not here. He won't know." The other one told me.

"But I would. And even though he's not here right now, that doesn't give me the excuse to disobey him." I told him. I then took a bite out of my burger.

"You only drink one too, I see." I snap out of the memory at the sound of Kaze's voice. I look to see him looking at me, a cola in his hand.

"Oh...yeah." I tell him. "My dad always told me to only drink one." Kaze smiles.

"I'm glad to see that you're obeying him." I smile back.

"...So all of us only drink one cola?" Todd asks. I look to see he's right.

"Well, it is better that way." Joe says. I finish drinking my cola, then eat some chips, while we all chat amongst each other.

I suddenly feel something hit my stomach, like I had been punched.

"AGUH!" I grunt, dropping the bag, falling to my knees, and grabbing my stomach.

"Red!" Todd says, rushing over to my side. "What's wrong?!"

"What happened?" Rupert asks, worried.

_'What's wrong?!' _Air Strike asks, so much worry and panic in his voice it makes me want to run away, waving my arms and yelling like a maniac.

_'You...can...reach...me...?' _I ask, struggling to think. I left them at The Base, which is what Todd and I agreed to call our house.

_'Yup. Our bond is strong enough.' _He tells me.

_'But what's wrong...?' _Cloud Cover asks, worry in her voice.

_'L...L...Long...P-P-Pep...ER...!' _I struggle to tell them.

"Red!" I hear Joe say. "What's wrong?! Ya allergic ta somethin'?!"

"Th-those...chips..." I say, the pain in my stomach terrible. "Do they...c...c...con...TAIN...Long...P-Pepper?"

"Uh...yes..." Rupert says, looking at the list of ingredients.

"You're...ALLERGIC to something?!" Todd exclaims.

"Yeah..." I force out.

I feel it hit my lower stomach.

"I gotta go!" I say, racing out of the room and into the hallway. I make it to the nearest bathroom, and dash in, locking the door behind me.

A few minutes later...

"Uh..." I wipe my mouth off, and turn the water from the sink off. "Man...that stuff reacts fast..." I'm a bit dizzy still, but I open the door, and walk out into the hallway. I look down both ways, and instead walk the other direction from the way I came. I come into a circular room with a golden, white, and sandy floor and walls, a domed ceiling, and a crystal chandelier hanging over a grand piano with the top lifted up. There's four other arch ways going out of the room, but I instead go over to the piano, and admire the sleek, shiny black wood it's made of, and the ivory and ebony piano keys. I look around, then sit down on the black, padded bench in front of the keys, and place my fingers on top of them.

I sit there, looking at the keys for a moment, then play a single note, then another, and another. They flow through the air beautifully, and I suddenly realize what I'm playing.

_Canon in D major... _I think, remembering the reason why I learned it...

"Okay! Places people! The adults are here!" Zeke said. Him, Mary and I along with the rest of our entire elementary school were in the school's auditorium. The boys were wearing green tuxedos with white shirts, red bow ties, and red belts, while the girls were wearing green dresses with red bows tied around the waist, red dress shoes, white sweaters with short sleeves, and their hair tied up with red ribbons that had bells on the ends that jingled as they moved.

"You ready?" I asked Mary. She was holding her violin, in her place. She smiled and nodded. I nodded in response, then looked up at the two rows of my schoolmates, Zeke among them. Half of them were on a higher up platform, while the other half stood on the stage floor. "You guys ready?" They all nod, some of them saying 'yes', 'yep' or 'let's do it'. I nodded, turned to look at the velvet red curtain that hid us from all of the adults. I slipped between the curtains, standing in front of them, and looking down at the parents to see Zeke's, Mary's and my parents in the front row. I cleared my throat to get their attention, then stood up straight, my hands by my sides.

"The Shaded River Elementary School would like to thank all of you for being able to join us this Christmas Eve. We all hope that you enjoy our performance." I said, as they all watched me silent. I bowed. "Thank you." The curtain rose, to show the two rows of students, Mary ready to play her violin, and a grand piano. I sat down at it, and began to play the piece of music, Mary's violin joining. Soon, the students added their voices in perfect harmony, just as we had practiced.

It was beautiful.

The parents and adults all sat there, admiring the music and our hard work. It actually started snowing while we were performing. I just sat there, my eyes closed and faintly smiling. I had memorized the tune and the piano keys until it was just as easy to play as it was to breath. As the last note faded, silence fell over the auditorium, and we all looked out at the adults.

"Merry Christmas!" We all said in perfect unison. The adults stood up, clapping, some of them letting tears of happiness run down their faces. My parents said that was the best gift they had ever gotten...Besides me, of course.

...

But my cousins only made fun of me for knowing how to play the piano.

"Bravo!"

"GYAH!" I exclaim, snapping back to reality, and jumping up to see Todd, Rupert, Kaze and Joe all watching me and clapping their hands.

"That was amazing!" Rupert tells me.

"Why didn't you say you could play piano?" Todd asks me.

"Eh...Some people picked on me for it." I tell them, looking at the floor.

"They were just jealous haters." Kaze tells me. I look up at them and their smiling faces, making me smile. I learn to play piano because of my mom. She didn't make me, but I learned to make her happy. When I was eight, she got really sick. I kept worrying about her, and kept trying to think of ways to make her feel better. I knew she loved listening to a piano, so I learned how to play, and I played on the piano at my house. It did make her happy. It...made her really happy...To sit there, listening to me play. It made me happy. After that, whenever we had guests, I would go into the room with the piano and play. They always enjoyed listening to it. During the summer I would open the window and play, letting people passing by be able to hear it as well.

"Red?" I look up at Joe. "That Long Pepper stuff...ya allergic to it?"

"Yes sir." I tell him. "It makes me either throw up, or...yeah. You do NOT want to know...But, it basically makes my stomach hate my guts..."

"..." We all stand there, then suddenly burst out laughing.

"AH HAHA HA! Makes your stomach hate your guts!" Todd laughs.

"I didn't mean to makes a joke!" I laugh. "I just..." I keep laughing. We calm down after a bit, then head back to the sleep over room. We turn on the stereo, and dance to the music. To my surprise, Joe can actually break dance, again, to my surprise. We turn off the lights, letting the moonlight fill the room, and Rupert gives us all a light stick about as long as my arm. Mine's blue, Todd's is green, Rupert's is red, Kaze's is silver, and Joe's is tan. We hit them together like swords, since they're amazingly sturdy, so we have no worry of them breaking. I sneak up behind Todd, and whack him on top of his helmet.

"Hey!" He whirls around, and I hide my light stick behind my back, so it won't give away my location. "Where are you?" Todd asks, raising his up to defend himself.

"...I'm right here." I tell him.

"Red?"

"Yeah."

"...I don't see you."

"...What?"

"I can't see you."

"...But I can see you perfectly fine."

"What?" Rupert asks. Kaze and Joe stop, and look in our direction as well.

"I can see all of you." I say again. "And not just near your light sticks, but I can SEE you. The dark to me is more of a dark midnight blue, not black like how I remember it..."

"..." None of them say anything.

"...Queer..." Kaze says.

"Well, let's not worry about it." I tell him with a smile. "It's nice actually."

"Must be." Joe says.

"Can we take a break though?" Todd asks. "I'm tired..."

"Alright." Rupert tells him. The lights turn on.

"I gotta go." Joe says, walking out the door. "I'll be right back!" He calls, going down the hallway, undoubtedly to the bathroom.

"What should we do now?" Todd pants. I'm oddly the only one not out of breath.

"I know..." Rupert says. We all look at him. "LET'S GO SPY ON THE GIRLS!"

"WHAT?!" Todd, Kaze and I all exclaim.

"What?" Rupert asks.

"I'm out." I say, turning away. I know Rosie would be disappointed in me if I did that.

"I'm with Red." Todd says.

"Ditto." Kaze says. Rupert sighs.

"Oh well..." He says. I look over my shoulder at him some.

_I know what he's about to do... _I think.

"I know that they would undoubtedly tell each other whom they had crushes on, but I guess we won't know since we won't go..."

"I'm in!" Todd and Kaze say in unison.

"I'm not." I say.

"C'mon Red!" Todd says tugging at my arm.

"I can't." I tell him.

"You're my bro..."

"I know, but I still won't go."

"BUT! According to the Bro Code, bros never leave their bros to do anything like this alone! Thus, you have to come since you're my bro!"

"..." I stand there for a second. "You just HAD...to use the Bro Code..."

"Yup!" Todd says happily.

"Won't Joe stop us though?" Kaze asks.

"Oh, I have a plan." Rupert says. "Red, come with me. Todd, Kaze, you two stay here and do anything to make Joe get tired, okay?"

"Alright." Kaze says.

"You got it!" Todd tells Rupert, giving him a thumbs-up.

"Follow me." Rupert tells me. I follow him out of the room, down some hallways and stairs, into a kitchen with white walls, black and white tile floor, and very nice, stainless steel stove, sink, ovens, and some marble topped counters while shiny pots and pans hang down from the ceiling. Rupert goes over to a large refrigerator, and pulls out some fruits.

"Sooo...What're we doin'?" I ask as Rupert sets the armful of fruits down on the counter.

"Can you make a drink with fruit?" He asks me.

"Oh yeah!" I tell him with a smile. "I'll need some ice though. It's like a slushy. It's a drink, but almost solid."

"I'll get some." Rupert tells me with a small smile. I juice the fruit while he gets a pitcher of ice, which I then crush into snow, and mix it with the fruit juice. "It is...FINNISHO!" I say, holding up a serving platter with the drinks in tall glasses. They're a pinkish-red color, and the sweet smell of fruit wafts from them. "So, what're these for?" Rupert smiles.

"Is there any way to tell them apart?" He asks. I put a lemon slice on one.

"That good?" I ask.

"Quite." Rupert tells me with a smile. He goes over a cabinet, and pulls down a vial.

"What's that?" I ask.

"It's sleep serum." Rupert tells me. "It'll knock anyone out for about eight hours."

"Ah..." I say, it all making sense. "So, it'll just seem to Joe that he just got so tired that he fell asleep, when really it's that." I say as Rupert pour the blue serum into the glass with the lemon slice.

"That is correct." Rupert tell me with a small smile. He puts the vial back, I pick up the tray, and we head back to the room. Rupert opens the door for me, and we go in to see Todd, Kaze and Joe all bent over, panting, and wearing their pajamas. Joe's are a sleeveless light gray shirt, and light blue plaid pants, and Kaze's are a loose, sleeveless blue shirt, cut low enough to where I can see the top of his toned chest, and black and white plaid pajama bottoms. They both have very well toned arm muscles.

"What did you guys do?" I ask.

"We...tried...to see...who...could jump...up...and down...the most..." Todd pants.

"Ah." Rupert says.

"THEN...we fought...with the light sticks...some more..." Kaze pants.

"Hoo-eee..." Joe pants. "I'm just ready to fall over..."

"Well, me and Rupert made you guys some drinks!" I say with a big smile and holding up the tray.

"They're very refreshing." Rupert says happily.

"And very thirst quenching." I say happily.

"How thirst quenching?" Todd asks.

"They're the quenchyest!" I say.

"...Is that'a word?" Joe asks.

"...If you can say it, it's a word." I tell him, handing him the one with the lemon slice. The rest of us get one, and I hold mine up. "To good times!"

"To good times!" We all say, clinking the glasses together. We then all drink some of it. It really is refreshing. Not to mention the perfect balance of sweet with tangy, making it something perfect for drinking on a tropical beach.

"This IS good!" Todd says. "But, everything you make is good Red!" He drinks some more of it.

"Hm..." Joe hums. We all look at him, to see he has that 'this has a flavor' look on his face.

"What's the matter Joe?" Kaze asks.

"Nothin'. It's just this has a bit of...a..." Joe starts falling back, Rupert taking the glass from his hand as he falls right down on his sleeping bag, his hat covering his eyes.

"Works fast." I say.

"Indeed." Rupert says, nodding.

"Now what?" Kaze asks.

"We get over to Xavia's house." Rupert tells him. "We'll have to camouflage ourselves though."

"No problem." Kaze tells him.

"Let's do it!" Todd says, finishing his drink.

We all put on cameo versions of our regular clothes.

My suit is still black where it's black, but the rest is now cameo, my shirt is now black and green striped, and I have black paint on my face.

Todd's clothes are cameo with his shirt being black, and a net with fake leafs on it over his helmet, and black paint on his face.

Rupert's coat has been replaced with a black one, his pants are cameo instead of white, and the red stripes going down them are now black, he has a cameo toboggan on, and his boots remain the same, while he has black paint on his face.

Kaze just puts on a black toboggan and face paint.

"Let's go." Rupert says. We leave the room, down some hallways, down some stairs, then out the front door. We all climb onto Water Logged, who then flies us to Ribular Town. We then go down the walk way to the housing section of the island, and come to Xavia's house. We hop the fence, slide down the cliff to the back yard, then use my grappling hook to get onto the deck that wraps around her house. We peek through the window into the living room, to see them watching a movie.

Lola still has her hair up, and is wearing white, button-up pajamas with short sleeves and shorts, black around the edges, and black skulls on them as well. Pauleen's wearing her hair still up as well, and she's wearing a red night gown with big white polka dots that comes down to her knees, and green pajama bottoms with yellow going down the side of the pants leg. Sarisa's hair is still in a braid, and she's wearing a red sleeveless shirt that falls to the middle of her upper legs, hugs the waist a bit then arches out some, making it look like a skirt, and blue pajama pants that stop at her knees, and cofortably hugs them. They all have popcorn, but what really catches my attention is the counters in the kitchen area.

They're packed with sweets.

Covering it are cakes of all different flavor, from chocolate with black swirls, vanilla cream with straw berries, and some with beautifully frosted designs such as roses and flowers, making them look too nice to eat. On a crystal tray that has three trays, are a variety of truffles, tarts, and cookies. The top one has the truffles, so perfectly made into spheres, some of them have white swirls or waves, or being rolled in shredded chocolate. The middle tray has the cookies, which has triple chocolate chip, regular chocolate chip, and oreos. On the bottom tray is tarts made with strawberries, blueberries, cream, raspberries, blackberries, and the crusts are a perfect golden brown and flaky. Among the sweets are cheesecakes and pies of all different kinds, everything looking so tasty the sight makes my mouth water.

One single cake catches all of my attention.

_...OH...MY...GOODNESS..._

_ That's...TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE!_

It sits there, perfectly made with the crust being made of crushed up oreos, the middle the perfect shade of brown, and small chocolate chips cake the top of it. Triple chocolate cheesecake it my favorite dessert of all times. I still remember the first time I ever tried it...

"Did you enjoy your lunch Red?" My Grandma asked me. I was six, and I was spending some of my summer at my grandparent's lake house. My grandma has grey hair in a neat, low bun with two lock of hair cupping her face, light blue eyes, a collared, button up white shirt, a deep blue skirt that comes down to her ankles, a deep blue sweater that comes to her wait and the sleeves stop at her elbows, while there's black dress shoes covering her feet.

"Yes grandmama!" I tell her happily, finishing up my sandwich. She smiles, and picks up my empty plate.

"Well, I guess that you deserve some desert then!" She told me happily.

"Yay!" I said with glee.

"Hey grandma!" I heard my two cousins say in unison.

"What's for lunch?" One of them asks, sitting down at the table.

"We're starved!" The other one says.

"Sandwiches." My grandma told them, a faint smile on her face. She sets the two plates with the sandwiches in front of them, then sets a plate in front of me that had a bit of triple chocolate cheesecake on it. "Here you go Red. Try it."

"What is it?" I asked, looking up at her with my big deep blue eyes. She smiled a wide smile.

"It's triple chocolate cheesecake." She told me. "Trust me, you'll love it." I looked back at the plate, and timidly tried it.

My eyes practically turned into stars.

"YUMMY!" I exclaimed right before eating the rest in one swoop.

"Would you like some more?" My grandma asked. I held up my plate.

"Yes please!" I told her. She gave me another slice, much larger this time. I took my time eating it, savoring each bite. She gave my cousins some as well after they finished their sandwiches, but not as much as she gave me. It's no secret I'm my grandparent's favorite. My cousins are jealous of me for it. I remember my grandma wiping some of the cake from the corner of my mouth, then kissing my forehead, while I laughed and giggled.

...

It's so hard to imagine I was once that little, baby-faced, giggling kid...

"Look at all those sweets..." Todd says, bringing me back to present time.

"I know...I HAVE TO EAT SOME..." I say, my eyes trained on the cheesecake.

"We're not here to eat sweets!" Rupert hisses.

"Why did you want to come anyways?" Kaze asks.

"...No reason..." Rupert says.

"He just wanted to see Xavia and try to figure out what she likes so he can make her like him." I say, smiling happily.

"It is not!" Rupert hisses at me.

"Is too!" Todd says in agreement.

"Wait...Where IS Xavia...?" Kaze asks. We all look back at the room to see Xavia's not there. She then suddenly comes into the room, wearing her pajamas, which is a baggy red short sleeved shirt with the sleeves stopping at her elbows, an Andrarch on the front, and long black pajama pants. Her hair is unbound, letting her starless night black hair fall to the small of her back.

_...Wow...How does she manage her hair?_

It's longer than I thought it was, and a lot thicker as well. Not to mention it fluffs out, to where if she had her back to you, you'd be unable to see her torso, arms, and shoulders. Her build looks different as well. She now looks...

...fragile...

In her every day clothes, she looks tougher, her shoulders look broader, her arms thicker, and much more...masculine almost. Now, she has a bit more of petite build. Her shoulders are narrow, and her limbs thinner. Almost like a small child.

"Alright! I'm back." Xavia says, hopping over the sofa and landing right next to Sarisa.

"Like, what set the alarm off?" Lola asks.

"Oh, it was just a squirrel." Xavia tells her, smiling. "I seriously gotta fix the size bug." A silver and black Andrarch, Xavia's who she named Silver Fang, speeds into the room shrunken down to the size of a small dog, and jumps up on the sofa next to Xavia. "Hey boy!" She says, hugging Silver Fang, who then grows back to his original size. Xavia just laughs some, and pats his head and hugs his neck.

"She looks a lot more...fragile...in her pajamas." I say.

"I think she looks cuter." Rupert says.

"Of course you'd say that." Kaze tells Rupert.

"Hey!" Rupert hisses. Todd laughs quietly.

"I'll be right back." Sarisa says, getting up and disappearing down the hallway. Pauleen picks up the remote, and pauses the movie.

"Hey Lola!" Xavia says, jumping up and sitting down next to her. "Lola! Lola! Hey Lola!" She says, shaking Lola's arm.

"Yeah?" Lola asks.

"Diga-do you LIKE Kaze, digadig?!" Pauleen squeals happily. Lola coughs from the popcorn in her mouth, suddenly sitting up straight.

"Like, WHAAAT?!" Lola exclaims, bewildered.

"It's a yes or no question!" Xavia says happily. I notice Kaze watching attentively with his face a light shade of red.

"Yeah, digadig!" Pauleen says in agreement.

"Uh...well..." Lola says.

"DO you?" Xavia asks.

"Diga-do you?" Pauleen asks.

"DO YOU?" They both ask in unison.

"Uh..." Lola says.

"Hm? Huh? Hm? Huh?" Xavia and Pauleen ask in unison. "Do you? Do you? HM HUH HM? Well? Do you? DOYOUDOYOUDOYOUDOYOU? HMMMMMMMMMM? Yes or no?! Do you?!" They're both leaning in at Lola, making her lean back.

"Uh...well...I..."

"DOOOOOO YOOOOOOOOOU?" Xavia and Pauleen ask in unison.

"I must admit, this is quite entertaining." Rupert says.

"Oh yeah." I say.

"Well, that's good I guess." Magma Red says, faintly glowing. "I have no idea what happens at sleepovers since I don't go to them."

"Really?" Todd asks, looking at them.

"Yup." Magma Red tells him.

"Wait...WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" Kaze asks. "Shouldn't you be writing?!"

"Oh, I am!" Magma tells him happily. "I'm right now in my own little world, coming up with this! But don't worry; the people in my own little world know me."

"OH, just get outta here!" I say, pushing them away.

"That was different." Rupert says.

"Indeed it was." Xavia says.

"Yeah dawg." I say.

"..." We all sit there for a second, then turn around to see Xavia standing there.

_...Yeah, we're so screwed._

A minute later...

Xavia throws Todd, Rupert, Kaze and I on the sofa, already having tied us up. We all land looking at her, Pauleen and Lola.

"You REALLY should've paid attention to us rather than the author of this story." Xavia tells us happily. "Then you might of seen me coming, and have gotten a little more time before I caught you guys!"

"...MAGMA PLANNED THIS?!" Todd, Rupert, Kaze and I all ask in unison.

"Yes. Yes I did." Magma's voice says. "Now, ONWARDS!"

"So, you guys decided to spy on us?" Xavia asks, her head tilting to the left, and a devious look on her face. "Well, I guess I'll have to teach y'all a thing or two."

_...Yup. We're completely screwed._

* * *

><p><strong>AN-They REALLY should've known better, eh?<strong>

**Red: I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU WEREN'T PLANNING ANYTHING!**

**Magma: I know. XD I lied.**

**Red:...HAVE YOU NO SHAME?!**

**Magma: Only when I'm torturing y'all. XD**

**Red:...*slams head down on desk***

**Magma: Hehe...Oh, and in this story, you can expect them to break the forth wall, then completely forget they did afterwards.**

**Blossom:**** I know, right? XD**

**corinster2:**** That's 4 me 2 know, and u 2 read. (Lawlz. Txt language.)**

**mysterydude123:**** They're actually playing poker back at The Base right now. XD But let's face it, nothin' can beat Red's team. As for Joe, he's so screwed when Xavia gets her hands on it. XD There's no telling what her evil little mind will scheme...But dude, there's only one thing deadlier than Xavia: Xavia when she's angry. And exactly do you mean when you say 'DUDE U HAZ GOT TO MAKE ANIME!'?**

**fossil fighter R.B.P:**** I dunno.**

**Tabithia6000:**** Hey, they did deserve it. XD I guess I could, I just can't come up with much. DX**

**Chidori Minami:**** NOES! D: DON'T DIE! Just pass put from lack of osagin!**

**Gunsandgames:**** Yup. Just another day fer tha gang. :P But yeah, Elizabeth is just one of those characters not meant to be liked.**

**Dragon girl mew:**** ...Could you please say that in English?**

**ilovegos12:**** Yay! ^^**

**Guest:**** ...What's that?**

**sniperjun899:**** He would if he could. I keep locking him in his room. XD**

**Adam S:**** Wow. That cast must stink. :( But yes, really. It just had to be Air Strike. XD**

**Ben:**** It get worse. SO. VERY. WORSE.**

**Fuzzy:**** It actually is a normal day fer tha gang. And what about Xavia and the asylum? (She could only break out if they could get her in it in the first place XD) But, no you do not write the whole thing, and if you do, then what's gonna happen in the next chapa?**

**Flamethrower: Guten tag/nacht/morgen/nachmittag/abend!**

**(German for: Good day/night/morning/afternoon/evening!) **


	65. Torment

**AN-Okay, I am really, REALLY sorry about how late this is. School's gotten in the way and I'm tired when it starts getting late, and I play video games when I get home from school, so I don't give myself a lot of time to work on this...OI...**

**Red: Magma does not own FF or FFC!**

**Magma: ONWARDS!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Sixty-Five-Torment<p>

"Now what to DO...what to do..." Xavia says, tapping her finger on her chin, looking down at us.

_Let's go spy on the girls, he said... _I think. _We'll be fine, he said. They won't see us, he said..._

"KAZE!" Xavia says, her arm shooting up and grabbing Kaze by the collar.

"GEEYAAAH!" Kaze screeches, shirking away.

"You're first since you're the oldest!" Xavia happily chirps.

"How?!" Kaze asks. "I'm not the oldest!"

"You're thirteen, and they're eleven." Xavia tells him flatly.

"...OH...riiiiiight..." Kaze says, his shoulders slumping from realization.

"LOLA!" Xavia says, grabbing Lola's wrist. "I need your help! And Pauleen, I need you to open a door for me."

"No problem, digadig!" Pauleen says before they disappear down the hallway, Xavia dragging Kaze and Lola with them.

"What do we do?!" Todd asks, panic in his voice and eyes.

"OH, we shouldn't have agreed to this!" I say angrily, mentally kicking myself.

"Don't worry!" Rupert says. "We just need a plan!"

"Wait! Joe's not here! He could come save us, right?!" Todd asks, hope lighting up his face.

"Forget it." I tell him flatly. "Rupert put something in his drink that'll have him out for eight hours."

"..." Todd sits there. "Rupert, if we get out of here, I am never speaking to you again."

"I'm sorry..." Rupert says, hanging his head. I hear pounding footsteps, and look to see Xavia and Pauleen come running back into the room.

"WE'RE BAAAAaaaaaaACK~!" They both say in unison.

"Where's Kaze and Lola?!" I demand.

"Oh, we locked them in a dark closet." Xavia says happily.

"..." Todd, Rupert and I all sit there, looks of horror on our faces.

"You monster!" Todd tells Xavia, who then grabs him by his collar.

"Thank you for volunteering to go next!" Xavia says happily. "C'mon Pauleen!" They dash up the spiral stair case, Xavia dragging Todd along with them.

"We're so screwed." I say.

"I'm sorry." Rupert says. "I shouldn't have convinced Todd and Kaze to come along..."

"It's...well, I would tell you it's not your fault; but it is." I tell him.

"That's makes me feel SO much better." Rupert says sarcastically.

"I'm back! Again!" Xavia says, jumping down the spiral stair case.

_One of us is next... _I think, swallowing.

"Hmmm..." Xavia hums, her hand on her chin, looking back and forth between Rupert and I. She grabs my collar, then drags me down the hallway. We pass the lab, go through the arch way which I've yet to see behind it, and Xavia drags me down some stairs, into a hallway with several doors. She goes up to one, opens it, and throws me in. I land on the carpet, and quickly sit up, looking around.

It's a workout room very high tech equipment.

"...What?" I look at Xavia in confusion.

"Just wait a minute." She tells me. The door shuts, and I hear a click, undoubtedly Xavia locking the door.

...

The Professor's right. I thought I was going to be put through something awful, but like he said, she's completely unpredictable.

* * *

><p>Rupert sat there, his mind racing as panic whirled around in him. <em>WHAT DO I DO?! <em>He thinks, not wanting to go through something awful.

"Rupert!" Xavia chirps, jumping up from behind the sofa.

"GYAH!" Rupert exclaims, jumping. "What have you done with Red and Todd?!"

"Oh, Todd's locked in the holo-room with Pauleen, and I've got something else for Red..." Xavia tells him. "But, I don't know what to do with you, so..." She thinks.

_...What is she thinking? _Rupert wonders as Xavia sits there, looking him dead straight in the eye. _I wish I could read her mind..._

"That's it!" Xavia says, snapping her fingers. She grabs Rupert by his collar, and drags him down the hallway into the lab, then over to a table like object at an eighty degree angle. Xavia buckles him into it, his arms above his head, making him unable to escape. "Now, let's get started."

_...Please help._

* * *

><p>I sit up, unsure of what Xavia was planning. I look around the room again, with its windowless, white walls and tiled white floor. I have no idea what the technical equipment is for, but the exercise equipment seems a bit more normal. I wait. I'm not sure how long, but I wait...<p>

And wait...

And wait...

...

THE INSUFFERABLE WAITING.

"Okay!" I jump at the sound of Xavia's voice, and look to see her coming into the room, holding an electronic clip board, and wearing a navy blue t-shirt, white lab coat, light blue jeans, and her boots. "Sorry about the wait."

"What...?"

"I was giving Rupert his punishment." She tells me, entering something into one of the machines.

"Which is...?"

"Oh, you'll see." Xavia says, a devious look on her face.

"What did you do to Todd?" I ask.

"I locked him and Pauleen in the holo-room." She tells me, turning a dial.

"And...what...?"

"What was the room set on?" Xavia asks, not looking at me and flipping a switch. "It's dark, has a fireplace, and a velvet love seat."

"...What is wrong with you?" I ask, horror on my face.

"I'm a person who's certifiably insane with a document of legal sanity." Xavia tells me, smiling happily.

"..." I let my head loll back, trying to figure out what to do. "Where's Sarisa?"

"She's watching the movie." Xavia tells me, entering something in onto her electron clipboard. "She has no knowledge of you, Todd, Rupert or Kaze being here."

"You didn't tell her?" I ask.

"She didn't ask." Xavia tells me.

"It was us that set off the alarm, wasn't it?"

"Yup."

"Then..."

"Lola asked; not Sarisa. I can lie to anyone but her. Someone asks me something, I can lie, but Sarisa asks me, I give her the entire truth, any details she wants and everything I can tell her when she asks me."

"Why only Sarisa?"

"..." Xavia says nothing, but looks me dead straight in the eye. "Because. I hold a loyalty that no one has ever seen before to her, and that means that under no circumstance will I EVER lie to her, or raise a finger against her. Anyone...ANYONE...who wants to harm Sarisa, has to get past me first..." Xavia looks back at the electronic devise in her hands. "...and when I fight, I leave scars...or worse."

"You really love her."

"I do. It's funny...If I was her age, and a male, we'd probably get married..." Xavia thinks for a second. "...Nah...we'd probably just be close friends...Besides, Sarisa...She's safety to me. She always listens, and comforts me when something bothers me...Like my nightmares. When we were in college, I always felt safe when I was curled up against her. I could sleep then. I can't sleep otherwise. I just have my nightmare fevered doze I drift into...I sometimes can't even get out of it..."

"It's THAT bad?" I ask, slightly shocked. Sarisa said they were bad, but...she can't even get out of them?

"I sleep with a knife under my pillow." Xavia tells me. "So, if you or anyone else ever needs me to wake up, stay a good ten feet away unless you want me to slit your neck." I gulp. "Alright, let's get started." She comes over to me, and unties the rope that bounds me.

"Start what?" I ask, rubbing my wrists to get the circulation going.

"I've noticed you're in better physical condition than normal humans." Xavia tells me. "I want to study it. It's not every day something like this happens. Don't worry. I won't push you. Just do the best you can." She leads me up to a barbell with a weight on each end. "Alright, you just press that, okay? I'll add weight after each time, and stop when you can't do it, then tell you the maximum weight you pressed, alright?"

"Alright." I say, going over to it. Xavia puts small, suction cup-like objects against my temples, making them stick. She puts one on the back of my neck, has me remove my shirt and puts some of the objects, which she calls censors, on my biceps and triceps, bare chest, and on my back. "So...Are you friends with Sarisa just because she makes you feel safe?"

"No." Xavia tells me, putting one on my shoulder blade. "She's a likable person. After all, why are you friends with Todd?"

"Well, we get along really well and enjoy a lot of the same stuff..." I tell her as she puts one my shoulder.

"Precisely." She tells me, entering something into her clipboard, making small lights on the censors appear. "Sarisa's like my big sister. She understands what I say, never leaves my side, and loves me. She's...a lot like my parents actually. She never got irritated when I came to her after a nightmare..." Xavia smiles. "When I first met her, I was in the hospital, unable to move or talk. I got better, but I had to leave. I got outside, and who was waiting for me other than a mob of reporters wanting to know about the unknown substance I regurgitated. Sarisa showed up, and she took me to her home." Xavia enters some in on a machine.

"...And?" I ask suddenly.

"And what?" Xavia asks, looking at me.

"Then what happened?" I ask.

"Well, I woke up, and she took care of me until I could walk." Xavia tells me. "Then, her family let me stay with them since I couldn't go anywhere else...I just didn't talk. That happening...the substance...just WAY too much. So, I followed Sarisa like a baby chick. I didn't bother her one bit. She liked it actually. She said it was the most adorable thing she had ever seen." Xavia smiles again. "She would constantly hug me and squeal either 'I love you' or 'You're so cute'...It...made me happy...It made me feel safe..."

"...Then?!" I ask.

"Then, I told you to start lifting that barbell." Xavia tells me, nodding at the barbell.

_Aw. _I mentally sigh. It's interesting to her about her upbringing due to how strange she is. I lift up the barbell, having no trouble at all. Xavia turns a dial, making the weight go up. I lift it again, with little strain. I do it several times, each one requiring more effort than the last, until I can't get it off the ground. Xavia turns the weight down, allowing me to press it. She turns it up some, not as much, and I press the barbell, straining with effort. I try one more time, struggling to get it up.

"Okay! Put it down, put it down!" Xavia tells me. I drop it, letting out a breath of relief as it hits the ground with a loud CLANK. "I don't want you push yourself, I just want to measure your limit."

"Okay..." I say, my hands on my knees.

"The total weight..." Xavia says, looking at the machine, then entering something in on her clipboard. "Please come this way." I straighten, then follow her over to a black rectangle on the floor, which it about five inches tall, and one foot six inch by one foot six inches. "Step on this." I step up on it, and Xavia looks at her clipboard, a surprised look on her face.

"What?" I ask.

"Hm." She hums. "Interesting..."

"What?" I ask again.

"Hm." She looks up at me, and pats my arm. "Must be muscle weight."

"...Say what?"

"Your weight in pounds is two hundred thirty-four."

"...I'm sorry, WHAT?!" I exclaim.

"Come on." Xavia says, waving her hand in a 'follow me' motion. I follow her over to a padded table, which has a rolling chair and a large, hi-tech machine next to it. Xavia pats her hand on the table, which I sit on, while she sits down in the rolling chair. "Now, you do know that muscle weighs more than fat, right?"

"Uh...yes?" I ask, learning something new.

"And you obviously have no excess fat on you, so the only thing putting on that high number of weight has to be muscle." Xavia turns to a desk with a computer at it, typing something in. "Now, what's really surprising is that a person can press their weight, but it seems you defied the principles on nature."

"How so?" I ask.

"Well, you pressed a total of three hundred, twenty eight pounds." Xavia tells me plainly.

"...ZUH?!" I exclaim, shocked. "I knew I was strong, but-! WHAT?!"

"Trust me." Xavia tells me, looking at me. "You should be proud of that."

"...O...K..." I say, unsure of how to react.

"Now, I need you to lay on your back." Xavia tells me.

"..." I swing my legs up on the table, and as I rest my head down, I notice a degree on the wall. I look at it, to see it's a doctor's degree to study humans. "Why...do you have that?" I ask, pointing at the degree.

"Hm?" Xavia looks up at the framed document. "Oh, I've wanted to be able to study humans. Their behavior, abilities, that sort of thing." She smiles happily. "I know some scientists and doctors who would give a pretty penny to study my mind."

"...I'm not sure if that good, or bad." I tell her as she picks up some sort of contraption. It's main part is black and shiny, and about one foot by one foot, while Xavia holds it by the two handles coming off of it.

"Either I guess." Xavia tells me, turning a dial on the large machine next above my head. "Upside, it means your interesting, downside, it means they might wanna dissect your brain." I cringe.

"Why?!"

"Meh." Xavia shrugs. "Trust me, I've seen psycho scientists to madmen with dissection tools, and crazy doctors from professors with butcher knives."

"..." I lay there, looking up at her with horror while stands there, entering something onto the large machine, like she said nothing out of the ordinary. She looks at me to see the horror on my face. "...What?"

"...That doesn't bother you?" I ask.

"It's bliss compared to my nightmares." She says, looking back at the machine.

"..." I say nothing. _Is her life really that screwed up to the point where she's USED to that?!_

"Alrighty." Xavia says, strapping something across my forehead. "Now, take even breaths."

"What are you doing?" I ask, worry surfacing to my face.

"This is an X-Ray I made myself." Xavia tells me, holding up the object with the black shiny thing on it.

"...Isn't it bad to use an X-Ray on exposed skin?" I ask, looking up at her.

"Only if it's not this one." She tells me. "Unlike the mad scientists I've seen, I always make my tools to where they'll have no negative side effects, cause any pain, or do damage, long or short term."

"..." I say nothing, but look back at the X-Ray in her hands. "...Uh..."

"Alright, just be still and take even breaths." Xavia tells me, holding the X-Ray over my head. I do as she says, taking even breaths, my chest rising and falling in time. She moves the X-Ray down to my neck, over my chest, over my arms, down to my legs and feet, then goes back over to the computer, plugging something into the X-Ray, which must read into the computer. I look over at her, and Xavia types something in, then waits a second. "Interesting."

"What?" I ask.

"Well, I tried to find a match with you skeletal build, but none came up." Xavia says, leaning back in her chair. "You have a little bit of everything. Your arms are about an inch longer, you have longer legs, you have a mixture of builds perfect for tackling, jumping, climbing, running, fighting, and your shoulders are perfect. They're not too broad, not too slender, they're just right..." She looks me in the eye. "There's no one else on the planet that has a build close enough to you."

"..." I blink, unsure of how to react.

"..." Xavia just shrugs. "And, I found something else." She angles the computer screen to where I can see, and picks up her clipboard which is connected to the computer. On the computer screen is an image of a brain. "This is your brain. Now, if you look towards the back, right here..." The image splits in two, allowing you to see the inside of my brain as well. "See that?" The mouse points at a nerve.

"Yeah." I say. "It's a nerve. Your brain is suppose to have those."

"I know that." Xavia tells me flatly. "But, not that nerve."

"...What?"

"That nerve, it's not suppose to be there." Xavia tells me. "I did a scan of it, and it's actually taking information from your vision and hearing, and is then enhancing those two senses."

"THAT'S why!" I exclaim, it all clicking.

"What?" Xavia asks, looking at me.

"I've been able to hear better and I can see in the dark." I explain. "It's a dark midnight blue, not black."

"Hm." Xavia hums. She then sits and thinks for a moment. "Okay. I'll keep studying this...And another thing, what's THAT?" The mouse points at something that looks like a hearing aid.

_Oh...OH! That's the Doglish Translator! _I think, remembering the image that Dr. Diggins showed me when he told me it was stuck in my brain. "...It...is a VERY...VERY...long story." I tell Xavia.

"Hm." She hums. "If you say so. Now," She undoes the thing strapped across my forehead, allowing me to swing my feet down and sit up. "I want to measure your blood pressure to see if this nerve has any effects on your health." She removes two of the sensors on my right bicep and tricep, and puts the blood pressure object around it. The cord comes out of it, connected to the large machine, which Xavia flips one of the switches on it. The object around my arm begins to swell, tightening its grip on me until it stops. It begins to deflate, while Xavia checks something on her computer, then removes the object from around my arm, putting the two censors back. "Very healthy blood pressure. Nothing to worry about." She tells me, taking out a stethoscope. She puts it against my bare chest, the metal like ice against my warm skin. "Now, take a deep breath." I do as she tells me, inhaling and exhaling, then watching as she records the results.

"..." I say nothing as she types something into her computer. It's weird, she sometimes seems more like an adult than a kid.

"Very good, very good..." She says, typing something.

"What? What's good?" I ask.

"Your heart, the beats per minute." Xavia tells me, eyes trained on the monitor. "It's very low."

"Low?! Isn't that bad?!"

"No, the lower the number means the more blood is pushed through your body in one beat, which means that your heart doesn't have to beat as often, which means it has more times to rest between beats, which means your heart won't wear out as fast, which means that it'll last you longer." Xavia explains.

"...Oh..." I say plainly. "...So...what's the number?"

"Thirty-five." Xavia tells me. "That's a very good number."

"Ah..." I say. She also has me run on an object that reminds me of a giant hamster wheel, measuring my speed, as well as other things, which includes Xavia fighting me in hand to hand combat, which I fail at epically. She then gives me some pointers, and suggests I should try taking martial arts to improve. After that, she measures my endurance, and checks my heart rate to see how high it went up.

"Oh, one more thing..." She says after checking my heart rate. She turns back to me, holding up a syringe.

"GYAH!" I exclaim, jumping off the table. "Are you gonna inject some weird substance into me?!"

"No." She says flatly. "I would like to draw some of your blood and study it. Alright?"

"..." I look at the sharp needle, then at Xavia. "No tricks?"

"No tricks." She tells me. I look back at the syringe. "I give you my word that I will only draw some blood, and that's it. Nothing else."

"..." I stand there, unsure.

"And when I give my word, I don't break it." Xavia tells me. "Trust is one of the few things I value, so I do not take advantage of it."

"..." I swallow. "...Okay..." I timidly sit back down on the padded table, while Xavia gets some cotton ball and rubbing alcohol. She puts the rubbing alcohol on the cotton balls, which she then rubs against my skin to clean it off. I look away and squeeze my eyes shut, waiting for the needle to pierce my skin. I sit and wait.

"Alrighty!" Xavia says happily, making me look to see her use her IHR on my arm, making the small prick disappear.

"Wait...you...you did it?" I ask.

"Yup." Xavia says, holding up the syringe which holder is full of my red blood. "I look forward to studying this. Thank you." She tells me, smiling. She then removes the sensors from me, and I pull my shirt back on, then pull the upper body part of my suit back on. Xavia then leads me out of the room, and to another door, which she then opens, and lets me go into.

The room has white carpet with a black rug in the middle, a leather sofa, a giant flat screen, coffee table, and two brown wooden bookshelves that cover the left and right walls of the room, while on the fare side, on the left and right of the TV are two windows, that allow to see the back yard.

_They must been hidden one way windows. _I think.

"There's snacks on the coffee table." Xavia tells me. I look over the sofa to see the table packed with snack foods. "And plenty of movies to watch. We're welcome to stay here for the duration of your visit."

"Wait." I say, making Xavia stop and look at me. "Why aren't you doing something horrible to me?"

"'Cause." Xavia says. "I know you wouldn't do this unless Todd used the bro code against you." She shuts the door, leaving me to stand alone. I shrug, hop over the sofa, landing in a comfortable position, and pick up the remote, turning the TV on to an action movie. I grab a large bowl of popcorn, and eat it as I watch the movie.

* * *

><p>Xavia throws Todd into the empty, white room, then shuts the door, locking it. "Oh..." Todd says, pushing himself up. His helmet was gone, and his hair was messy and ruffled.<p>

"Todd?" Todd looks to see Kaze sitting back against the wall, his silver, spiked hair messy.

"Kaze!" Todd says, running over to him. "Xavia told us what she did to you! Locking you and Lola in that closet!"

"She is a demon." Kaze says, horror on his face.

"I know! She locked me and Pauleen in the holo-room!" Todd tells him sadly. "It was dark, the was a fire place, and a loveseat!"

"Lola had me pinned against the wall." Kaze says. "She kept kissing my face. And she wouldn't let me kiss her lips!"

"I bet it's a conspiracy!" Todd suddenly says, jumping to his feet. "They kiss our faces and necks, drawing us in, then they deny us when WE try to kiss them to make us want them more!"

"...That makes sense..." Kaze says, horror on his face.

"I can only imagine what horrors Xavia is doing to Red and Rupert right now..." Todd says, looking at the door with wide eyes.

"IT'S TERRIBLE..." Todd and Kaze look to see Rupert in the corner, his back to them and hugging his knees. He wore red clothing now.

"You don't look that bad." Kaze says.

"..." Rupert says nothing, but instead stands up, and turns to face them.

His shirt has short, baggy sleeves, a handkerchief tied around his neck in the style a sailor would wear it, with the shirt being white, the handkerchief being red, and...

...the mini-skirt was red.

Todd and Kaze burst out laughing so hard, the ground shakes.

"THIS IS IN NO WAY AMUSING!" Rupert yells, his face red.

"YOU'RE WEARING A SKIRT!" Kaze laughs. "HOW IS IT NOT FUNNY?!"

"YOU LOOK LIKE A GIRL!" Todd laughs. Rupert just hangs his head, sighing miserably.

"Wait." Kaze stops, and looks at Rupert. "How did Xavia get you in THAT?"

"She strapped me to a table which then turned into a pod with no windows, and I spun around, then it opened and I was wearing THIS!" Rupert says, looking at the skirt.

"..." Todd and Kaze continue to laugh as hard as they can.

_I hope their heads explode. _Rupert thinks bitterly. "...Wait a minute." He says, a horrible thought entering his mind.

"Wh-what?" Todd laughs, wiping a tear from his eye.

"We know what's happened to us and each other..." Rupert starts, horror on his face. "...But has she done with Red?"

"..." Todd and Kaze stop laughing.

"...One can only imagine the horrors that he's going through right now..." Kaze says.

* * *

><p><em>Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness... <em>I think over and over again as I sit on the edge of my seat, attentively watching the car chase scene as the good and bad guys shoot as each other with their guns. The good guy blows the bad guys car tire, making the car swerve off the highway, and explode as it hits the ground. _Oh man..._ I think, sitting back. _Now that was suspenseful..._

* * *

><p>"..." Todd, Kaze and Rupert all stand there, pondering Red's torment.<p>

"I wish Joe could wake up." Todd says, his hands on his forehead.

"He could come save us." Rupert says.

"If...he didn't run into Xavia." Kaze adds on.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back in the sleep over room at Rupert's home with Joe...<p>

_Joe wakes up, to find that he's lying on a cloud, surround by more of the fluffy, white clouds and the domed blue sky._

_ "What in tarnation IS this?" He quietly asks himself, pushing himself up and looking around. His coat and hat were nowhere in sight, and he had no idea if he should look for them or not._

_ "Joe?" He hears someone ask. He turns, to see Sarisa. She wore a long-sleeved, pure white, flowing robe that shone sliver like the moon, and stretched down to her ankles, while her feet were bare. Her hair was made of rays of sunshine, was very long and flowed like water, her features were more predominate, her emerald eyes were greener and shone more, her lips were redder, her blush deeper, and she looked more lovable than ever. Joe feels his face grow warm._

_ "S-Sarisa?" Joe asks, taking a step back._

_ "Joe..."She says, her voice flowing like music on a breeze. She begins to slowly walk towards him, making Joe stumble back, only to trip and fall on his back. He pushes himself up on his hands, his legs propped up, and looks up to see Sarisa right next to him, her face and inch away from his, making his face grow hot. Her hands take his head, her fingers smoothly sliding up his jaw, and she pulls his head closer, making Joe's eyes grow wide, his face get warmer, while Sarisa just tilts her head slightly, her eyes begin to close, and-_

"GYAAAAAEEEHAAAAAA!" Joe yells, shooting straight up. He was panting, his heart pounded in his chest, and his face felt like it had been set on fire with how warm it was. _'WHAT IN TARNATION WAS __**THAT?!**__' _

_ 'What you more than anything to happen.' _Ptera snickers.

_'THAT AIN'T TRUE!' _Joe yells at Ptera, embarrassed by his remark.

_'Oh, yes it is~!' _Ptera says happily.

_'NO IT-...Wait...' _Joe looks around, to see the boys nowhere in sight. _'Where'd they go?' _He stands up, pushing his hat into place, and looks around the room again, spotting a can of black face paint.

_'...They went to spy on the girls, didn't they?' _Ptera asks flatly.

_'Nope.' _Joe tells Ptera, getting his clothes to change into. _'They went to go get themselves tormented by Xavia.'_

A few minutes later...

"Yes?" Joe looks to see Xavia, poking her head out the door of her house. Joe had changed into his regular clothes, and he looks down at Xavia. He was surprised at however she managed her hair with how thick and fluffy it looked. "Hello Joe! What can I do for you?"

"Are th' boys here?" Joe asks.

"No sir, they're not." Xavia tells him.

"..." Joe just stands there, looking down at her. She seemed so much more fragile in her pajamas, a baggy red shirt that came to the middle of her upper legs and sleeves that came to her elbows, with black pajama pants that would drag across the floor. Despite her height, she almost looked like a small child, looking up at him with a small, sweet smile and innocent truthfulness in her deep brown eyes. "...Yer sure?"

"Yes sir." Xavia tells him.

"...Hm..." Joe hums, still unsure.

"Xavia? Who's at the-" Joe looks up to see Sarisa standing at the entrance to the foyer, her hair still in a braid, and wearing a red sleeveless shirt that falls to the middle of her upper legs, hugs the waist a bit then arches out some, making it look like a skirt, and blue pajama pants that come to her knees and comfortably hug her skin. She had a slender waist, and he was able to see just how fragile she looked. "Joe?" Sarisa asks, making Joe quickly look down at his feet.

"Y-yeah..." He says quietly.

"What's wrong?" Sarisa asks.

"He thinks the boys are here." Xavia tells Sarisa.

"Ah." Sarisa says.

"Hey Joe, while you're here, would you like to try some cake?" Xavia asks.

"..." Joe looks up at Xavia, confusion obvious on his face. "...CAKE...?" He asks.

"Yeah!" Xavia says happily. "C'mon! It's really good!" Before Joe can say anything, Xavia grabs his hand in both of hers, and pulls him into the house, the door shutting behind him. She leads him into the living room, which has Pauleen and Lola sitting on th sofa, sitting on the edge of their seats, watching an action movie, and not noticing Joe. Lola still wore the pajamas from when she stayed at the BB Brigade Base, the white button-up pajamas with black skulls, short sleeves and shorts. "Here you go!" Joe looks to see Xavia holding up a slice of cake to him, the frosting looking too good to eat.

"Thanks...?" Joe asks.

"You're welcome!" Xavia happily chirps. "Lola! Pauleen!"

"Hm?" They both hum in unison, looking at Xavia.

"I need your help with something!" Xavia says.

"Okay." Lola says. They both get up, and the three girls get platters full of the sweet snacks from the counter before disappearing down the hallway.

"..." Joe says nothing, but looks at the slice of cake, getting a small piece of it with the fork, and eating it. _Hm! This is pretty good! _He thinks, mentally smiling and eating more.

"Hey Joe," Sarisa starts, making Joe almost choke. He turns his head to look at her. "what makes you think the boys are here?"

"..." Joe swallows, his throat dry. "Well, uh..." He looks down at the plate in his hand, unable to look Sarisa in her emerald eyes. "They seem to know how to get in'a heap'a trouble."

"How so?" Sarisa asks, a hint of amusement in her voice. Joe gulps.

"Well..." He thinks. "It's...kinda funny. I met Red an' Todd by savin' them from a rouge Allo. I got there ridin' on Ptera, and I saw Red step in front'a Todd to protect him."

"He is a brave boy." Sarisa says. Joe nods some.

"..." They both stand in silence.

"Hey Joe..." Joe tenses some as Sarisa says his name, and he timidly looks up at her, his light blue eyes meeting her emerald eyes, and to see she was hugging herself. "what was it like being a skull?"

"..." Joe looks back down at the plate, the memory coming to the front of his mind. Walking down the corridor full of murals, the horrible images on the walls, and the whitewashed walls from the grey fire torches. The room with the stone chest was a bit more pleasant with the sunlight coming through, but it was still eerie in a way, how he could almost feel some ancient power stored away.

Then there was when he opened the chest.

Just the utter horror of seeing a living, flying skull jump out from it, making him fall back to the ground with complete shock, then it hitting his head straight on. How terrible the pain felt, being able to FEEL the fabric of his mind be torn apart...Hearing his vivosaur screech his name, the horror in their voices unforgettable.

"Joe!"

"Wha?!" He exclaims, scrambling to keep himself from falling. Sarisa had her hands on his arm, holding it to where is seemed she was trying to keep him from falling.

"You almost fainted..." Sarisa tells Joe, sadness in her voice.

"..." Joe says nothing, but quickly regains his footing, and puts the plate on the counter, then sits down on the sofa, rubbing his face.

"Was it...that...terrifying?" Sarisa asks. Joe looks up at her. Her emerald eyes were sad with worry and sympathy, that made Joe feel guilty for making her worry. He looks down at his feet, and says nothing. "..." Sarisa sits down next to him, putting a hand on Joe's shoulder, making him look at her, allowing her to see a tear stream from his eye. "I won't say I understand how scared you were, and I won't say I've felt the same way...but I can say that it's okay. No one can control what they fear, not everyone will admit what they're afraid of, but the more they fight against it like that, the worse it gets. There's no shame in anyone's fears, or in admitting them...The TRUE fear people have, IS admitting their fears. They feel ashamed because not everyone has gone through the same thing, so some people will taught and tease them. The only way a person can truly understand a person's fear, is if they feel how scared that person is when they're scared."

"..." More tears stream from Joe's eyes as he keeps remembering the horror he went through when he opened the chest. He feels Sarisa take his head in her hands, and turns his head to look at her.

"It's okay." Sarisa tells him. Joe suddenly hugs her, his head under her chin.

"I was never so scared in my entire life..." Joe says, his voice shaky. "Not even if I put all th' other times together. I had no idea what was gonna happen or what was happenin'...All I knew was that I was scared..." He couldn't see it, but he knew she was smiling a small, faint smile, and he feels her hand on the back of his head, and her other hand on the side of his face. He felt safe. _No wonder Xavia follows 'er everywhere... _He thinks. _...an' no wonder why she's so protective of her. _He sits there, tears streaming from his closed eyes, able to hear Sarisa's heart beat. It was a soft, soothing sound. They sit in silence. After a minute, Joe sits up, Sarisa's hand still on the side of his face. She starts to take pull it back, only to have Joe suddenly put his hand over hers, keeping it right where it was. He feels his face grow warm, and closes his eyes.

_...I don't want ya to leave. _He thinks. _I never want ya ta' leave._

"Sarisa?" Joe and Sarisa look to see Xavia's head peeking out from around the corner. "Joe...? What..."

"NOTHIN'!" Joe exclaims, jumping up and dropping Sarisa's hand.

"You SUUUURE...?" Xavia asks, happily smiling.

"YES, I'm sure!" Joe tells her, his face turning red.

"RIIIIIGHT..." Xavia says. She looks at Sarisa. "Sorry about interrupting."

"It's okay." Sarisa says, smiling her sweet smile, making Joe feel his insides melt. "But are the boys here? Joe said he was looking for them."

"Yes ma'am." Xavia tells her, nodding.

"Wait...YOU SAID THEY WEREN'T HERE!" Joe says, unsure of how to react.

"...That I did." Xavia says, smiling.

"Xavia, did you lie to him?" Sarisa asks her.

"Yes ma'am..." Xavia says.

"Xavia!" Sarisa exclaims, standing up. "You know you're not supposed to do that! It can get you into a lot of trouble!"

"Yes ma'am..." Xavia says, her hands clasped behind her back, and looking down at the floor.

"..." Sarisa smiles some, goes over to Xavia, and hugs her. "I know that you won't lie to me, but you still shouldn't lie to Joe, okay?"

"Yes ma'am..." Xavia says, her face still sad.

"Don't be sad Xavia..." Sarisa says, looking at Xavia and gingerly brushing her bangs aside. "Just don't do it again...okay?"

"Yes ma'am!" Xavia says, happily smiling and cheering up. Sarisa smiles, and hugs her, Xavia hugging her back.

_...Sarisa's like...like'a mother to 'er... _Joe thinks.

"I'll go get the boys!" Xavia calls over her shoulder, half hopping half running down the hallway, a gleeful smile on her face.

"She's so cute isn't she?" Sarisa asks, happily smiling and looking at Joe.

"...Uh...Y-yeah..." Joe stammers.

"I'm sure Xavia was just teaching them not to trespass on her property." Sarisa says, standing up. "I just hope she didn't do anything to drastic to them."

"I'm sure she didn't." They hear someone say sarcastically. Joe and Sarisa look to see Kaze, Todd, Rupert and Xavia standing there, Rupert standing behind Todd and Kaze, Todd holding his helmet, while Kaze and Todd's hair was messy. It was Rupert who had spoken.

"Well, y'all don't look to bad." Joe says. "What'd she do to y'all?" The three boy's faces all turn red.

"You...don't...want to know." Kaze says, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Todd says.

"You'd just laugh." Rupert says.

"..." Joe just stands there, and looks at Rupert. "Don't worry. I won't...now, we gotta get Red."

"What HAVE you done with Red?!" Todd asks, suddenly angry. "What horrors have you put him through?!"

"..." Xavia merely smiles happily, tilting her head to the left. "Don't worry. He's JUST fine..."

* * *

><p>"OH MAN..." I say, sitting on the very edge of my seat. The good guys are in a gunfight with the bad guys, and the suspense is killing me. Xavia brought me a platter full of a sample of all the sweets I saw on the counter earlier, including a large slice of triple chocolate cheesecake, which I started eating immediately. The door suddenly opens, and I look to see Joe standing in the doorway, his hand on the doorknob. "Hey Joe!" I say happily. "You wanna watch an action movie with me? I got plenty of snacks!"<p>

"..." Joe just stands there unsure of how to react, and he just blinks. "...THIS...is how Xavia punished ya?!"

"No sir." I tell him. "Xavia said she knows I wouldn't do anything like this unless Todd used the bro code on me, and he did, so, Xavia didn't punish me!"

"..." Joe blinks again, comes over to me, and puts his hand on my shoulder. "C'mon. Let's go."

"But this is the best part!" I say sadly.

"C'mon." Joe says, dragging me out of the room by my collar.

"But JOOOoooooooOOOOOOE!" I whine. "It's a really good movie!" Joe just drags me up the stairs into the hallway, where I see Kaze, Todd, Rupert, Xavia, Lola, Pauleen and Sarisa standing in the living room, Xavia standing with a happy smile on her face and her hands behind her back, Todd's helmet sitting crooked on his messy hair, Kaze's hair is messy as well, and Rupert's standing behind Todd and Kaze, making me only able to see his head. I sigh sadly. "Okay...let's go..." I sigh, walking past Kaze, Todd and Rupert.

"Rupert, next time you come up with something like THIS," Kaze says, following me. "forget it." I look back at Rupert, and we can all see what he's wearing.

We all burst out laughing.

He's wearing a short sleeved white shirt with baggy sleeves, a red handkerchief tied around his neck in the style a sailor would wear it, and...a...red...mini-skirt. I fall to the ground, rolling around and holding my sides laughing, while everyone else is doing likewise, or pounding the floor with their fists, while Rupert stands there, his face deep red and humiliation on his face.

"Can we please just leave?" He asks miserably. Todd, Kaze, Joe and I all just nod, still laughing in response.

A few minutes later...

"That...was the worst thing that has ever happened to me..." Rupert says, his head in his hands. He's wearing his pajamas, velvet red button-up pajamas that have white around the collar, near the ends of the long sleeves and pants legs.

"Well, I would just like to know why she had that." Kaze says, his arms folded behind his head and wearing his pajamas. "After all, she wouldn't be caught dead in it no doubt."

"I bet Sarisa got it for her." I say, wearing only my boxers and my hair hanging down in a mop head style, while I eat some chips.

"That's probably it." Joe says. "Sarisa does think Xavia's th' most adorable thing on th' planet." He's sitting on the bean bag chairs, in his pajamas with his hat covering his eyes.

"Well, let's just forget about it." Todd says, rummaging through the movies. We had all shared what happened, except for me. Xavia told me not to tell anyone about what she told me after the examination, due to safety. She doesn't want a bunch of psychotic scientists coming after me, wanting to dissect my brain. So, I just told them Xavia put me in the room where I watched the movie.

"I just wish I could remember how we got caught." Rupert says. "After all, I don't think it was I who got us caught."

"Well, it is your fault we all went there!" Todd tells Rupert of his shoulder.

"You know..." I say, some mischief in my mind. "I wonder what Xavia would look like in that outfit she put you in Rupert."

"..." Rupert says nothing, but his eyes widen and his face turns red some.

* * *

><p>In Rupert's mind...<p>

Xavia wore her hair down, a red sailor cap on her head, the white shirt with the red sailor tied style handkerchief around her neck, and the red mini-skirt. She was bare footed, and stood with one foot behind the other, the one behind the first on her toes, her hands in dainty fists, one being up near her mouth, while she was happily smiling and laughing.

* * *

><p>Back with Red...<p>

"I don't know!" Rupert says, crossing his arms, looking away, and his face solid red.

_He probably imagined her in a cute, girlish pose. _I think, smiling and looking at Rupert with my head still facing forward. "Alright, if you say so...but I bet you WISH you could see her in it!"

"I do not!" Rupert snaps, his face redder.

"Aw, leave him alone Red." Todd tells me, looking over his shoulder at me. "Hasn't he been through enough torment already?"

"Well what do you think Pauleen would look like in it?" Kaze asks Todd, a devious look on his face while Todd's goes blank.

* * *

><p>In Todd's mind...<p>

Pauleen had her hair in her usual pig tails, wore a yellow sailor's cap, a yellow short sleeved shirt with baggy sleeves, a pink sailor style handkerchief around her neck, and a pink mini-skirt. She was bare footed, had one hand behind her back, while the other one waved, she had one foot in front of the other with the back foot on her toes, and she was happily smiling and winking.

* * *

><p>Back with Red...(again)<p>

"..." Todd says nothing, but his face is red, and he quickly resumes going through the movies.

_He probably did the same thing. _I think, tossing a chip in my mouth.

_'You guys are cruel.' _Cloud Cover tells me.

_'Yeah!' _Air Strike says in agreement.

_ 'Red...' _Flamethrower starts.

_'Yes?' _I ask him.

_'What do YOU think ROSIE would look like in one?' _He asks. The give me the Spanish inquisition, and I freeze, as the image forms in my mind.

She had her hair in pigtails, with a teal sailors cap, handkerchief and mini-skirt while the shirt was pale pink, she was looking at me with her shoulder facing me, the closer leg bent with her foot off the ground, her closer arm against her side while the other was brought up near her mouth, her hands in dainty fists, while her face was bright with a happy smile and she was winking.

_'DON'T MAKE ME THINK ABOUT THAT!' _I yell at my team, my face turning red.

"What's wrong Red?" Kaze asks. "Your face is the same color as your name."

_Need an excuse..._ I think, my face burning hot. One pops into my mind. "Oh, I was just think about how Joe would react if he was saw Sarisa in something like that."

"DON'T BRING ME INTA THIS!" Joe exclaims, shooting up and pushing his hat back.

"He does have a point..." Todd says, nodding.

"I'm sure YOU would LOVE to see Sarisa in something adorable..." Rupert says, a devious, sly look on his face.

"I WOULD NOT!" Joe yells, his face turning red.

"I dunno...Red's got a point..." Todd says, an inquisitive look on his face.

_I now understand why Holt had so much fun tormenting me the way he did. _I think.

"Oh, what movie can we watch?" Joe asks, crossing his arms, trying to change the subject.

"Uh...I haven't found one yet..." Todd says, looking back at the movies. He covers his eyes with one hand, and randomly snatches one up, then holds it up. "This one!"

"...That's a horror movie." Kaze says.

"So?" Todd asks. "I didn't know I would grab it."

"Hey, it could be fun~!" I say cheerfully.

Thirty minutes later...

_OH MY DINO THIS WAS A TERRIBLE IDEA..._ I think. Todd, Rupert, Kaze and I are all on the sofa, hugging each other, with our knees bent so our feet are on the edges of the sofa, and we're all shaking, while Joe just sits and watches, not scared at all.

_I think we're just waiting to see who'll give out first..._ I think. After a minute, it comes to a gruesome scene.

"JUST TURN IT OFF!" Todd, Rupert Kaze and I all shout in unison, looking away as we bury our faces against each other's arms.

"Alright." Joe says casually, switching the TV off.

"That...was the most horrifying movie I have ever seen..." Kaze says, his face drained of even his tanned skin tone.

"I have NO idea why Father purchased it..." Rupert says, his face the same color as freshly fallen snow.

"Can we just go to bed?" Todd squeaks in a small voice.

"I am..." I say, shaking.

"Whelp, it has been a pretty crazy night." Joe says, standing up and stretching. "Night y'all!"

"Good night..." Rupert says, as we shakily walk over to our sleeping bags while Joe strolls over to his. We get into them, and I lay in there, staring into the dark for a second.

"Night Todd..." I say, my voice still shaky.

"Night Red..." He says. We all say good night to each other.

"MWA HAHAHAHAhahahahahaaaaa..." We all hear a creepy voice cackle quietly...

...Just like in the movie.

"Very funny Todd." I say, shaking.

"That wasn't me..." Todd squeaks.

"...Kaze?" I ask, my eyes getting worried with fear.

"Not me..." He says, his voice high-pitched and shaky. "Rupert?"

"No..." Rupert squeaks, his voice very quiet.

"Joe?" Todd asks, his voice the same.

"Yep, that was me." Joe says, amusement in his voice.

"THAT WASN'T FUNNY!" Todd, Rupert, Kaze and I all shout in unison. We then all lay back down.

"Or was it me?" Joe asks in the quiet, creepy cackle voice.

"**JOE**!" Todd, Rupert, Kaze and I all yell in unison. Joe just chuckles, getting back us for teasing him.

_Now I know how Holt felt when I tied him up and gagged him for teasing me. _I think, burrowing down into my sleeping bag as if it were a cocoon. I lay in complete darkness, and eventually drift into a deep, peaceful slumber.

**AN-F.I.N.A.L.L.Y. Okay, I am SUPER EXTREMELY VERY SORRY for how late this is. School's completely thrown me off of my writing schedule, I had a motivation block, and I kept playing video games.**

**But, due to the fact that I had ingrown toenail, I will now have more time to work on my stories since I can't be moving around a lot. BTW, to all y'all who complain about shots hurting, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO WHINE AND COMPLAIN UNTIL YOU HAVE HAD THREE SHOTS IN YOUR BIG TOE! (I was lucky. My older brothers had to have eight)**

**Adam S: Sorry. ^^; But, I don't have creative blocks, I have MOTIVATION BLOCKS. Huge difference man.**

**mysterydude123: Xavia is evil. Not cruel. But, I really do wish I could turn this into an anime...THEN BEN WOULD KNOW WHAT RED ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE!**

**Guest: Ah...**

**Fuzzy: No, Kaze is 13, not 11.**

**sniperjun899: YOU PLAY SKYRIM AND READ THE INHERITANCE CYCLE?! Your awesomeness just went up by OVER 9000. But, I'm afraid Xavia can stop all of them.**

**Greywing44:I glad you think so~! :D Yes, you can break the forth wall like that. I love random stuff. Like the asdfmovies.**

**primal the hedge: Well, they won't be turning to girls, but one of them will be turned into something else...**

**ilovedogs: Was thar ever any doubt? ^^**

**Chidori Minami: NOEZ! D:) But yes, Rupert really should know better, shouldn't he?**

**Dragon girl mew: Ah...**

**Dragunity Gemini: It was, wasn't it~?**

**DigitalEmperor001: Oh, I just jumped into mah laptop.**

**Red: I'm just glad nothing happened to me.**

**Magma: Then thank me.**

**Red: What? No!**

**Magma: Hold on, I need to get Xavia to come up with something for you...**

**Red: THANK YOU FOR DOING ANYTHING TO ME! JUST DON'T GET XAVIA!**

**Air Strike: Come again!**

**By the way, what were y'all expecting me to do in this chapa?**


	66. A Best Friend's Secret

**AN-OKAY! I have no idea what to put here other than I do not own FF and FFC! So, ONWARDS!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Sixty-Six- A Best Friend's Secret<p>

_I open my eyes to a sun drenched flowery field, with a blue sky that domes over head. I stand up, looking around to see Rosie standing there, in the sailor suit I imagined her in. She looks at me, and smiles, making me smile. "You look so handsome in that, Red!"_

_ "What...?" I look at what I'm wearing, to see I have on a short sleeved, navy blue sailor suit with white lines. "Oh...Eh heh heh...?" I awkwardly smile as I scratch the back of my head. Rosie just smiles, and walk up to me. She then takes my head in her hands, and I pull her close._

"Hmmmm..." Someone hums, making wake. I'm aware that I do have my arms around something, and sleepily open my eyes to see Todd, who's hugging his plush Stego, Stanly.

_He must've had a nightmare..._ I think. I look to see Joe fast asleep, lying on his back with his hat covering his eyes and his sleeping bag pulled up to his chin. Kaze's sleeping on his stomach, his arms flailed out and the side on his face buried in his pillow, while Rupert's sleeping on his side, his hands small fists on his pillow. I slip out of my sleeping bag, get dressed, run my fingers through my hair, making it stand on end, and I put my goggles on my head. I can't help but think of Rosie, and I wish she could run her fingers through my hair. I wish she was here. I wish I could hold her like I did when I was on Vivosaur.

_Would she recognize me? _I wonder. _Would she be surprised at how much I've grown? _I wonder as I walk out of the room. I wonder back down the hallway, and come to the circular room with the piano in it. I walk over to it, running my finger tips over the keys, then sit down at it and start playing a sad song. I'm not sure why, but I just feel like playing a sad song. I play it for a bit, then stop and get up, to see the butler and some housekeepers had been listening to me play. I walk past them, my eyes down cast, and go into the sleepover room to see Todd gone, undoubtedly getting dressed in the bathroom. I gather up my stuff, and go down to the kitchen, to see the cook already making breakfast. Without saying anything, I go into that dining room which has gold-colored wall paper and marble floor. I sit at the glass top table, and lay my head on top of my arms, closing my eyes.

"Good morning Red~!" I hear Todd chirp merrily as he, Rupert, Kaze and Joe come in, all of them dressed.

"..." I say nothing, but just sit there.

"Are you alright?" Rupert asks, shaking my shoulder some.

"Hmm..." I hum, not looking up.

"He must not of slept well." Kaze says. I hear the chairs pull out as they sit down.

"I'm sure breakfast will make you make you feel better!" Todd says. I hear plate be set down, and I can smell waffles.

"...I'm not hungry..." I mumble, pushing my plate away.

"Are ya sick pard?" I hear Joe ask. "Ya don't look to well..."

"...Hm..." I hum. "...I'm going to get some air..." I say, getting up, and dragging my feet out of the room. I feel like falling down. Like not walking. I push the front door open, and come out onto the front porch, then sit on a bench, my legs stretched out in front of me, and my head lolled back, my eyes closed and not moving. A breeze tugs at my bangs, making the memories of when Rosie and I were in the park jump to the front of my mind, the breeze tugging at my hair. I feel like curling up in a dark corner and wallowing in self misery for some reason. After a few minutes, I hear the door open, and I half open my eyes, and look to see Todd with our stuff.

"C'mon Red." He says. "Let's get home."

"Hm." I hum. I push myself up, pulling out Water Logged's medal, and tossing it in the air, letting him out. We climb on the back, then ride back to The Base, climb off, and head in, then up to our rooms. I toss my stuff aside, fall face first on my bed, then roll on my side and curling up into a ball. I stare blankly, the only light in the room coming from the window that allows sunlight to come through. My eyes close, and I fall into a shallow, restless sleep. I have fevered dreams of my life. When I was shot, when I got Rex, when I met Mary, when I ran away, my adventures on Vivosaur island, having to go on the run again, meeting Todd, our misadventures, meeting Joe, coming to Caliosteo, our adventures here, the rebel leader's memories...

...a...scrap...

...I...don't...remember this one...

_"Pipsqueak!" Jacob called. He was walking on a white, sandy beach, while the rebel leader was up in a palm tree, looking down at him. Sarisa wasn't lying when she said that Xavia was the spitting image of the rebel leader. The rebel leader pokes her head out of the leaves, while Jacob keeps looking around. "Oi...Why does she do this?"_

_ "Because it's fun!" The rebel leader calls down. Jacob looks up and see her, surprise appearing on his face._

_ "Hey, get down from there!" He calls. "It's dangerous!"_

_ "Yes sir..." The rebel leader sighs. She wraps her arms and legs around the tree trunk, and slides right down it to the ground, then jumps up, her pants legs covering the tops of her bare feet. She was even shorter without here armor on. She was only three feet tall. "How was it dangerous though? I knew what I was doing."_

_ "I know that." Jacob says. "But-"_

_ "Let her do as she wishes." A cool, smooth voice says. They both look to see Zongazonga strolling towards them, his black cloak flowing behind him, and his ice eyes half lidded. "After all, isn't it important that she enjoy her youth when she can climb like that?"_

_ "Yes, sire." Jacob says. "But that's no reason for her to climb one that tall."_

_ "..." Zongazonga blinks, then looks down at the rebel leader. "And what say you?"_

_ "Hm?" She hums, looking up at him. Zongazonga suddenly crouches down in front of her, holding her chin causing her to look up at him._

_ "I mean..." He whispers. "What do you think? Don't you like being able to do what you want?"_

_ "DON'T DO THAT TO HER!" Jacob roars. Zongazonga looks at Jacob from the corner of his eye, his eyebrows raising slightly. "...Sire!" _

_ "What not?" Zongazonga asks. "She doesn't seem to mind."_

_ The rebel leader then bites Zongazonga's hand._

_ "AGH!" He roars with pain, jumping up and back from her and grabbing his hand. "That hurt!"_

_ "It was suppose to!" The rebel leader says. She then darts off, disappearing around a bend._

_ "That wouldn't of happened if you had just left her alone!" Jacob says bitterly._

_ "..." Zongazonga says nothing, then sighs. "There's two problems with you Jacob: you act as if you're her father, and you refuse to have a bit of romance in your life."_

_ "YOU CALL WHAT YOU DO ROMANCE?!" Jacob roars, angry. "There's something wrong with YOU: SHE'S JUST A CHILD! She's not even a decade old even!"_

_ "..." Zongazonga blinks, then closes his eyes and smiles faintly. "There's a problem with you: You can't see her true age."_

_ "WHAT IN CALIOSTEO IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!"_

_ "It means just what it means."_

_ "But that doesn't make even the smallest bit of sense!"_

_ "Then that's your fault."_

_ "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SAID IT!"_

_ "But it's your fault for not being able to understand."_

_ "Why did I agree to come?!" Jacob asks, grabbing his head in frustration. "I could be doing far more useful things with my time..."_

_ "Like what?" Zongazonga asks._

_ "Working." Jacob says. "Over looking repair projects, calculating numbers, checking the mine quotas, and tending my vegetable garden."_

_ "...You REALLY must find something else to do." Zongazonga says plainly. "But you came because you wouldn't DARE leave the poor, defenseless, little girl here alone here with me." Zongazonga turns, and walk back in the direction he came from. "Not that I would mind."_

_ "Can't you just leave the poor girl alone?!" Jacob asks. "She wants you to leave her alone, and I won't stand for what you try to do!" Zongazonga stops._

_ "...Jacob?" He asks._

_ "Yes...sire?" Jacob asks._

_ "I take it you would like to go on a scouting mission?" Zongazonga asks, making Jacob's face go pale. "After all, I have gotten a report that the wild animals are getting hostile again..."_

_ "...N-No...No sire..." Jacob stammers._

_ "..." Zongazonga grins some. "Good...and see that it stays that way..." He continues walking._

_ "..." Jacob stand there, then hangs his head. "I can't go there...I can't leave Pipsqueak..." He grips his head in frustration again. "But if I intervene, he'll send me! And if I don't...Oh, by the Islands...I don't want to even THINK of that!"_

_ "Think of what?" Jacob looks to see the rebel leader looking at him, peeking between the leaves on the bushes._

_ "Uh...don't worry about it." He sighs. "But...when I'm not around, can you carry a knife with you?"_

_ "..." The rebel leader says nothing, but comes out of the bushes, and take some throwing knifes from her vest, a pair of gloves with steel spikes on the knuckles, and numb chucks. "Is there anything else I should carry?"_

_ "..." Jacob just stands there, looking at the weapons with surprise. "...Do you have something that will knock people out?"_

_ "I can get something." She says._

...

"...Like...what...?" I ask, my voice a quiet whisper.

"I see you're waking up. Good." I hear Xavia's voice say. I become aware of the fact that I'm lying on my back, my feet bare. My eyes slowly open, allowing me to see I'm in the room with the exercise and tech equipment in Xavia's house. I can see her out of the corner of my eye, wearing a navy shirt, light blue jeans, her boots and a lab coat while her hair is in a ponytail with her bangs down while she sits at her computer, typing on it.

"...What..."

"Todd." Xavia says simply, not looking at me. "He called and said you had been asleep for some time. From what I've gathered, you've been asleep for over twenty-four hours. Unfortunately, it's been a shallow sleep."

"..." I blink.

"But it seems you're sick." She continues. "Apparently you're depressed about something, and your mind deals with it by sleep..."

"..."

"Yes, you can go if you want." Xavia tells me, answering my unasked question. "But if it gets worse, tell someone. Depression can make some people commit suicide."

"...Hm..." I hum. I then sit up, swing my feet down and pull on my boots, then exit the room, then walk out of the house. I walk with my feet dragging some, and my head down. _Depression...That would explain my wanting to curl up in a dark corner and wallow in my self misery. _I've never been depressed before. Or at least I think I haven't. I come to the path way that'll take me to The Base, and I turn towards it.

"There he is!" I hear a girl squeal, about thirty feet away. The sound of hurried footsteps fills my ears. There's two of them.

"Hey! You're Red Broke, right?!" Another one asks.

"...Hm..." I hum, not looking at them.

"Hey, hey!" I feel one of them grab my arm, making me stop and they both jump in front of me. One has blue eyes, the other has green, while they both have auburn hair, and the same out fits, white shirts, short sleeved red sweaters, and black skirts.

"We just want to talk!" The one with blue eyes says.

"..." I say nothing, but walk between them, not looking at them.

"Hey!" The other one, with the green eyes, says. I'm able to distinguish them from their voices. "We were just wondering if you'd go out with one of us!"

"Yeah!" The other says. "After all, we're the best picks!"

"She's right you know!" The green eyed one says. "After all, we're rich and beautiful! What else could you want?"

_Rosie. _

"We're also good listeners!" The blue eyed one says. "We're all you need!"

"Besides," The other stars. "Anyone else who like you is just a huge loser and-"

Something inside me snaps.

"**SHUT UP!**" I roar, whirling around to face them, my face hard with anger and fire in my eyes. They freeze and go pale at my expression. "IF YOU TWO THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE, THEN YOU WOULDN'T BE ACTING LIKE THIS AND IF YOU REALLY DO LIKE ME YOU'D LET ME PICK WHO I HAVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH! Not to mention you two probably just called HUNDREDS of other girls losers just because of your horrible speech skills, and if you guys think I'd even consider liking anyone who insults people like that, then go do it somewhere else!"

"..." They stand there, their faces paler than the moon, and their mouths gaping. I then whirl away, my face still hard and my brows knitted with anger, my shoulders hunched as I walk off. I see Todd, who's standing there with surprise on his face.

"A-are you okay?" He asks me. I walk past him, not acknowledging him. "R-Red! Hey!" He hurries to catch up with me as I walk with long strides. "Red, are-" He puts his hand on my shoulder.

"I'M FINE!" I roar, whirling around to look at him as well as slapping his hand off my shoulder.

"..." Todd says nothing, but his face turns pale and his eyes are scared.

...

I suddenly realize he's afraid, and that I caused it.

"..." My face softens, guilty fills my like a flash flood, and I feel tears spring into my eyes. I take a step back, then another, then turn and bolt down the path to the housing area.

_WHAT IS __**WRONG **__WITH ME?! _I yell at myself.

_He didn't do anything! He didn't deserve that! WHY did I snap at him?! Why did I yell at him?! Why did I have to scare him like that?! _

_ 'Red?' _Flamethrower asks. I feel worry and alarm from my vivosaurs. I shove them out of my mind, then seal off the connection.

_I DON'T WANT YOUR WORRY OR PITY! _I roar. _I DON'T DESERVE IT! I DON'T DESERVE ANYTHING! _I charge into The Base, pound up the stairs, run into my room, and slam the door behind me. I fall face first on the bed, roll on my side, curl up into a tight ball, my face against my knees, and I silently sob. _WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!_ I yell again. It echoes through my mind over and over again, while it's like the expression on Todd's face is painted to the back of my eye lids, since it just sits there at the front of my mind. I sit and cry in the dark, my vivosaurs unable to make contact with me. I don't know how much time passes. All I know is that I'm a terrible person. After...some time, I hear the door open, and I feel Todd's blue eyes looking at me. I lie silent, not moving.

"...R...Red...?" I hear his quiet voice ask. I could tell he had been crying. "...I...I'm sorry...That...I made you mad...I didn't mean to...I...I was just worried...But...it...really...really scared me...You're eyes weren't yours...they were an angry blue..."

"..." I say nothing, but more tears come from my eyes. "...Todd...?" I croak.

"...Yeah?" He asks.

"...Please come in..." I hear him turn on the light switch, and then the rustle of the bean bags as he sits on one, undoubtedly sitting at the small table. I reach under my pillow, and pull out my scrapbook, then get up from the bed, my eyes red and stinging. I turn and walk over to the table, then sit down at it, across from Todd and putting the book on the table. He looks at it with a slightly confused expression, and I slide it over to him. "Just...look through that..."

"..." He says nothing, but takes it, undoes the buckle on the front, and opens it. I set my head down on the table, the sound of him turning a page in my ears, then silence, then the sound of him turning the next page.

A page turns, then there's a long silence, and I feel him gaping at me.

He quickly turns page after page, undoubtedly looking at the pages of pictures faster and faster.

The sound stops.

"..." Todd says nothing, so I look up at him to see him looking at me, utter shock on his face, and his jaw dropped as low as it'll go.

"...My name..." I tell him, looking down at the table, my bangs hiding my eyes. "isn't Red Hart Broke...It's Red Jacob Ranger."

"..." A quiet, high-pitched squeak of shock comes from his gaping mouth.

"...That's right." I tell him. I look back up at him, allowing him to see my sad, deep blue eyes that are brimmed with tears. "I'm the kid who stopped Guhnash, and ran away from home."

"..." Todd makes the noise again, even more inaudible this time.

"...I'm sorry...that I didn't tell you." I tell him, the tears streaming down my face. "I...I just couldn't go back..." I wipe my arm across my face, wiping away my tears. "I love my parents and my friends, and I had a great life, but I just couldn't take my cousins and their picking on me relentlessly. I HAD to get away from them, and the only way was to run. I didn't want to leave Vivosaur Island, but the police found me and I had to run..." I'm crying again, my head on my arms, which are on the table. "I lied when I told you I never liked a girl when we were at Rainbow Canyon...Mary, the girl with the blonde hair in the first pictures, I liked her, but it...it wasn't real. It was puppy love...when I got to Vivosaur, I met Rosie Richmond, and...I...I fell in love with her. I love her. More than anything, and I had to leave her without even getting to tell her...I couldn't even tell her goodbye...I...I just want to see her again...I want to tell her, I want to hold her, and want to see her smiling and laughing, and I want the pain inside me to go away..." I sob, and I feel Todd hug me, sitting next to me. I cry against his chest, and I can feel his eyes of pity looking at me, and he rocks me. It's strange actually. No one would think that the guy who saved the world from some evil skull would be the kind of person who breaks down like this.

"..." Todd says nothing, but doesn't stop either. He lets me sob, and I keep talking. I can't make out all of what I say, but I can make out that I'm talking about everything I've done since I ran away, about Medal-Dealer Joe, the Digadig Tribe, Rivet Ravine, Captain Woolbeard, Nick Nack, taking out the BB Bandits, getting Master Status, meeting Duna as a Dinaurian, the idol comps, what it was like when I was teleported aboard the Starship the first time, fighting against time and the Dinaurians to get the idol fragments, fighting King Dynal, Raptin accidently calling Guhnash to Earth, fighting Guhnash, doing the hip shaker dance to get Rosie's memories back, even when Rosie kissed me for saving her, when we almost kissed those few times, Holt teasing me for liking her, the dance, and the police finding me.

"..." Todd says nothing after I stop talking, and I sit there silent, tears still flowing from my eyes. "...That's a crazy story."

"Yeah..." I say, nodding. I sit up, cracking my neck. "It's gotten so hard to imagine I did all of that..." Todd silently nods.

"..." We sit in silence, and Todd starts humming something. I recognize the tune, and hum along.

"...Some...times in our life, we all have pain, we all have sorrow..." I sing.

"But, if we are wise, we know that there's always tomorrow..." Todd sings. He puts his arm around my shoulders, as I do likewise. "Lean on me, when you're not strong, and I'll help you carry on, for it won't be long,"

"Till I'm gonna need someone to lean on." We both sing, smiles starting to appear on our faces. "Please swallow your pride, if I have something you need to borrow. For if no one can fill those of your needs, that you won't let it show. You can just call, on, me brother! When you need a hand! We all need, somebody to lean on! I just might have a problem, that you understand! We all need somebody, to lean on!" We sing, swaying back and forth, smiling and laughing some.

"Thanks..." I say, wiping a tear away with the palm of my hand. "Thank you so much Todd."

"You're welcome!" Todd happily chirps. "You said you promised that you would see Rosie again, and if there's one thing I defiant of, you always keep your promises!" I smile.

"Yeah dawg." I say. "But...ya know...it feel good to tell someone. I thought that it was about to swallow me. And...the pain isn't as bad now...It was the pain that I kept who I was hidden."

"What do you mean?" Todd asks, confused.

"I mean, I was the only one who knew who I really was." I tell him. "By not telling anyone, by making every think I was someone else, I was lying to myself. You change a lot of things about you, but you can never change who you truly are."

"..." Todd blinks. "Wow...That's a good point..."

"Exactly." I say, looking at him and smiling. "Just...promise you won't tell anyone, m'kay?"

"I promise!" Todd says happily smiling. "But...THIS IS SO **AWESOME**!" He says, jumping up and pulling me to my feet, then jumping up and down. "I CAN'T BELIEVE MY BRO IS-"

"Todd!" I clap my hand over his mouth. "Please don't yell my real name."

"Hmmmmmmmm...Hm-hm." He hums, happily nodding. I remove my hand, and he gives me a death hug. "THIS IS SO AWESOME..." He says, his voice high-pitched and excited. I smile, and hug him back.

"I'm just glad I have you as a bro." I tell him, my hug lift him off the ground. We hug for a bit.

"You really are a good hugger." Todd says.

"Yup." I say nodding. "And we me and Rosie get back together-"

"I'm sure you are." Todd says. I laugh, and set him down.

"C'mon." I say. "Let's go meet up with the others." I close my scrap book, and hide it back under my pillow. Todd and I grab our back packs, then head out the door to Treasure Lake to meet up with our friends. We chat and joke along the way, playfully pushing each other and laughing. I'm lucky to have a friend like Todd. No matter what happens, he'll always be my brother. We get to Treasure Lake, and see Rupert, Pauleen, Xavia and Joe next to it, talking.

"So ya think Red's alright?" Joe asks.

"I don't know." Xavia says. "I could study the human mind for hundreds of life times, but still be able to figure out everything about it. There's just no possible way to learn everything about it."

"Well, don't worry!" I call. They look to see Todd and I walking over. "Todd's helped me out, and I'm feeling great again."

"That's good to hear." Rupert says smiling. "He told us about how you were sleeping, and Xavia was telling us about the depression..."

"Don't worry." I tell him. I smile. "I'm a right as rain now!" They smile.

"I'm glad you helped Todd, digadig!" Pauleen says. "It's so sweet of you, digadig!"

"Uh..." Todd smiles awkwardly, blushing at her praise.

"Aw, cut it out Pauleen!" Xavia says, smiling. "You're making the poor guy blush!"

"I'm sure anyone would if they were praised like that." Rupert says.

"Y-yeah!" Todd says quickly.

_He's just blushing because Pauleen thinks he's sweet. _I think, smiling.

"Alrighty," Joe says, his warm smile on his face. "what should we do?"

"Well, Sarisa's over there." Xavia says, looking over at Sarisa, who has her pick in hand and looking at her sonar. "I redesigned her pick so it'll be very light."

"Really?" Rupert asks, surprised.

"Yup!" Xavia says proudly, happily smiling.

"Do you think you could let my father look at it?" Rupert asks. "The company's been trying to do that."

"Course!" Xavia says. "I'd be honored!"

"Well, besides diggin', what should we do?" Joe asks.

"JOE~!" We hear a man say happily. Joe freezes, horror on his face.

"...Oh...NO..." He groans, his shoulders slumping and his head hanging.

"Hey!" We look to see a man strolling over us.

_Is that... _I recognize him. _That's Joe's older brother! _

"HEEEEY!" He says, getting Joe in a head lock making Joe's hat fall off his head. "How's my favorite little brother?!" He asks, giving Joe a noogie.

"Grrrrr..." Joe has a very angry look on his face.

_This won't end well. _I think.

Joe suddenly punches his brother, making him let go and fall onto his back.

"That...felt good." Joe says, fixing his messed up hair.

"..." We all stand there, shocked at what just happened.

"AWESOME!" Xavia says, a huge smile on her face.

"Thanks." Joe says, putting his hat back on.

"THAT...HURT..." Joe's brother says, pushing himself up.

"It was s'pose to." Joe says dryly.

_'They seem to have a...thunderous...relationship.' _Flamethrower observes.

_'They seem more like enemies than brothers.' _Air Strike says.

"Now, what'n tarnation are ya doin' here?" Joe asks, looking at his brother.

"What?" He asks, standing up. "Can't a guy come visit his little brother?"

"Jack, why in th' world would I wanna idiot visitin' me?" Joe asks, irritation obvious on his face.

"That hurt my feelings!" Joe's brother, Jack, says.

_'This guy is a drama queen...er...king.' _Cloud Cover says.

_'This'll be fun...' _I think sarcastically.

"Do ya have ta' so dramatic?" Joe asks, his face flat.

"I'm not dramatic!" Jack says, offended.

"Then quit actin' like ya are!"

"But I don't!"

"Grrrrr..." I can tell Joe just wants to strangle his brother.

"After all, I-" Jack suddenly gets a look of surprise, and looks past Joe, blinking. We all look to see him looking at Sarisa, who's still digging. "...Who's she?"

"Sarisa." Joe says, looking at his brother with a glare. Jack blinks again, then looks back at Sarisa. He then smiles, tugs at the tips of his shirt collar, and wags his eye brows.

"HEL-LO Sarisa~!" He says. Todd, Rupert, Pauleen and I all facepalm, Joe raises his hand to smack his brother upside the head, but Xavia beats him by kicking Jack in the shin. "OW!" He exclaims, grabbing his knee as Xavia runs off towards Sarisa. Joe then smacks his brother upside the head. "What?!"

"Don't ya DARE go anywhere near Sarisa!" Joe tells him with a glare.

"..." Realization appears of Jack's face. "Oh...OH...I see, I see."

"What?" Joe asks, still glaring.

"YOU don't want me to near her because you're in love with her." Jack says, making Joe's face turn red and his eyes widen.

"THAT AIN'T TRUE!" Joe yells.

"Or is it?" Jack asks, giving him the Spanish inquisition.

"..." Joe punches his brother again, making him fall on his back again.

"I'm okay!" Jack says, pointing up into the air as if to make a point.

"...Hm..." Joe hums, putting his hands in his pockets.

_'We should probably leave these two to argue.' _I think, my vivosaurs agreeing. I make a 'follow me' motion to Todd, Rupert and Pauleen, making them follow as I lead them down to where Sarisa and Xavia are.

"So you kicked him in the shin?" Sarisa asks Xavia.

"He'd better be thankful I didn't kick as hard as I can." Xavia says, looking up at Sarisa. "Otherwise, his leg would probably be broken."

"True that." Sarisa agrees, nodding.

"I just can't believe that Joe could be so...aggressive." Rupert says with disbelieve.

"I'll say." Xavia says, Sarisa looking at us.

"Heeeeeey!" We all look to see Jack running towards us, Joe running after him with anger obvious on his face. Jack runs right up to Sarisa. "I'm Jack."

"Sarisa." Sarisa says, taking a step back.

"What do you do for a living?" Jack asks happily.

"I'm a doctor." Sarisa tells him. "I get paid to stab people with sharp objects."

"..." Jack keeps the big smile on his face, but takes a large step back. "Okay then!" We snicker at his reaction.

_She's trying to give him a reason to stay away from her...besides Xavia of course. _I think.

"What's your sign?" Jack asks.

_That was a BIT forward, don't ya think?_

In response, Sarisa pulls off her back pack, opens it, and pulls out a literal sign that says **STOP**. "This." She says as we laugh and while Jack blinks, dumbfounded.

"She did answer yer question." Joe tells his brother bitterly. Jack shoots Joe a glare, then looks back at Sarisa, smiling.

"What's your number?" Jack asks.

"It's in the phone book." Sarisa tells him flatly.

"...But I don't know your name."

"That's in the phone book too."

"..." Jack blinks, while we laugh. "Well...I know how to please a woman!"

"Then please leave me alone."

"...Um...I'd like to give myself to you!"

"I don't accept cheap gifts."

"...Hm...I'd...go through anything for you!"

"Great! Let's start with your bank account!"

"...I would go to the end of the world for you!"

"But would you stay there?"

"Where have you been all my life?"

"Hiding from scum like you, where else?"

"...Your eyes are amazing!"

"Seeing you leaving wouldn't be half bad either."

"Your face is like a dream?"

"Then go back to sleep."

"Well...I can TELL you want me!"

"To leave."

"...Uh..." Jack stands there, while we're laughing our heads off at Sarisa's comebacks.

_'Do you think she got these from experience?' _Cloud Cover Laughs.

_'I dunno, but they're pretty good!' _Air Strike laughs.

"Let's face it Jack, she don't want ya, so just leave 'er alone." Joe tells his brother, snickering.

"No!" Jack says. He looks back at Sarisa. "I will have you!"

"The only thing you're going to have is some giant bruises on your face unless you leave her alone." Xavia says, cracking her knuckles. Jack looks at her.

"Oh yeah? What'cha gonna do?" He asks her. Xavia takes off her back pack, opens it, and pulls out a long sock tied off at the open end, and with some kind of large lump at the closed end. "...What is that?"

"..." Xavia says nothing, but then swings it over her head, and then hits on the head Jack with it.

"OW!" He yells, rubbing his head. "What's-" Xavia hits him again and again, making Jack start to run away from her. We all laugh as we watch Xavia chase him around, hitting him with the sock and as she yells war cries.

"What IS that?!" Jack yells.

"FEAR MY SOCK FULL OF BUTTER!" Xavia yells, hitting him with it again. The yell only makes us laugh harder.

"That thing's full of BUTTER?!" Todd laughs.

"Yeah!" Sarisa laughs. "She always uses it for some reason, but it's incredibly effective!"

"MAKE HER STOP ALREADY!" Jack yells, running over to us. He grabs Joe by the collar, desperation on his face. "Make her stop hitting me with it!"

"She don't listen to me!" Joe laughs.

"FEAR MY BUTTER SOCK!" Xavia yells, swinging it over her head and running straight at Jack, who runs as fast as he can off of the dig site.

"Okay, okay...you've put the man through enough pain Xavia." Sarisa laughs as we all keep laughing.

"Yes ma'am!" Xavia says, happily smiling. She puts the butter sock away, then pulls her back pack on.

"You use a sock full of BUTTER to beat people up, digadig?" Pauleen asks, doubled over from laughing.

"I also use my fists and feet, my knees and elbows, and anything I can get my hands on, even if it comes to ripping their arm off and beating them to death with it." Xavia says, smiling.

"..." We all stop laughing and look at her.

"Oh, don't worry. I've never had to do that before." She tells us with a reassuring smile.

"...I can still see you doing it somehow." Rupert says nervously.

"Great!" Xavia says happily.

"..." We all stand there, unsure of what to do.

"...I'll...go make sure he don't run into anythin'." Joe tells us. He turns, and hurries off the dig site, leaving all of us standing there.

"Hey!" Xavia says, her face lighting up with an idea. "Since Elizabeth is irritating Sarisa and Joe has an annoying relative visiting, why don't we go camping?"

"I love camping!" Sarisa says, happily smiling and clapping her hands together.

"It'll be just like back home, digadig!" Pauleen squeals.

"It's been awhile. Why not?" I ask with a smile.

"Oh! Could we share a tent?!" Todd asks me. "It'll be just like when we were living in the bungalows!"

"Yeah dawg!" I say.

"...I've...never been camping." Rupert says.

"..." We all look at him, to see him standing with his hands in his coat pockets.

"What is WRONG with you?!" Xavia asks.

"Xavia..." Sarisa says.

"Sorry." Xavia quickly says.

_It's amazing how obedient and loyal she is to her... _I think.

"Well, I'd like to try it." Rupert tells us with a faint smile.

"SWEET!" Xavia says. "Dude, trust me, you are gonna LOVE camping!"

_I'm sure he'd love anything that might get him some alone time with you. _I think.

"Let's go get the stuff we need!" Todd says, tugging at my sleeve.

"One of us should ask Joe to come, digadig." Pauleen points out.

"We can do that later." Xavia says. "But now, we need to get food, fire starter, I have a torch we can use to light the fire, and..." She goes one, sticking with bare needs like batteries for flashlights and lanterns, canned foods, stuff like that.

"Let's go get 'em!" Sarisa says. We all head into town, go to a store, and purchase everything we need, while Xavia has tents we can use.

_'Do you think you should ask Joe?' _Air Strike asks me.

_'Yeah...I will.' _I think, hopping on the helicopter to Cranial Isle. I ride over, and hop off when it lands, then spot Joe standing next to the moat around the Fighter Station. "Joe!" I call, running over to him.

"Hey Red!" He says with a smile. "What'cha need?"

"I just came to ask if you wanted to go camping." I tell him.

"Hoo-eee! I haven't done that fer fun since I was high school!" Joe tells me. "Course I'll come!"

"Yay!" I say, jumping in the air. Joe smiles.

"Hey!" We both hear Sarisa call.

"GYAH!" Joe exclaims. He jumps his foot moving back, then putting his weight on it. The only problem is that half of his foot is over the moat, making him lose his balance and start to fall back.

"Joe!" I exclaim jumping forward, trying to grab his coat. My fingers miss by an inch, and he falls down into the moat with a splash.

"Joe!" Sarisa exclaims, running over. We look down into the moat to see Joe sitting there, his knees bent and leaning back on his hands, soaking wet, the brim of his hat hanging down over his eyes, while his face is red and miserable.

"..." Sarisa and I say nothing, and Joe lifts up the brim of his hat, looking up at us, smiling an awkward, embarrassed smile.

"...Eh...oops...?" He asks.

"..." I hear Sarisa laugh some, and look to see her with hands over her mouth as she laughs.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry..." She laughs. "I-I shouldn't be laughing..."

"Uh..." Joe looks down at his feet, which are under water.

"I'll get ya out!" I call down, pulling my pick out. I hold the handle, extending the head down to Joe, who grasps it, and I pull him out, water dripping from him, causing a puddle to gather at his feet.

"You all right?" Sarisa asks. Joe quickly nods, his face still red. "I'm...I'm really sorry about that. I...didn't...mean to make you jump."

"I-I-It's my fault fer jumpin'!" Joe stammers out.

_Dino...this is awkward for me. _I think, my pick balanced over my shoulder. We all stand in an awkward silence, Joe looking down at his feet, which shuffle back and forth nervously. _Was I this bad around Rosie...? I don't think so...It's hard to imagine how naive I was then...and how short a time ago...But it seems...everyone, no matter their age, race, gender...ANYTHING...everyone has something they can't grasp. Something they don't understand. Something they're naive about...For Joe, it's romance. I'm sure he's had women breaking down his door at one point or another, but he still just can't get it, so...All of its come back now, when he's especially struggling with it... _I hide a smile. _But worry Joe. I'll help somehow...I promise. I don't want you to realize that you're in love when it's too late...To make the same mistake I did._

"So...are you gonna go camping with us Joe?" Sarisa asks.

"Uh...Yeah...?" Joe asks, still looking at his feet.

"Great!" Sarisa says, smiling happily. "I'll see y'all tomorrow!" She turns and runs off, undoubtedly to board the helicopter.

"Well, that could've gone better, eh Joe?" I ask.

"Sarisa's...goin'...?" Joe asks, his shoulders slumped.

"Uh, yes sir?" I ask awkwardly. "Why...wouldn't she? Aren't you happy? You'll get to see her more than you do in one day..."

"...Ya...I..." Joe sighs, hanging his head and shoulders as if out of energy. "I wouldn't...quite...expect ya...to understand..."

_...I understand better than you do. _I think.

"I'm gonna go get changed." Joe tells me, walking into the Fighter Station.

"That, is a good idea." I say, holding up my index finger as if for reference. I then turn on my heel, and walk over to the heliport, wait for a chopper, then climb onto one when it arrives, riding back to Ribular. It arrives, and I hop off, into the square which is flooded with the late afternoon sunrays. I walk down the path to the housing area, my pick still balanced on my shoulder and my face plain.

_'Well, today's been an interesting day.' _Air Strike says.

_'Indeed.' _I think in response. I come to The Base, walk up the path way to the door, then stop. _'...But, I just got an idea of how to make it a bit funnier...'_

* * *

><p>Todd walks up to The Base, smiling. <em>Boy, today's been wicked crazy! <em>He thinks. _I still can't believe Red, my best bro and wingman, is THE RED! Red Ranger! Maybe I should do something nice for him? Show him how much it means to me that he wants to be my friend? _Todd opens the door, and steps into the foyer.

"Look Todd!" He hears Red say. Todd sees Red standing there, in the foyer.

He held four kittens in his arms, while two sat on his shoulders, one held onto his pants leg, one laid across his foot, and one was even poking out of his hair.

"Look Todd!" Red says a again, a big happy smile on his face. "KITTENS~!"

"..." Todd says nothing. "...REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED!"

"...What?" Red asks, his smile disappearing. "You don't like kittens?"

"..." Todd facepalms.

* * *

><p>"What?" I ask Todd, who just facepalmed.<p>

"..." He looks up at me. "...KITTENS?! SERIOUSLY MAN?!"

"..." I smile happily again. "Yes!"

"..." Todd again facepalms.

"Okay, okay..." I say sadly. "I just wanted to make you laugh."

"...Do you feel like someone IS laughing at us?" Todd asks.

"I hate that feeling!" I say. "It makes me feel like I'm being stalked by a bunch of stalkers..."

"I know..." Todd says, hanging his head.

"I'll go return the kittens to our neighbor." I tell Todd, walking past him out the door. I return the kittens, then go back to The Base, go into the kitchen, and start making supper.

"Wait!" Todd says, rushing in. "I'll make supper!"

"It's okay." I tell him, smiling. "I go it."

"No really! Let me do it!" Todd insists. "I wanna do something nice for you and you always cook!"

"Todd, I cook because I enjoy it." I tell him, moving the vegetables around in the pan. "It makes me happy when you enjoy my cooking."

"I-I know! But...still..."

"This...doesn't have anything to do with me being me...right?"

"...W-well...it's just...I'm really happy you wanna be my friend, so I wanna do something to thank you for it!"

"...I...see..." I look at him and smile, then pat him on the head. "Just let thing stay the same. Who I am shouldn't change our friendship." I look back at the vegetables, and continue moving then around the pan. "When you make a friendship based off of popularity, wealth, social status, or they'll be your friend for something exchange, like money, homework answers, or protection, then those are hollow friendships. They aren't strong, and will completely collapse and shatter under pressure. But, when one is like the one we have, it can and will withstand and outlive anything."

"Oh..." Todd says. "O...K...then..."

"Don't worry." I tell him, adding some diced meat to the vegetables. "But it's nice of you to offer."

"Okay..." Todd says again. I just smile happily

_I'm just glad...I can have Todd for a friend. _I think. I finish cooking the meal, and serve it. Todd and I eat, Todd asking me about my adventures on Vivosaur. I tell him about them, withholding no information. It's strange to be telling someone my affections for Rosie, but still. It eases some part of my mind. After we eat, Todd offers to do the dishes, while I take a shower. I agree, go upstairs to my room, strip, and get into my giant shower. I take a nice, long, hot shower, then plug the drain, allowing the water to fill the tub.

_'Enjoying yourself?' _Air Strike asks, as I sit down on the part that's raised up.

_'Yeah...I like how you have this big tub that you can sit and relax in...' _I tell him.

_'OH!' _Cloud Cover says. _'I know what would make it more enjoyable!' _She tells me something.

_'Hey...YEAH!' _I quickly get up, wrap a towel around my waist, go over to the vanity, open one of the cabinet doors under the marble top, and pull out a deep blue bottle. I pour some of the liquid inside of it into the tub, making fluffy, white bubbles appears. I put the bottle away, unwrap the towel, and get back into the tub, the warm water washing over my skin as I lower myself into the water, which now has a thick layer of bubbles on top of it. _It's been quite the while since I've had one of these... _I enjoy it for a long time, until the water cools off, then let it drain out and dry off. I wrap a towel around my waist, go back into my room, and open the dresser drawer that holds all of my boxers, to see only one pair left. _...Hm..._ I think, picking them up. _I guess I'll have to wash some clothes tomorrow. _I pull them on, then hear a knock at the door. I go over and open it to see Todd standing there white a white bag in his hand.

"Yeeeeeeeees?" I ask. Todd smiles.

"Well, I got you something while you were taking your shower!" He tells me.

"Thanks Todd!" I tell him.

"Well, I wanted to get you something since you entrusted me with your secret, and for being such an epically awesome friend!"

"YAYZ!" I say, hugging him, picking him up off the ground. "Thanks man!"

"You're welcome!" Todd tells me happily. I put him down, and let him come into my room, shutting the door behind him. He pulls out a deep blue object of fabric. "Since you only wear your boxers when you sleep, I got you this!" He holds it out to me, and I take it, unfolding it. It's a light robe with a black waist tie, black running on the edge, and on the end of the sleeves. I pull it on, and tie the waist tie. It falls to my knees, the sleeves stop at my elbows, and the fabric is soft and smooth from where it rubs against my skin.

"Wow..." I say, rubbing my palm against where my shoulder connects to my torso. "This is really nice!"

"That's why I got it!" Todd tells me happily. "And! And! I got you this!" He pulls out a plain white apron from the bag as well. It's a man's apron, and has a black waist tie and the part that goes around the neck is black as well.

"Thanks man!" I say, taking it.

"You're welcome!" Todd says before yawning. "It's getting late..." He says, suddenly sleepy.

"It is about time we get to sleep." I tell him. "But thanks again...for everything. I'll pay you back."

"You already have." Todd tells me. "You saved me from a bunch of stuff, and you don't mind when I come to you after a nightmare!"

"Ah..." I say. "But still, thanks." He smiles, and picks up the empty bag.

"Night Red!"

"Night Todd!" He exits the room, shutting the door behind him. I take off the robe, fold it, then roll it up, and put in one of the indentions above my pillow, next to the built in clock. I turn the lights off, lay down in my bed, pulling the covers up to my chin, and lay in darkness until I fall into a deep, restful sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-FINALLY! Whew! Well, didn't take as long as last time, but still...<strong>

**Red: At least I got my secret off my chest, even if it was a little.**

**Magma: Yup! Now, just gotta post this, then it's back to pizza and video games!**

**Red: YES! PIZZA! *start gobbling down a slice***

**Magma: HEY! That's MY pizza!**

**Red: ...Oops...?**

**Magma: *pulls out giant hammer from nowhere* NOBODY EATS MY PIZZA!**

**Red: GYAH! *runs out of room***

**Magma: GET BACK HERE! *chases after him***

**Flamethrower: *sighs* Looks like we'll do the reviews...**

**fossil fighter R.B.P: **

**Air Strike: I know right? It's weird how she's perfectly fine with it though...**

**Cloud Cover: I wasn't too surprised really.**

**Flamethrower: It would be interesting if there was person in real life like that though...**

**Guest:**

**Air Strike: Magma is watching that anime.**

**Cloud Cover: It's so funny with their reactions to things and the little ferret-creature.**

**Flamethrower: Magma would probably make Red freeze up whenever he was in front of a crowd.**

**Fuzzy:**

**Air Strike: *bursts out laughing* WE WAS WEARING A SKIRT!**

**Cloud Cover: He would, wouldn't he?**

**Flamethrower: Then he'd have to worry about fan girls and fan boys...**

**Adam S: **

**Air Strike: Magma did say something about them going on a crazy adventure...**

**Cloud Cover: BUT THEY DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ELSE!**

**Flamethrower: I'm not surprised..."No spoilers" they say...**

**mysterydude123:**

**Air Strike: We all do. We all do.**

**Cloud Cover: We'd make a hilarious anime! :D**

**Flamethrower: And a downright awesome one too.**

**Chidori Minami: **

**Air Strike: Guys, we're pulling a prank on Red tonight...**

**Cloud Cover: *smacks Air Strike upside the head***

**Flamethrower: Of course you're that awesome! :D**

**DigitalEmperor001:**

**Air Strike: Magma was planning for Todd to find out about Red's past since they're so close and all and stuff...and stuff.**

**Cloud Cover: Yeah...We don't even KNOW what Magma plans till they write it.**

**Flamethrower: Red received your message and says "Hello friend!" Back. There's also a little smiley face at the end...**

**Gunsandgames:**

**Team: It was, wasn't it?**

**Dragon girl mew:**

**Air Strike: Yeah...**

**Team: *resumes laughing uncontrollably***

**ilovedogs12**

**Cloud Cover: Yup!**

**Flamethrower: Indeed.**

**Air Strike: *still laughing***

**Sniperjun899:**

**Air Strike: Dude, NOTHING...NOTH. ING. Can stop Xavia. **

**Cloud Cover: Then of course there's Magma's twisted mind behind her, so there's no telling what could happen.**

**Flamethrower: She could take over the world in a day...if Magma let her.**

**1T1S1T: **

**Team: *still laughing***

**Dragunity Gemini:**

**Air Strike: *rolling on the floor laughing***

**Cloud Cover: Magma felt like they had to involve Rosie...just for old times' sake. ^^**

**Flamethrower: And Red really does wish he could see her in the sailor outfit.**

**Greywing44:**

**Air Strike: Magma was pleased by your satisfaction...but I'm not sure if it was creepy or not...**

**Cloud Cover: But, Magma does have a plan for the jealousy thing...**

**Flamethrower: It won't end well no doubt.**

**Camo: *runs in* GUYS! MAGMA'S TEARING UP THE HOUSE! AGAIN!**

**Team: YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSE TO BE HERE!**

**Camo: ...I'm not?**

**Team: NO!**

**Air Strike: You're not even IN this fan fiction!**

**Camo: ...oh...**

**?: I like trains.**

**Everyone: HEY! WAIT A- *train smashes through wall, hitting all of them***

**Red: *falls into room* I'm...still...alive...**

**Magma: *appears in doorway* Alright, that'll teach-...*looks around destroyed room* ...Did we miss something?**

**Camo: Leave a review...**

**Red: YOU'RE NOT IN THIS STORY!**


	67. Camping Trip

**AN-CAMPING TRIIIIIIIP!**

**Red: YAYZ~!**

**Magma: And Todd will ask a question about Red's past that'll bring up an embarrassing story!**

**Red: AW, COME ON!**

**Magma: I just love messing with you boys. **

**Red: What's the story?**

**Magma: *whispers in ear***

**Red: o_o WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!**

**Magma: I'M INSANE!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Sixty-Seven-Camping Trip<p>

"REEEEEEEEEED!" I hear Todd screech. My eyes pop open, I jump out of bed, throw open my door, charge down the hallway, and kick in Todd's door, doing a front roll and coming up into a ready-to-fight stance.

"I'm here Todd!" I say.

"..." Todd sits in his bed, holding the covers up to his chin, while his helmet is crooked on his head. "...That was only five seconds..."

"...Really?" I ask. "Wow...I'm fast."

"Yeah..." Todd says.

"But what's wrong?" I ask. There's nothing out of the ordinary, and sunlight pours through the windows. "Are you okay?" I ask, climbing on the bed and putting a hand on his shoulder. Todd falls back, his head landing on his pillow.

"Bad...BAD...dream..." He says.

"Ah..." I say. I then grab his shoulders. "Don't worry. It's JUST a dream!"

"Just a dream..." Todd says, gripping the covers.

"JUST...a dream..." I tell him. "...but usually I'm the one who yells..."

"I know..." Todd says. "I guess it rubbed off on me..."

"I don't think it works like that." I tell him.

"Me neither..." Todd says.

"YO! Up, up, up, UP!" We hear Xavia say.

"...How did she get in house?" Todd asks.

"Picked the lock, how else?" I ask.

"They're in Todd's room it looks like, digadig." Pauleen says.

"Over slept, no doubt." Rupert says. "After all, yesterday was-" The three of them appear in the door, and they see us.

"..." They say nothing, but get utterly disturbed looks on their faces.

"**DUDE!**" Xavia yells. "WHAT THE HECK?!"

"..." Todd and I say nothing. "What?" We ask at the same time.

"Do you have any idea how disturbing the position you're both in is?" Rupert asks, utter disturbance on his face.

"...OH..." Todd and I both say.

"WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU GUYS?!" Xavia yells again. I climb off the bed.

"Okay! It-"

"I MEAN, SERIOUSLY!" Xavia yells, cutting me off.

"Todd had a bad dream and he yelled my name so I came running!" I tell her.

"BUT STILL!" She yells. She then smacks her hand over her eyes. "Okay! I was never here!" She then whirls away, stomping out of the room.

"..." We all stand there.

"Why...She's more angry than diga-disturbed, digadig." Pauleen says.

"It might have something to do with her ancestor." Rupert says. "After all, Zongazonga did try to try to-"

"DON'T SAY IT!" We all yell at him.

"I wasn't going to!" He says.

"OH what happened to our lives?" Todd asks.

"The insane switch got turned on..." I tell him, suddenly realizing something. "OH MAN!" I yell, running out of the room. I dart into my room, grabbing the robe Todd gave me yesterday and pulling it on then tying it. _GREAT! I WAS ONLY WEARING MY BOXERS AND XAVIA AND PAULEEN WERE IN THERE! WHY DOES THE WORLD HATE ME?! _I fix the waist tie some, then walk out of the room, to see Rupert, Pauleen and Todd in the hallway. "Why are you guys here? You could've called."

"It's after nine." Rupert tells me. "We came to get the two of you up so we could go."

"OH..." Todd and I say in unison.

"Well, just give us ten minutes and we'll be ready." I say, looking at my bare wrist.

Eleven minutes later...

"That was ELEVEN minutes." Xavia tells me, "Not ten."

"Well, aren't you punctual." Rupert tells her happily. We're walking down a trail near Xavia's house, all of use carrying a backpack with our gear.

"Hm." Xavia hums.

"I don't think she took that as a compliment." I murmur to Rupert.

"...Hmmmm..." Rupert sadly sighs, hanging his head.

"C'mon!" Sarisa calls from the front of the line, eagerly hurrying ahead.

"Coming!" Xavia says, hurrying up to her.

"It's strange how she always hurries t' do somethin' Sarisa says or asks..." Joe says.

"I find it strange how Xavia follows Sarisa around all the time." I tell him.

"Hm." He hums in response. We continue to hike down the trail.

An hour later...

"Here it is!" Xavia says, hurrying ahead and pushing some bushes out of the way. We all walk into the clearing, which is surrounded by the woods, a single trail branching out of it, while a crystal clear stream flows down some rocks and into a creek that stretches the entire right side before disappearing into the woods.

"Nice spot!" Sarisa says, looking around as we come into the site.

"Well, should we start setting up?" Rupert asks.

"Yup!" Xavia tells him happily. "Pauleen! Could you help me pitch the tents?"

"Yes, digadig!" Pauleen says happily.

"Red! I need you to get some rocks about twice the size of your fist! Joe, you go get some fire wood, Rupert you help him, and Todd! Unpack the food!"

"What do I do?" Sarisa asks.

"What do you want to do?" Xavia asks.

"Could I help with the tents?"

"Of course!" Xavia tells her happily.

"Wait, so we don't get a choice?" Todd asks.

"NOPE." Xavia tells him.

"Let's go get the firewood Joe!" Rupert says, tugging at Joe's sleeve.

"Besides, I told y'all things that best suited you guys." Xavia tells us. "After all, Red's stronger so he can carry a lot of the rocks, Joe and Rupert can get plenty of firewood, and Todd's quick, so he can unpack the food faster."

"Ah." We all say.

"Alrighty, let's go get th' wood Rupert." Joe tells Rupert. The two of them head out into the woods, Todd starts to get out the food while the girls get out the tents. I head out past the tree line, walking down the other trail.

_'Why does she want you to get ROCKS?' _Air Strike asks.

_'I dunno.' _I tell him. _'But, I'm sure she has her rea-' _

"RED!" I hear Todd say before he jumps on me.

"Hey Todd!" I say, getting him in a fireman carry.

"I got done quick, so I thought I could maybe help you get the rocks." He tells me.

"Alright!" I say smiling. I walk down the path, carrying Todd, and we come to a large clearing with a clear river and a water fall, the water spray like diamonds sparkling in the sun.

"Hey! There's some rocks!" Todd says, pointing at some smooth rocks in the water.

"Sweet!" I say, letting him slide off my back. We take off our boots, and wade into the water, picking up the smooth, clean rocks. After we both have armfuls, we slip our boots on, and walk back down the trail.

"Do you think these're for a fire pit?" Todd asks.

"Probably." I tell him, looking over my shoulder at him. "I didn't see one in the clearing, so-" I stop.

"What?" Todd asks. "What's wrong?"

I can hear something.

It's...strange...High pitched...

"Don't...Don't you hear that?" I ask.

"...Hear what?" Todd asks.

"...That...That noise..." I say. "It...I..."

It gets louder, making my eye twitch.

"It...It..." I say. I feel like closing my ears.

It gets ever louder, turning into a ringing.

I drop the rocks, putting my hands over my ears.

"Red?" Todd asks. It's faint, and far off.

The ringing gets even louder, suddenly.

I release a pain filled roar, and fall to the ground, my hands pressing over my ears.

There's...something...blocking my connection with my vivosaurs...

It gets louder, and my roar increases with volume.

I'm barley even aware of Todd shaking me.

My eyes are squeezed shut with pain and the ringing gets louder...

And louder...

I barely open my eyes a bit, and I see the others running towards us.

Xavia yells something, Todd says something, in complete panic, and Xavia pulls out a white handkerchief, pushes it over my mouth and nose. I smell something unfamiliar, then blackout.

_"You really think I would let you go?" Zongazonga asks. "You REALLY think I would let you get away?"_

_ "No..." Jacob forces out. The area around them is black, while Jacob is on his knees, clutching his stomach. He's younger, only a teenager. _

_ "Then WHY did you try?!" Zongazonga roars, smacking him. "When you do that, you only get hurt! You only make it worse for yourself! YOU ONLY SHOW YOUR STUPIDITY!"_

_ "...I..." Jacob forces out. "...did it...be...cause...I...I-I..."_

_ "SPIT IT OUT!" Zongazonga roars._

_ "Hope..." Jacob says. "I was...determined...I want to help...the people of Caliosteo..."_

_ "THEN FIND SOME OTHER WAY TO DO IT!" Zongazonga yells, his pupils razor thin. He kicks Jacob on the side, then whirls away, his heavy black cape flapping. "Take something you're good at and use it to help them rather than trying to get yourself killed." Zongazonga growls before striding away. _

_ "..." A tear streams down from Jacobs eye. "...I can't do anything..."_

"That's not true..." I whisper.

"What?"

"...Wha...?" I open my eyes, my head spinning some. I'm on a flat surface, which is hard while I feel the sunlight warming me. I see Todd next to me, standing over me.

"He's waking up!" Todd says.

"SH!" Xavia hisses, making Todd shirk back some. "You okay?" She asks quietly, appearing in my field of vision.

"...My..." Talking makes my head hurt.

"Hold on." Xavia says. She presses something small and round against my mouth, which I let into my mouth. Todd pours some water in my mouth, which I swallow, and my headache disappears...

"Hey, are you alright?" A woman's voice asks. "Hey! Can you hear me?!" The first thing I'm aware of is my pounding headache.

"Ohhhh... my... head..." I moan. I feel someone put something small and round in my mouth, then some water, which I swallow with the small round thing. My headache almost immediately goes away and I open my eyes. I see a thin woman in her early thirties crouching next to me.

"Good, you're awake. Guess you're not dead." She helps me stand up then puts her first two fingers on her temples and closes her eyes. "My psychic powers tell me that your name is Red and that you're a Level 2 Fighter." I let out a small gasp. She laughs. "Just kidding. You dropped your Fighters License in the fall." She holds it out to me.

"Thank you." I say as I take it and put it in my pocket. "Who are you?"

"I'm Nevada Montecarlo. I'm a Fighter who specializing in expeditions too dangerous for locales." She explains as she uses a whip on the ground. "The Fossil Center hired me to infiltrate the Digadigamid and investigate the incident. But, those BB Bandit jerks tricked me down that trap door."

"Better?" Xavia asks, bringing me back.

"Much..." I say, pushing myself up. "Thanks..."

"No problem." She says.

"You gave us a pretty big scare." Sarisa says, handing me a cup of water. "We heard you yell all of sudden, and Todd had no idea what happened." I drink the water.

"I heard some kinda...ringing..." I tell her.

"Ringing?" Rupert asks. I look to see they made a fire pit with the rocks Todd and I got, and put some fallen logs around it to sit on, while a fire burns in the circle of stones. "Are you sure? Todd mentioned it, but he didn't hear anything."

"I was wondering why it got quiet." Xavia says, checking my pulse with her first two fingers pressed against my wrist.

"What?" Todd asks.

"Didn't you notice?" Xavia asks. "It got quiet. The animals and birds were able to hear the ringing, so they got quiet. Just be glad they didn't go rouge. Otherwise, we'd be in trouble."

"She's right." Sarisa says. She's sitting on one of the logs. "Animals have a higher hearing range than humans, so they could hear it while we couldn't...but..." She looks at me. "How did you?"

"...Uh...Well, when I was little I-" Xavia smacks me upside the head.

"Don't lie to her." Xavia tells me. "I did some research, and it seems Red here has superhuman hearing, so he was able to hear the ringing while we were unable."

"How does he have super humans hearing?!" Rupert asks.

"I'm not sure of that..." Xavia tells him.

_She just won't lie to Sarisa. _I think.

"But don't worry." Xavia tells me. "You'll be fine."

"What was on the handkerchief?" I ask.

"Ether." Xavia tells me. "Before I explain, get off the table." I look to see I'm sitting on a picnic table made of dark brown wood.

"...Where...?"

"Xavia built that." Joe says. We all look to see him coming into the clearing with an armful of wood. "She had the planks an' nails, so she just put it together."

"Ah." I say before hopping off the table.

"Ether is a chemical that when inhaled makes you almost instantly fall asleep." Xavia tells me. "It was the only way to get you away from the pain. You can't hear if you're asleep. But, I went back to that spot and did a scan, and there was a very high pitched ring..." She stands silent for a second. "I...also felt a...strange...connection."

"What?" All of us ask in union.

"It might have something to do with my ancestor...maybe a battle was fought somewhere nearby...?" Xavia asks, her eyes gazing past the material world, deep in thought. "..."

"It could've been, digadig." Pauleen says. "But, let's not worry about it too much, digadig. After all, is it possible the wind could've blown through some kind of cavern which made a high-pitched whistle, digadig?"

"Possibly..." Xavia says, her voice quiet and her hands in her pockets. "...But you're right...We shouldn't worry too much about it."

"Then, what shall we do now?" Rupert asks.

"Get our stuff into the tents." Xavia tells him. "Red, Todd, you two have the blue, green and grey tent. Rupert, you have the red and white, Joe, black and brown, Sarisa, blue and white, Pauleen, red and green. The black and red one's mine."

"Alright!" Todd and I say happily in unison, giving her a thumbs-up. After that, we spend the time getting air mattresses pumped up, sleeping bags rolled out, and stuff organized. Mine and Todd's is a two person tent, so we have a bit more room than the others. We have our duffle bags at the end of our mattresses, our sleeping bags neatly rolled out onto the mattresses, a lantern between our beds, while everyone else has one next to theirs.

"So...what do you guys think we should do tomorrow?" Xavia asks, taking a bite out of her beef frank, while we all sit around the campfire, eating some.

"Oh! Oh!" Todd says, his hand shooting up and waving around in the air. "Can we go swimming?! Red and I saw that river and water fall! It looks like a good place!"

"Sounds like fun, digadig!" Pauleen says happily.

"It's fine with me." Joe says.

"I agree." Rupert tells us.

"Sarisa?" Xavia asks.

"Sure!" Sarisa tells her, happily smiling.

"Then it's settled!" Xavia says. She drinks some of her root beer.

"It's been awhile since I've been camping..." I say, looking into the fire. "Over a year..." I only go camping a few times a year, one of which is Zeke and I going to summer camp. I wonder what it's like. If Zeke went or he didn't.

"Whelp, at least you get to come with us!" Todd says happily.

"True." I tell him.

"Diga! Digadig!" Pauleen says excitedly, as if getting an idea. We all look at her. "Can we tell scary stories tonight?!"

"We did that all th' time when Sam, Pablo an' I went campin'!" Joe says, smiling.

"...Who?" The girls ask.

"Sam and Pablo." Joe tells them. "They're m' friends back home. We went campin' all th' time back in high school!"

"OH!" Xavia exclaims, making us all look at her. She grins. "I have a story..."

Later...

"Now then, you guys ready to hear about the Creature of Caliosteo?!" Xavia asks, point at us from across the fire. We're all sitting on one side, while Xavia's standing up with her feet planted firmly across from us.

"The WHAT?" Todd asks.

"The Creature of Caliosteo!" Xavia tells him. "Red, remember when you told us about the dream you had, the one where Jacob and Zongazonga were talking on that beach?"

"Yeah." I tell her. "Why?"

"Well, when ZZ asked Jacob if he wanted to go on a scouting mission, the reason why Jacob got scared is because no people came back from those. They would go out to try to kill the Creature of Caliosteo, but they would wind up getting eaten." Xavia tells us.

"...E-eat...en...digadig?" Pauleen asks.

"...Well..." Xavia says, holding her chin with her left hand while her right one held her left elbow. "More like tore them to shreds, ate their entrails, and left the skin and bones for the scouts to find."

"..." We all sit there with disgust and shock on our faces.

"But, anyways," Xavia says waving a hand. "Now, I found out about it in my ancestor's journal. Apparently, it's a deformed dinosaur. Ya see, ZZ didn't have his reanimation spell perfected, so, when he cast it, that creature was the product rather than a dinosaur. So, seeing it as utter failure, Zongazonga threw it out into the wilds. But, there was another problem. It wouldn't die of aging. So, it soon ate animals to where they were scarce, forcing it to eat livestock instead. The people told him, and he sent out a scouting party...that didn't come back." We've all gotten closer together now. "So, seeing as how it wasn't good, some more people went out, and they found the remains, quote my ancestor's journal. 'They were ripped apart, limb from limb, while their heads had been torn from their necks and the jaws hung slack. The stench of death and blood made the air heavy, and made my stomach lurch and bile come to my mouth. Their insides were gone and scattered about, painting the ground and trees while most of the entrails looked to be missing. Even their eyes were gone, torn from their sockets leaving them with hallows in their heads, unable to show their stare of the dead.'" Todd and Pauleen are hugging, while our faces are pale. It's the way how Xavia's saying it that makes it so eerie...

"So, they gathered up the remains and buried 'em." Xavia continues. "BUT!" We all jump some. "That's not the end...The Creature of Caliosteo was still alive...AND, still hungry...sure, more animals showed up, but when they became scarce again, the creature attacked livestock. And when it attacked livestock, they sent scouts to kill the creature...but, none ever came back..."

"Wh-what happened?!" Joe suddenly blurts.

"Well, the rebellion took place, ZZ was overthrown, and the creature was never heard of." Xavia tells him. We all sigh with relief some. "BUT!" We all stiffen. "That doesn't mean it's dead...After all, there were some reports of an extremely strange creature seen, but never found. And, it can't die, so..."

"..." We all say nothing, but my hands are clenched as nervous fists from the story while fear roils inside of me. Todd and Pauleen are hugging, Sarisa's next to Joe, her small fists holding onto his vest while Joe's hugging her without realizing it. Rupert just sits silent, his face pale and eyes wide.

"SO?!" We all yell.

"So..." Xavia whispers. "It's still out there..."

"..." We look around some, our eyes darting from each area of darkness that surrounds the camp.

"...What does it look like?" Todd squeaks.

"Hm?" Xavia hums, looking at him. "Oh. Well...It's-"

"Green?" I squeak, noticing a shape come from the bushes.

"Yeah!" Xavia says, smiling. "And-"

"It wouldn't happen to have glowing gold eyes, daggers for teeth, claws coming from its four feet and two stubby arms...right?" I squeak, the shape becoming easier to see as it comes towards the fire, approaching Xavia from behind.

"Yeah!" Xavia says. "How'd ya know?" We all point, making Xavia look behind her at the creature looking down at her. She looks back at us, smiling. "Yeah! Looks JUST like that!" Her smile disappears. "...Wait..." She looks behind her again, looking up at the creature.

Which then swallows her whole.

We all then shriek, jumping up and starting to run away.

I notice that Rupert's still sitting there on the log, looking at the creature. I skid to a stop, run back to him grabbing his wrist. The creature roars at me, making me shriek and fall back onto the ground.

The roar turns into a laugh.

I look up at the creature to see it's laughing, and I look back at my friends to see them all looking Sarisa, who's laughing her head off right now. I hear a zip, then look back at the creature to see Xavia step out of it, perfectly fine.

"GOT YA!" She says, laughing.

"THAT AIN'T FUNNY!" Joe yells.

"Sarisa seems to disagree." Rupert says, stepping out of the creature costume as well.

"..." We all say nothing, the only sound being Sarisa laughing.

"...WHAT...?" Todd asks.

"Hologram." Xavia says. The goes over to the Rupert sitting on a log. She pulls out her cell phone, does something, making the holo-Rupert disappear. "Whaddaya think of DAT?"

"..." None of us say anything, but Sarisa starts to calm down her laughter.

"Todd, digadig?" Pauleen, who Todd is hold in his arms up off the ground, asks him.

"Yeah?" Todd asks.

"You can put me diga-down now, digadig." Pauleen tells him.

"Right!" Todd says, his face turning red and quickly putting her down. "Sorry! Sorry..." He smiles awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

"There's something I wanna know..." I say. "I know Xavia told Sarisa since she would never scare her on purpose, but..." I look at Rupert. "How did she get YOU to agree?"

"..." Rupert says nothing.

* * *

><p>Earlier, when Rupert was getting the firewood, THIS happened!<p>

Rupert walks through the foliage, picking up sticks, twigs, and small branches. He didn't have a lot, only a hand full.

"RUPERT!"

"GYAH!" The sound of Xavia's voice made him jump, dropping the wood he had in his hands while Xavia jumped on his back.

"Found any wood?" Xavia jokes.

"Uh...yes...?" Rupert asks.

"Great!" Xavia says. She gets off of him, grabs his shoulders, then whirls him around to where he faced her, and grabs his shoulders again. "I need your help!"

"...Help...?" Rupert asks. _She wants me to help her! _He thinks with joy.

"Yup!" Xavia tells him. "I got an idea on how to prank the guys and Pauleen! Sarisa knows about it since I told her, since I don't want her scared. But, I need you help with it!"

"...Uh...Well...I...um..."

"Please?!"

"I-I..." Rupert was unable to think straight, with him and Xavia being alone, and her wanting him to help her, even if it was a prank. Xavia sighs, her head hanging. She then quickly looks back up at him, the sweetest, most adorable look on her face, making him stiffen as if an iron rod had replaced his spine, and as his face flushed with red, the same shade as his coat.

"Pleeeeeease...?" Xavia asks, taking his hands.

"..." Rupert says nothing, unable to speak. "...I'll help..." Rupert sighs, his shoulders slumping and a wide smile spreading across his face while his eyes became half lidded.

"Great!" Xavia says, smiling and letting go of his hands. "Now," She puts her arm around his shoulders, making Rupert blush more and pointing her index finger right at his chest, her finger tip touching his coat. "here's what we're gonna do..."

* * *

><p>Back in present time, around the camp fire, THIS is going on!<p>

"...She just asked." Rupert says.

"...Hm..." I hum. _I bet she got him to do it by making a sweet face that he couldn't say no to. _

"Wait." Joe says. "The creature...is it real?"

"No sir!" Xavia tells Joe. "I made it up!"

"Diga-don't diga-do that ever again." Pauleen tells Xavia.

"No promises!" Xavia tells her. "Now, it's late and I'm tired, so good night!" She then folds up the monster costume which neatly folds into a small square, then heads over to her tent. Pauleen stretches and yawns, says goodnight then heads to her tent, as does Rupert.

"I guess we should do the same." Todd tells me.

"Yeah dawg." I tell him. "Night Joe, night Sarisa."

"Sleep good." Sarisa tells us, smiling. She sits on a log with Joe sitting across from her, staring into the fire.

"You too." Todd tells her. We go into our tent, I strip down to my boxers and Todd changes into his pajamas, then gets into his sleeping bag, hugging Stanly the Stego. I get into my sleeping bag, my arms folded behind my head. "Hey Red."

"Yeah Todd?" I ask, looking at him.

"Why don't you wear pajamas?" He asks me. "After all, what if something happens? People could see you in your underwear."

"Well," I start. I lower my voice to whisper so no one else will hear. "when I ran away, I only wanted to buy clothes that I need, so I could saved some of the money I had. I thought about it, but I decided that I could save some money if I just slept in my boxers."

"Ah..." Todd says. We sit in silence for a bit. "Wanna spy on Joe and Sarisa?" Todd whispers, smiling.

"Nah..." I say. "Let's...observe them from a distance."

"Yeah..." Todd says. We slip out of our sleeping bags, and peek out our tent some. The fire's out, but Joe and Sarisa are sit outside, their heads rested back on logs, looking up at the star studded night sky.

"It's beautiful..." Sarisa says.

"Yeah..." Joe says in agreement. I notice he's not looking at the sky, but at Sarisa.

_He's thinking about her, not the sky. _I think, hiding a laugh.

"Do you any constellations?" Sarisa asks, looking at Joe. "...What?" Joe quickly looks back up at the sky. With my vision, I can see his face get darker with a blush. I hide another laugh.

"Uh...Yeah, yeah..." Joe points up at the sky. "There's th' Big Dipper, then if ya follow th' stars that make the handle, ya can see the Little Dipper."

"Oh yeah!" Sarisa says, following where he's pointing.

"Then th' star at the end of it is the north star." Joe says. "It's there all year round."

"It's amazing." Sarisa says. "Despite the fact that the Earth orbits, it's always in the same spot...Like it's waiting for you to see it."

"Yeah..." Joe says.

"But it also make you feel insignificant." Sarisa says. Looking up at a sky with so many stars...and knowing that beyond that, there's billions of trillions of stars, millions of galaxies, cat's eye nebulas, birth star nebulas, the whirl pool galaxy...and being able to see them. It makes you feel small and plain."

"Yeah..." Joe says. "Makes ya wonder what th' cavemen felt like. Lookin' up at the sky and seein' all th' stars...seein' meteor showers...Just makes ya wonder..."

"Yeah..." Sarisa says. She rests her head on Joe's shoulder. "It probably made them feel scared..."

"Y-yeah..." Joe says, his face darker from his blush deepening.

"...But I don't." Sarisa says. "I feel safe with you here...and I'm glad we can look at something amazing like this together."

"..." Joe says nothing, but I can somehow tell he's stiffened. "Y-y-yeah..." A chill wind blows, and I notice Sarisa shivers some. "Y-Ya cold...?"

"I'm fine." She tells Joe.

"..." He says nothing, but suddenly wraps his arm around her, his blush getting deeper, and I notice Sarisa blush some as well.

"..." They both say nothing, but I can make out that Sarisa's smiling.

_She's enjoying it. _I think.

"...You know, your brother told me that if he could do anything, he'd give me some stars." Sarisa tells Joe.

"What'd ya tell 'em?" Joe asks.

"I asked him: What in the world am I suppose to do with giant spheres of burning hydrogen?'." Sarisa tells him, making Joe laugh.

"Yeah...M' brother ain't the sharpest pitchfork in th' barn." Joe tells her. "He's not very observant."

"How so?" Sarisa asks.

"If he was, he could see that ya already got some stars."

"...I do...?"

"Yep."

"...Where?"

"..." Joe's face turns dark as his face turns red from a blush. "...Y-y-yer...in...In yer...e-eyes..." Joe stammers, fumbling with the words.

_Awwww..._ I think, smiling happily. I look at Todd to see he has the same look, undoubtedly thinking the same thing. I look back at Joe and Sarisa, and I notice Joe's foot is twitching. _Huh...must be a nervous twitch. _I think.

"..." Sarisa says nothing, but she takes Joe's head in her heads, making Joe's face get darker from his blush, and his foot starts tapping a rock next to it very fast. "That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever told me..." Sarisa tells Joe, her voice quiet.

"..." Joe's face gets darker, and his foot twitches faster. "W-well...I-I-I..." He fumbles with his words too much, making them nothing more than gibberish. Sarisa just smiles, pulls Joe's head a bit closer, leaning her head towards his.

"Are they gonna...?" Todd very quietly whispers.

"Yeah..." I say in the same faint volume, both of us starting to lean forward with big smiles on our faces. I can tell Joe's about to go into nervous shock, but he tilts his head, and leans towards her, and-

It starts pouring down rain as thunder crashes and booms.

Joe and Sarisa look up at the sky, jump up, cover the firewood with a tarp, then dash over to their tents. Todd and I close our tent, and fall back on our sleeping bags.

"THEY WERE SO CLOSE..." Todd says, his hands over his eyes.

"Nature HATES romance..." I say, my hands over my eyes as well.

"Well, not ALL of nature." Todd points out, looking at me.

"Good point." I say, pointing and looking at him. "TIME. Time hates romance."

"True that." Todd says. We look up at the top of our tent, the ran pelting down and thunder booming. "Did it ever rain like this at the summer camp you went to with your friend Zeke?" Todd asks.

"Sometimes." I tell him. "But we were always out cold when we went to bed from sheer exhaustion."

"Did you two ever do anything crazy?" Todd asks me. "Were you guys crazy like us?"

"Eh...Not AS crazy, and not as crazy as Holt and I were, but we still had some degree of craziness."

"Like what?" Todd asks.

"Well, one year we got into a prank war."

"Prank war?" Todd asks.

"Yeah..." I tell him. "I started it."

"How?" He asks, sitting up. I sit up as well, sitting with my legs crossed.

"Well, we were down at the river, and I put a frog in his swim trunks." I tell Todd, making him laugh. "But, I didn't think it through, and he LITERALLY jumped out of his trunks."

"What'd you do?"

"Well, I grabbed them, grabbed his towel, anything he could use to cover himself, then ran up the stone stairs and path back to the camp, then straight to our cabin. Don't worry, it's an all male camp."

"What'd he do?"

"Well, I stepped out of the cabin, he realized what happened, and with how loud he yelled my name, it sounded like it was yelled right in my ear." Todd laughs. "So, our group leader found out, made me give him his stuff back, but that was only the start."

"What happened next?!"

"Well, I took a shower that night before we went to the bonfire, and he took my towel and my clothes, then replaced them with a pink, fluffy dress that had sparkles on it." Todd laughs harder. "There was no way I was wearing that, so I waited until Zeke got back, and he gave me my clothes back...but I wasn't done."

"What'd you do?! What'd you do?!"

"Well, that night, again we were out cold when we went to bed from exhaustion, so, after Zeke fell asleep, I took him and his mattress down from the top bunk, tied him to it, dragged him down to the river, tied a rope across, then tied his mattress to it, so he spent the night down there, floating on his mattress."

"Then what happened?!"

"Well, I went back to cabin and fell asleep, then at dawn I heard yelling, so I along with the other campers and the group leaders, ran down to the river to see Zeke freaking out."

"What'd he do back to you?!"

"Well, that night after I went to sleep, he put hot sauce in my tooth paste. I wake up the night morning, start brushing my teeth, then start yelling from my mouth hurting, most of it garbled scolding at Zeke, who just stood there laughing."

"HA HA!"

"BUT! Wasn't about to let him get away with it!"

"What'd you do?! TELL ME!"

"Okay, later that day, I got some of that clear plastic wrap, and glued it around the door frame while Zeke was napping. So, then I yelled his name from outside, told him it was time for lunch and that we were having his favorite food, so, he jumped into his boots, charged at the door, then did a back flip from his face hitting the clear plastic wrap, and landed flat on the ground."

"YOU'RE A GENIOUS!"

"Thank you! Thank you!" I say, pretending to wave at a crowd. "But, we wasn't gonna let me get away with it. He got a cola from the snack store the camp has, shook it up really good, then left it out to where I could see it. I came back to the cabin, grabbed it, opened it, then was sprayed with the cola."

"Classic." Todd says.

"True, true." I say. "BUT! I also had a classic up my sleeve...PIE!"

"Pie...a true classic." Todd says, smiling and nodding.

"Yup." I say, smiling and nodding. "So, I rigged the entire cabin to where when I pulled one string, about twenty pie would be launched straight at the door. So, I find Zeke, get him to come running back to the cabin, I get the before him, and the second he appears in the door way, I pull the string, and the pies launch at him, and then he flies back, covered in pie."

"HA HA, HAAA!" Todd laughs.

"So, Zeke gets me back by turning my bed into a sack of jam."

"He filled it with JAM?" Todd laughs.

"Well, our group leader found out, he told us to stop because it was stupid and immature, so, we decided to teach him not to call us that, so..."

"You guys pranked him, didn't you?" Todd asks.

"OH YEAH DAWG." I tell him, nodding. "We got our hands on a cell phone which we borrowed from one of group leaders. We order him a boutique of roses, which had a card on it saying it was from a secret admirer, then we sent him a box of chocolate saying it was from a secret admirer, and stuff like that."

"Then what happened?"

"Well, we built up in his mind a young, beautiful, rich, attractive woman. Then, we made a fake person, made it HIDIOUSLY ugly, and extremely scary, then called him, told him to go to his back door if he wanted to met his admirer, so, he goes running back to the door, opens it, and we could hear him shriek as it fell on him, then, he sees the note on it that said: 'We hope you enjoyed our gifts! Love, Zeke and Red.' Then it had a little heart."

"HA HA HAAAAAAA!" Todd laughs, falling back and laughing.

"But, he couldn't do anything because we were halfway down the mountain on our way home. We laughed, hung up the cell phone, then handed it back to my dad who was laughing as well."

"HA HA!" Todd keeps laughing. After a bit, he calms down. "You, my friend are prank genius."

"Yeah..." I say. "We were crazy..." I yawn. "Well, story time's over. Time for bed."

"Alright." Todd says, getting into his sleeping bag. "Night."

"Night." I tell him. I roll on my side, and listen to the rain hitting our tent before drifting asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Okay! To the reviewer, I understand and I'm sorry for thinking was you. I promise, I will get next chapter up as soon as I can to make it up to you.<strong>

**Red: This chapter was crazy.**

**Magma: BUT, the next will be...eh, ya know. But, we're gonna have an ADVENTURE on this trip!**

**Air Strike: YAY FOR ADVENTURE!**

**Gunsandgames: YAY! Laughing! Just don't die, 'kay?**

**1T1S1T: YAY~!**

**mysterydude123: I'm a nerd too. One girl at school two years ago declared a Random Fact War on me. I won though. XD**

**Digital Emperor: Unfortunately, there are few things that are assured in life: Death and taxes...and an end to all good stories...(the last one is my least favorite)**

**Chidori Minima: You did. I could just see Xavia with a butter sock...and yes, yes we were.**

**Greywing44: I SHALL MAKE THEM GO INSANE! **

**ilovedogs12: Actually, I got inspired to use that from Chi's one-shot.**

**Mewtwo girl: WELCOME TO FAN FICTION DOT NET! :D But, I have no idea why trains smash through walls...Okay. Tell I say HELLO! And yes, Sarisa has comebacks and her little friend!**

**Adam S: ...Where did Luigi come from?**

**mysterydude123 (again): A lot of people know about tha butter sock. :|**

**sniperjun899: One does not simply defeat Xavia. And, whatever you said about the fan girls, could you please put it in English? As for the comebacks, I know we can all see Sarisa using them. XD**

**Guest: ...Well...then. That's a...hm. Good definition.**

**Adam S: It's okay. I could just see Xavia using it though. And yes, I watch the ASDF movies all the time! THEY'RE SO FREAKIN' HILARIOUS!**

**Fuzzy: Thanks! Since Red isn't holding that secret as tightly, he can now actually breathe and relax some...but, trust me, no one knows if I'm gonna reunite them or not.**

**Guest: That is a different Camo. The Camo I used is a character in one of my other Fan Fictions, and SHE is a GIRL. And, I LOVE IT! The narrator is so FUNNY! "One Sunday afternoon warmed by harmful UV rays..." HA HA!**


	68. Disappearing

**AN-ALRIGHTY! The Camping Trip Adventure/Mystery/I don't know what to call it, is about to BEGIN!**

**Red: SWEET!**

**Magma: You're not gonna think so.**

**Red: WHY MUST YOU DO THIS TO ME?!**

**Magma: And starting chapa!**

**Red: Hey! Hold on a-**

* * *

><p>Chapter Sixty Eight-Disappearing<p>

I wake up t the sound of Todd sawing logs, and open my eyes to see the roof of our tent, sunlight lighting up our tent, and the smell of rain and forest filling the air. It's a nice smell. Reminds me of when I would look at the flower garden back at home after a rain storm pasted. I lay there for a bit, then get up, quickly dress, then exit the tent, coming out to see the leaves and plants covered in rain drops, making the world look as if it was studded with diamonds. It reminds me of the day Rosie was kidnapped, how I woke up and this is what the world looked like. Sadness ebbs into me, but I get some fire wood and put it in the fire pit, starting a fire.

_I'll make some Flapjack McSmacks. _I think. _Just like I had that morning. _I get the ingredients, mix up the batter, then cook the pancakes over the fire. I make enough for a couple of stacks, and put them at the table.

"Mornin'..." I look to see Xavia walking over, dressed, her hair in her usual ponytail, and looking like she's half asleep.

"You're not a morning person, are you?" I ask.

"No." Xavia tells me. "I'm a not-anytime-of-day person."

"I'm surprised you and Sarisa are so close..." I tell Xavia as she sits down at the table. "You guys are nothing alike, not including brains."

"True." Xavia says, putting some pancakes on her plate. "I'm dark, she's light, I'm rude, she's nice, I'm short, she's tall, if a vivosaur roared right in her face, she'd keep on sleeping while I can't sleep at all, she's always cheerful while I give off a 'stay away from me' vibe, and-"

"Age?" I ask. "You're younger she's older, she's fragile while if someone hit you with a crowbar, it would dent."

"Most likely." Xavia says. She pours syrup on a stack of four.

"Good morning Xavia, Red." I look up to see Rupert walking over.

"Mornin'." I say, holding out a plate.

"Sleep good?" Xavia asks.

"Oh yes, I-" Rupert stops. "...Now I feel bad."

"What?" Xavia asks, looking at him.

"You, you can't sleep, so I feel bad telling you I slept great while you can barely get any." Rupert tells her.

"..." Xavia blinks. "...O...K...then..."

"Pancakes!" We all look to see Todd running over. "Thanks Red!" Todd tells me, sitting down and grabbing a plate. I sit down next to him, and Rupert sits down next to Xavia.

"Good morning, digadig!" Pauleen says, sitting down on the other side of Todd. "Pancakes, digadig?"

"Red made 'em!" Todd tells her, putting some on his place. "They're too good to be real!"

"..." Rupert, Pauleen, and Xavia say nothing, but all take a bite out of their stack. Rupert's and Pauleen's eyes practically become stars, and they quickly continue eating.

"What do you think Xavia?" Todd asks her.

"..." She says nothing. "...Best I've ever had." She eats some more.

"How many have you tried?" I ask after swallowing some of my own.

"All the people in the world who attempt to try all the foods in the world would be jealous." Xavia tells me, before eating another bite.

"Hey, digadig." Pauleen says. We all look at her. "Diga-did any of you guys see what happened before it started raining, digadig?"

"You were watching too?" Rupert asks.

"I didn't expect you to watch them Rupert." I tell him.

"Did you Xavia?" I ask.

"You really think I'd let something like that slip by me?" Xavia asks. "No way! I can tease Joe about it."

"What is with you and teasing the poor man?" Rupert asks.

"He makes it too much fun." Xavia tells him. She then smiles. "Little Ru-Ru."

"Don't call me that!" Rupert says, his face flushing red.

"Aw, don't worry Little Ru-Ru!" I say happily. "It's not like she does to you what she does to Joe."

"He's right ya know." Todd tells him. Rupert just grunts miserably, letting his shoulders slump.

"Mornin' y'all!" We all hear Joe say. We all look at him to see he's walking over to the table, smiling. We all smile wide smiles, and he sits down at a chair at the head of the table, rather than on one of the benches. "Hoo-wee, these smell good. You make 'em Red?" Joe asks, grabbing a plate and putting some pancakes on his plate. We say nothing, but we all sit there, looking at him and smiling. Joe pours syrup on his stack, cuts of a bite and eats it, then notices that we're all smiling. "...What?" He asks. We say nothing, he looks over his shoulder, then looks back at us. "What?"

"How many stars does Sarisa have in her eyes?" Xavia asks.

Joe's face turns crimson.

"Y'ALL SAW THAT?!" Joe exclaims, embarrassed.

"Yeah dawg!" I say as we laugh.

"IT-! It ain't funny!" Joe stammers.

"Well, we actually wanted the rain to not come." Rupert tells him. He smiles happily. "Because if it hadn't..." Joe's face turns deeper red.

"I'm sure you would've enjoyed it." Xavia says. We all look at her to see a half smile on her face, her eyes closed.

"What-?!" Joe stammers, his face a bit redder.

"After all," Xavia starts, looking at him and opening her eyes some, giving her a sly, devious look. "she does have those full lips. I had a nightmare one time, and when I woke up I felt her face to make sure she was okay. I ran my hand over her lips, and they were extraordinarily soft and smooth. Then, she doesn't wear lipstick yet they're still that soft pink color. Like a rose...I know you'd enjoy it, and that you half wish it hadn't started raining last night while the other half has no idea how to react." We look at Joe to see his eyes wide, his very stiff, his face is dark red, and his mouth is clamped shut. Xavia cocks an eyebrow. "Am I right?"

"..." Joe says nothing, but instead stands up quickly, whirls away, and hurries off down the trail to the river, his hands in his coat pockets. "I'm goin' fer a walk!"

"..." We watch him disappear down the trail.

"That was cruel, don't you think?" Rupert asks Xavia.

"NOPE." Xavia says, taking a bite of her pancakes.

"..." We all say nothing.

"You're mean, you know that?" Todd tells her.

"HEY!" Xavia says, pointing at Todd. "I may be mean, I may be rude, and I may be cold shouldered, but I am a lovable person!"

_Rupert has no argument with that. _I think.

"I agree with your statement!" Rupert says.

"..." Xavia says nothing, looking at Rupert. She then smacks him upside the head. "WITH ALL OR THE LAST ONE?!"

"...Oh..." Rupert says. "Uh...Last?"

"...Meh." Xavia says.

"Good morning." We all look to see Sarisa walking over, and sitting down on the other side of Xavia.

"Good morning." Xavia tells her, smiling. "Did you sleep well?"

"Oh yes, thank you." Sarisa tells her. Xavia hands her stack of pancakes. "Thank you." She takes a bite out of them.

"You like?" I ask.

"Yes!" Sarisa says, smiling happily. "But...where's Joe?"

"He...went for a walk, digadig." Pauleen tells her.

"Ah." Sarisa says.

"After we eat, we could go catch up with him!" Todd says.

After a bit...

"JOE~!" Xavia says. He looks over his shoulder just in time to see her jump on his back, making him fall forward on his face. We're at the river, the roaring water fall beautifully falling.

"Agh!" I run forward and crouch down next to him. "Are you okay Joe?!"

"Yeah." Joe says, pushing himself up while Xavia sits cross legged next to him. "I'm okay."

"Good to hear!" Xavia says happily. Joe looks at her with a flat look on his face.

"Why do ya do that?!" Joe demands, jumping onto his feet.

"Do what?" Xavia asks, happily smiling.

"WHY DO YOU LITTERALLY JUMP ME?!" Joe asks. Xavia hops up onto her feet.

"Because!" Xavia says happily. "You make it too much fun!"

"..." Joe smacks his hand against his forehead.

"Hey!" Todd says. "Could we come back here and go swimming after lunch?"

"Sound like fun, digadig!" Pauleen says.

"Indeed." Rupert agrees.

"What say you Sarisa?!" Xavia asks happily.

"Okay." Sarisa says.

"Good, good, good!" Xavia says. "Let's go back to the camp for now."

"And do what?" I ask.

"Hm..." Xavia hums. "...Well, it is already late into the morning since we all slept late..." She gazes off in the distance. "..." Her head suddenly lolls to the side, looking into the woods, a blank look on her face.

"Xavia?" Rupert asks.

"..." She says nothing, but keeps looking at the same spot. Her eyes suddenly dilate, becoming extremely small, and her face drains of color.

"Xavia?" Rupert asks again.

"...Wha...?" She mumbles, blinking, her eyes turning back to normal. "Sor...There..." Her eyes suddenly dilate again, and she falls back, as if she was hit.

"Xavia!" We all exclaim, rushing forward. Sarisa catches her, holding her.

"What's wrong with her?!" Rupert asks, down on his knees next to her.

"I...It..." Sarisa sighs. "We call it a Mental Attack. She has these not too often. She gets like this, but the reaction is different...She's having flashback. She just falls to the ground, and stares blankly."

_What's going on in her mind...? _I think, unable to take my eyes off of her horrified face.

* * *

><p><em>Horrid colors. <em>

_ The red of blood, the black of night, and the flash of a deadly blade._

_ Voices._

_ Angry, hating, cold, evil voices._

_ "YOU'RE PATHETIC!"_

_ "You little freak..."_

_ "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"_

_ "Can't you act like a human rather than whatever you act like?! Don't you know how you're supposed to act?!"_

_ I...I'm NOT a freak..._

_ I..._

_ I'M A MONSTER!_

_ CAN'T PEOPLE SEE THAT?!_

_ "Look at that little girl!"_

_ "She's so adorable!"_

_ "So cute!"_

_ IDIOTS!_

_ I..._

_ You wouldn't think that if you knew me! _

_ YOU WOULDN'T THINK THAT IF YOU KNEW WHAT I HAD DONE!_

"What's wrong Xavia?" A sweet voice asked. A woman with raven black hair and sky blue eyes.

"The...they say I'm..." Xavia cries.

"Don't listen to them." The woman says, hugging her. "They can't see how wonderful you are."

"...Thank you Mother." Xavia silently cries.

_WHY DID THEY HAVE TO DIE..._

"She should be dead!" A man with green-grey eyes that were so cold they could freeze whatever he looked at. "She's a freak!"

"My daughter is not a freak!" A man with blonde hair and deep brown eyes says. "You refuse to listen! You refuse to even look past how she acts! You refuse to see the good she can bring!"

"Good? GOOD?!" The cold-eyed man roars. "That girl DIED because of her!"

"That girl died because she fell off a cliff!" The man with the deep brown eyes says. "Xavia tried to stop her, but she didn't listen!"

"SHE-! That THING you call a daughter fell off the cliff too!" The other man says. "She should be dead!"

_YES! _

_ I SHOULD!_

_ AND I WOULD BE IF..._

_ ...is wasn't..._

_ ...for..._

The horrid colors disappear, and Sarisa smiling appears.

_ You._

_ You...you never hated me._

_ Even when I would just curl up in a corner..._

_ ...close my eyes and plug my ears..._

_ ...and just try to detach myself from the world._

_ I never talked._

_ I just sat in complete silence, not acknowledging anyone._

_ I finally started to come out of my shell, little by little..._

_ You came over to me, and held me while I did nothing._

_ I looked up at you, and you just smiled, telling me how you hoped I would feel better._

_ ..._

_ It had been too long since anyone had told me that._

_ Before I knew it, I started to love you._

_ That was when I started smiling, and following you._

_ I just felt so happy, feeling the lukewarm feeling fill me._

_ I loved you like how I loved my parents...maybe even more._

_ You..._

_ ...you..._

_ ...you started to heal me._

_ I wanted to talk to you._

_ I wanted to talk to you so bad._

_ I did talk to you._

_ Finally._

_ You wanted me to talk._

_ ...So...I did._

"I'll be going out for a bit. Okay Xavia?" Sarisa said, she wore denim cargo pants, her cowgirl hat, a short sleeved white shirt, a sleeveless red jacket zipped up half way, and her boots while her hair was in her trademark braid. "I'll be back in a bit." She patted a short, six year old Xavia on the head, whose hair hung down to the small of her back. "I'll be back then."

"..." Xavia blinked, saying nothing. Sarisa just smiled.

"You'll start talking one day." She said. "I can't wait to hear your voice." She smiled a bit more. "I know it'll be worth the wait."

"..." Xavia said nothing, but felt a tear spring into her eye. Sarisa stood up, walking down some steps off a porch. "..." Xavia takes one small step forward, then bolts down the steps, running straight towards Sarisa. "Sarisa!"

"..." Sarisa stops, and whirls around just in time to catch Xavia as she jumped into her arms.

"Please don't go!" Xavia said, tears streaming down her face. "I don't want you to! I want you to stay here! Please...don't leave...e-even though it's just for a bit...I...I don't want you to leave..."

"..." Sarisa said nothing, but hugged her tighter. "I love you Xavia."

"...I..." Xavia starts. "I love too, Sarisa. You...You're just like my parents. No matter what I did, you...you still stayed there. With me."

"...Anyone who tells you anything horrid, can't say that." Sarisa said. "They don't know you..."

_It's true._

_ All the people who said horrible things, who treated me horrible, they..._

_ ...never knew me._

_ They judged me just because I acted differently._

_ But...Sarisa..._

_ ...even when..._

_ I told her the..._

_ ...the most horrible thing I ever did..._

_ ..._

_ She still loved me._

_ ..._

_ ...The most horrible thing._

_ And she wasn't scared of me._

_ It was the only time..._

_ I ever yelled at her._

"STAY AWAY!" Six-year-old Xavia yelled. She stood in a field of tall grass, Sarisa standing a few yards away. "I...I don't want you near me! I'm a monster! I'll only end up hurting you like I did my parents! All the people I've ever loved got hurt because of me!"

"Xavia, I-"

"NO!" Xavia yelled, cutting Sarisa off. "It doesn't matter what you say! I'm not a sweet, adorable little girl like everyone thinks! I'M A MONSTER!"

"..." Sarisa says nothing. "What makes you a monster then?!" She demands. "What happened that makes you a monster?!"

"I...I..." Xavia squeezes her eyes shut, her fists clenched to where her nails almost pierced her fingerless gloves. She turns her head up towards the sky, tears streaming down her face from her still squeezed shut eyes.

"**I KILLED A MAN!**"

"I killed him, I killed him, I KILLED HIM!" She roars. "I stabbed him in the back and just left the body! I didn't care! He caused my parent's death! He tried to take me from them! The only regret I have in it, is that his face haunts me in my dreams! Even though he's dead, he's still able to torment me!"

"..." Sarisa says nothing. "The police..."

"They...THERE WEREN'T ANY!" Xavia yells, her head downcast and her eyes staring at the ground with hatred. "There wasn't anyone I could go to for him to receive punishment for causing their death! He took two innocent people's lives, so I took his!"

"..." Neither said nothing.

"...I...I only hurt people." Xavia forced out, shaking. "No matter what, I only hurt. I-I can't heal like you can."

"..." Sarisa said nothing, but walked over to her, and hugged her gently. "I don't hate you Xavia. You had every right to do what you did...But don't think that I'll stop loving you because I don't want to get hurt. For there to be kindness, there has to be evil. For there to be healing, there had to be hurt. You didn't want to hurt anything, so you hated any beautiful things, but in the end, you end up loving them." Sarisa looked at Xavia, her soft, sweet smile on her face. "I don't care if I get hurt. Being able to see you happy, being able to see you smiling and laughing...It'll always give me strength to overcome any pain."

"..." Xavia said nothing, but hugged her back. "...Please... don't leave me...I don't want to die alone."

"...You won't." Sarisa said, softly stroking Xavia's long, black hair.

_I cried._

_ I cried so much, I didn't think it was even possible._

_ After that, I vowed I would never let anyone hurt you. Ever._

_ I wanted it to just be the two of us._

_ I know it's selfish, but that's how I wanted it to be._

_ When I came here though, that changed._

_ People could accept me, but I couldn't accept them._

_ It was just too hard._

_ Some people just thought I was strange._

_ Some people were just too annoying._

_ I hate people, because they take advantage of others._

_ There are people all over the world who would take their place and not look back, but they're just too spoiled to realize it._

_ I came to the islands, and they immediately took a liking to me._

Red, Todd, Rupert, Pauleen and Joe appear.

_They welcomed me._

_ And all I did..._

_ Was be rude._

_ I didn't want to lower the barrier._

_ I didn't even want to consider it._

_ I just wanted it to stay Sarisa and I._

_ But...then he came after me._

_ Even though I almost beat him to a pulp, he still came after me._

_ ..._

_ Why?_

_ How can people show kindness to a person like me?_

_ Rupert, he came after me, and when I cried, he held me._

_ ..._

_ Some part of me didn't want him to let go._

_ My friends, they're so wonderful._

_ Red, you can tell him anything._

_ I kept talking about Sarisa, and he wanted to know more._

_ Sure, it's probably just because I'm strange, but he still wanted to know._

_ The way he stands up for Todd, it's no wonder they're like brothers._

_ Anyone, even I, could be jealous of how close they are._

_ Even though Todd's a bit annoying at times, like how he keeps talking about Red's cooking, you really can't help but love him._

_ He'd do anything for Red._

_ He came back to help him, and took the punishment of Zongazonga twisting his memories._

_ But in the end, he and Red only came closer._

"Can you help him Xavia?" Todd asked.

"I can really only monitor his heart rate and brain activity, but that's it really." Xavia said.

"Okay..." Todd looked at Red, asleep on the examination table. "He's been asleep since yesterday morning. He seemed kinda down."

"He could be depressed." Xavia said. "People handle it differently. He might do it by sleeping."

"Okay...Just...take care of him. Okay? He's my big brother."

"But you guys have different surnames."

"Well, not in blood. I told him he'd always be my big brother. We're only a few days apart, but still. Sometimes we're more like twins."

_I'm sure they'll start calling each other brothers one day._

_ I know Sarisa called me her little sister one time._

_ It made me so happy, I have no idea how my heart didn't give out. _

_ There are times though, where she's more like a mother._

_ But that's when I'm scared._

_ When I have my attacks and my nightmares._

_ When I need a mother._

_ But..._

_ I never want to share my love._

_ I want her to have all of it._

_ I want her to be my focus of attention._

_ That's why._

_ Boys constantly pester me, but they don't get it. _

_ I don't want someone who says petty words of affection, because I waste my love._

_ I know Sarisa loves me._

_ That's why I want her to have all of it._

_ ..._

_ But even so..._

_ Joe's going to take her from me._

_ Why can't you realize it, you silly cowboy?_

_ Why can't you realize that you love her?_

_ Why can't you realize that's why I tease you?_

_ I want you to know._

_ I want you to love Sarisa._

_ Even though you'll want her to yourself, I know you can make her happy._

_ I know._

_ You can make her so happy..._

_ All you need to do, is realize it._

_ But you just can't._

_ ..._

_ Do you know why I jump on you?_

_ Why I jump on your back, giving you a hug?_

_ Why I gave you a death hug when I joined the patrol team?_

_ I liked you at one point._

_ I never met you, but I had a small, faint hint of fan girl._

_ I got angry at myself, and got rid of it._

_ But even so, I just wanted a hug._

_ That's all anyone really wants._

_ ..._

_ Pauleen._

_ Even though I don't act like a girl one bit, you still get along with me._

_ ..._

_ Sure, I put you in the holo-room with Todd, but..._

_ You didn't get angry at me._

_ I can't say that I'll ever understand why you were so scared that you wore hat mask, but still._

_ Everyone._

_ They have a weakness._

_ ..._

_ But I didn't._

_ There was one point, where there was nothing that stood in my way._

_ ..._

_ But not anymore._

_ Yet...sometimes they're good._

_ If you don't have a weakness, you get prideful, and things get out of control._

_ Evil wants to think that it'll always be around..._

_ ...but in the end, goodness always wins._

"Sarisa?" Six-year-old Xavia asked.

"Yes?" Sarisa asked.

"...When...when snow melts, what does it become?" Xavia asked, looking at the ice cream in her hand.

"...When snow melts..." Sarisa said, looking up at the sky. She then smiled, and looked at Xavia. "It becomes spring!"

"..." Xavia just looked up at Sarisa.

_I started crying._

_ You didn't know why, but..._

_ ...it was because I would have said "It becomes water"._

_ That told me that I would heal._

_ Wounds heal, and scars stay..._

_ ...but one day, my scars will fade away._

_ And it'll be from you..._

_ ...and my friends._

_ ..._

_ Thank you._

_ Even when I say that I'll never let anyone take you away from me, just know that I'll be okay with it if it's Joe._

_ Know that when Joe finally realizes that he loves you..._

_ I'll be happy._

_ Because you'll be happy._

_ ...Thank you._

_ Thank you all so much..._

"...Thank you."

"What?" Xavia hears someone ask. She cracks open her eyes to see the roof of her tent, then looks to see Rupert sitting cross legged next to her bed. Their boots were next to the opening of the tent, Rupert's feet bare while Xavia had white socks on hers.

"...What?" Xavia asks.

"You said 'thank you.'." Rupert tells her.

"...I..." Xavia looks back at the top of the tent. "I was just thinking."

"Ah..." He says. "You've been asleep for a bit. We got you here as quickly as we could..."

"Just be glad it wasn't a hallucination." Xavia says. "Otherwise we'd all be napping for exhaustion right now."

"...Exhaustion...?" Rupert asks.

"When it's hallucination, I'm practically a feral animal. I go haywire, and go running off as fast as I can." Xavia tells him. "My vision shifts, so my world becomes a living nightmare..."

"How?"

"There's a part of the brain that allows you to push anger, fear, stuff like that, to the back of your mind." Xavia explains. "I don't have mental attacks often, but when I have hallucinations, that part of my brain shuts down, allowing my fear to surge through my brain. It affects everything. Sight, hearing, everything. Things come to life and try to kill me. The ground around me explodes. Hands shoot from the ground, trying to hold me down. My vision doubles, goes back, doubles again, gets blurry, I hear things that aren't real. Whispers that remind me of my flaws, roars that threaten me..."

"...How do you stand it?" Rupert asks, horrified.

"I tried to detach myself from it." Xavia tells him, still lying on her sleeping bag, looking up at the roof of the tent. "I would just curl up in a corner, plug my ears and close my eyes. I didn't say anything. I didn't acknowledge anyone. I just sat, trying to go into my own little word."

"..." Rupert says nothing. "How..."

"Did it stop?" Xavia finishes. "Sarisa. She healed me. I never wanted to be helped. But...she still helped me. Little by little, and with each bit...I loved her more. It got to a point where I have no idea how I could contain it. That's why. That's why whenever I'm with her, I smile, I laugh and I just get so giddy because I have to let it out. If I kept it pent up, I wouldn't be able to take it..."

"..." They sit in silence.

"...Hey Rupert." Xavia says, looking at him.

"Yes?" Rupert asks.

"...Why did you run after me?" Xavia asks. "I was about to beat you up, but you ran after me."

"..." Rupert says nothing. "I...I didn't want you to suffer alone."

"..." Xavia says nothing. "...Thank you."

"..." Rupert looks at her, and suddenly pulls her up, hugging her.

"..." Xavia just closes her eyes, relaxing. _Safety. _She thinks, letting her head rest on his collar bones. He smelled clean. _...Thank you. Thank you so much. _Rupert holds her, his arm around her, and his other hand holding he side of her face against him, his chin against her head, able to smell faintly, freshly tilled soil and a pine forest from her hair.

* * *

><p>I flip a burger that's on the fire pit grill, the smell wafting up to my nose and making hunger settle in my stomach. <em>Only a little longer... <em>I think, my mouth watering. Rupert carried Xavia back to camp, even though Joe and I offered to.

"Diga-do you think she's okay, digadig?" Pauleen asks Sarisa, who're both sitting on the campfire logs.

"She'll be okay." Sarisa tells her. "She just passes out is all. She dreams, having flashbacks. Whatever they are, there's no way to tell unless she tells you."

"Poor girl..." Joe says. "...How long has she been having these?"

"A few years." Sarisa tells him. "She has them every few months, but she's back to normal afterwards. She's tired, but back to normal."

"Do you think these'll make her feel better?" Todd asks, nodding at the burgers I'm making.

"Cheeseburgers are one of her favorites." Sarisa tells us happily.

_So good..._I think, smelling the air.

"...Red?" Todd asks.

"Hm?" I hum, looking up at him. "Yes?"

"I didn't know you were in love." He tells me.

"WHAT?!" I exclaim. "I am not!"

"Well then, what's with you and them burgers?" Joe asks, looking down at the burgers.

"I'm hungry!" I tell them.

"Oh really?" Todd asks, giving me the Spanish inquisition.

"I'm going to check on Xavia!" I proclaim, getting up and going over to Xavia's tent. I barely open the front of it, being able to see in, and freeze.

Rupert's sitting there, holding Xavia in his arms, his chin tucked against her head, while her heads rests on his chest and she's hugging herself.

_... _I think and say nothing, but instead get up, go back over to the fire pit, and sit down on the log I was sitting on. I then burst out laughing.

"What?" Todd, Joe, Pauleen, and Sarisa ask in unison.

"I'm gonna enjoy this!" I laugh.

They then all run towards the tent.

_What is with us and teasing each other? _I ask.

_'It's fun.' _Air Strike tells me.

_'True dat.' _I think. They all peek in the tent, and after a second, Todd, Pauleen, and Joe all come back over laughing, and Sarisa just walks over, smiling happily.

"Even though I find it funny, I still can't help but say this, digadig." Pauleen says. "THAT WAS **SO CUTE!**" She squeals.

"I'm gonna enjoy this..." Joe chuckles. "Now, I just gotta find a way to get back at you two." Joe says, pointing at Todd and I.

"I don't care about that right now!" Todd laughs.

"See why I'm laughing?" I ask, laughing.

"That made me happy." Sarisa says, smiling.

"'Cause Rupert seemed to be enjoyin' it?" Joe chuckles.

"No." Sarisa tells him. "I'm happy because Xavia's asleep."

"...WHAT?" Todd, Pauleen, Joe and I all ask in unison.

"She sleeps when she feels safe, so I'm happy because it means Rupert makes her feel safe." Sarisa tells us.

"..." We say nothing, then we all get up, and go over to the tent. Sarisa opens the front, making Rupert quickly look up at us, his face flushing.

"Enjoying yourself?" I ask, smiling happily and making everyone laugh, while Rupert's face turns redder.

"I-! It's not like that!" He says.

_But...he told Todd and I he likes her. _I think.

"Hmmm..." Xavia hums, still asleep. She then curls up against Rupert, making his face turn deep red and making all of us snicker. "...Burgers...?" Xavia mumbles, cracking open her eyes.

"Oh yeah! They're almost done!" I say.

"...Hungry." Xavia mumbles.

"Then let's eat!" Todd says, running over to the table.

"Let's go." Rupert says, looking at her. Xavia wraps her arms around his neck, her head on his shoulder.

"Carry me." She mumbles. Rupert's face flushes some, but her picks her up, and carries her over to the table. He, Xavia and Sarisa all sit in that order on one bench, Pauleen, Todd and I all sit on the other in that order, and Joe sits at the chair at the head. Xavia just puts her head on the table, half asleep. "Food..." She mumbles.

"Here you go!" Sarisa tells her happily, putting a plate with a burger on it in front of her.

"Thank you." She tells Sarisa. She sits up, and we all start eating. After we finish, we clean up the place then go into our tents. I change into my swim trunks and pull on a plain white t-shirt, then let Todd change into his swim trunks. He comes out, wearing them and his helmet, Rupert wears his red swim trunks and sleeveless white shirt, his arms and shoulders bare. Joe's wearing a white shirt and brown swim trunks with black on the outside of the legs, Pauleen's wearing hers, a red top with white polka dots, and green bottoms with a skirt that has pale yellow on the sides.

"Let's go!" We all look to see Sarisa, who's wearing blue shorts, a sleeveless white hoodie, and her red vest. Her hair is in her braid, but her hat isn't on her head.

_Why the pull over? _I wonder.

"You heard the woman..." We all look to see Xavia, who's still half asleep, and wearing red shorts and a short sleeved black hoodie. "Let's go..." She says, trudging forward. We all walk down the trail, coming to the river after a bit.

_'Do you find it strange that no one has any hair on their arms or legs?' _Flamethrower asks. I look at myself, realizing he's right, then look at everyone else to see no hair on their arms or legs.

_...Strange... _I think.

"Let's go!" Todd says, jumping into the water. I pull my goggles over my eyes, and dive into the water, the cool water rushing over me. I splash above the surface to see Todd floating on his back, relaxing. I splash him, he looks at me, and we start splashing each other back and forth. Rupert sits on a rock in the water, his lower body submerged, Pauleen jumps off the top of a rock into the water, and Joe grabs a vine, swings over the water, letting go, making him fall into the water. Todd and I swim over to Rupert, grab his wrists, and pull him into the water. He splashes above the water, and starts splashing us, while we splash back. I notice Sarisa sitting under a tree, up on a large, flat rock that has moss covering the top, still wearing her shorts, pull over and vest. Xavia sitting next to her, still wearing her red shorts and black pull over, and is fast asleep while Sarisa holds her, Xavia's head on her flat chest.

Sarisa just sits there, faintly smiling and looking down at Xavia, holding Xavia against her like how a mother would. I float there, watching them, remembering my parents.

"Red!" I hear Todd say, splashing me with water. I come to my senses, whirling around to look at him. "Don't space out like that! It'll make something bad happen."

"..." I smile. "Thanks man."

"What?" Rupert asks, confused.

"It's our little secret." Todd and I say in unison, my arm around his shoulders.

"...All...right...then..." Rupert says, unsure. He suddenly goes down underwater, then bobs up a second later, gasping and sputtering while Joe's hugging him from behind.

"Did I getcha?" Joe asks, smiling.

"YES sir, you startled me!" Rupert tells Joe.

"Great!" Joe says smiling.

"Put me down." Rupert tells Joe.

"Alright!" Joe says. He then jumps backwards, and falls back taking Rupert with him under the water. We all keep splashing, swimming, and playing in the water, while Sarisa and Xavia sit under the tree, Sarisa holding Xavia who sleeps deeply.

A few hours later...

"Ah...that was fun." I say, sitting down on one of the logs. We're back at the camp site, sitting around the fire pit while the sky is painted with a sunset.

"It would have been better if Joe hadn't kept pulling me under the water." Rupert says. Joe just smiles.

"Would ya prefer if Xavia did it?" Joe asks.

"DON'T TEASE ME ABOUT THAT!" Rupert yells, his face turning red.

"Diga-don't yell." Pauleen tells him. "You'll disrupt all of the animals."

"...Sorry..." Rupert grumbles. I look over at Sarisa and Xavia, who're sitting on one log by themselves. Xavia's still asleep, so she lays on her side, her knees bent while her head rests in Sarisa's lap, and Sarisa's looking down at her, stroking the side of her face and tucking Xavia's bangs behind her ear.

"She can really sleep." I say.

"Yeah..." Sarisa says. "It's nice though. At least she can sleep without any nightmares."

"...Food..." Xavia mumbles, sitting up and half asleep. Sarisa hands her a beef frank, which Xavia starts eating. We've already eaten, while Sarisa and Xavia haven't, so Sarisa starts eating one as well. Xavia finishes first, gets up, goes over to the log Rupert and Joe are sitting on, sits down next to Rupert, and hugs him, her head on his shoulder, falling back asleep.

While we all burst out laughing.

"Enjoying yourself Rupert?" Todd asks.

"DON'T TEASE ME!" Rupert yells, his face turning darker red.

"I dunno." Joe says, smiling. "I'm sure ya would if y'all were alone."

"And if she wasn't asleep." I say smiling. "And, if it was night with a silver moon and stars over head." Rupert's face turns redder, and we laugh harder.

"Stop teasing him..." Xavia mumbles, barely opening one of her eyes.

"Wouldn't you be teasin' 'em?" Joe asks.

"I telling you to stop so you won't suffer cowboy." Xavia tells him.

"...What?" We all ask in unison.

"If I hear the word 'tease' in my sleep, my subconscious will come up with a dream where I get a new way to torment you, so if you keep teasing him I could come up with something horrible." Xavia mumbles.

"..." We all say nothing.

"That's what I thought..." Xavia says. She closes her eye, curls up against Rupert, and falls asleep.

"So, since we can't pick on Rupert, what shall we do?" I ask.

"I'm still hungry." Todd says.

"We've eaten all the beef franks for tonight, digadig." Pauleen tells him.

"There were some fruit trees down by the river." I say, remembering the fruit trees.

"I'll go get some fruit!" Todd proclaims, standing up and throwing his fist in the air. He then takes off down the path.

"Be careful!" Pauleen and I call to him in unison.

"He's a speedy little feller." Joe says, looking at the spot where Todd disappeared down the path.

"You can says that again." I tell Joe. I notice Sarisa has her hand over her mouth, quietly laughing. _What's she...? _I look at where she's looking, to see Rupert's holding Xavia, one arm around her while the other holds Xavia against him, his chin tucked against her head and smelling her hair.

"Enjoying yourself Rupert, digadig?" Pauleen asks happily. Rupert's eyes open and his face flushes.

"Eh, leave 'em alone." I say. I then smile happily. "How would you like it if Todd held you like that?" Pauleen's face flushes some, and she quickly looks back at the fire. _I know I would love to hold Rosie like that. _I think, looking at the fire pit and faintly smiling. _...I will one day. And we'll enjoy every second of it. _The thought makes the warm feeling ebb into me, making me remember all the times I felt it.

"You okay Red?" Sarisa asks, bring me back to reality.

"Hm?" I hum, looking up at her. "Oh. Yes ma'am."

"Okay...Your face turned a bit red." She tells me.

"Heh...Sorry." I say, scratching the back of my head. _Gotta be more careful..._ I think. We sit and chat for a while, Xavia still sleeping while Rupert just sits and holds her. The sky starts to turn midnight blue, the stars beginning to dot the dome over head of us.

"Where in tarnation is Todd?" Joe asks, looking at the trail. "It's gettin' late..."

"I'll go get 'em." I say, standing up. I pull out my flashlight, wind it, then turn it on and start down the trail. "Todd!" I call. "C'mon, it's getting late!" I keep heading down the trail, calling his name. It gets darker, and I eventually come to the river, Todd nowhere in sight.

_'Where is he?' _Air Strike asks as I look around.

_'I dunno...' _I tell him.

_'Well, he's been here.' _Flamethrower tells me. _'Look at the trees.' _I look up at the fruit trees to see them picked clean of the ripe fruits.

_'Then...wouldn't he be on the trail?' _I ask.

_'Wait...' _Cloud Cover says.

_'Wait what?' _I ask.

_'...Where's his foot prints?' _She asks. I shine the beam of light down at the base of the trees to see there aren't any footprints. After a second, I quickly look all around the trees, only finding my own foot prints and leaves.

_'...How...?' _I wonder. _'What...Okay, we have trees with no fruit, while there's no sign of Todd, and there's no way that animals did it, because they would've done it sooner.' _I think. _'So what happened?'_

_ ...Wait..._

_ NO! Not what happened! Forget that! WHERE IN THE WORLD IS TODD THEN?! _I suddenly burst into a sprint, running down the path to the camp site. It's gotten dark now, and my flash light turns off, but I can see well enough with my night vision. I come to the camp site, running over to everyone.

"What's wrong?" Joe asks, all of them looking at me except for Xavia who's still sleeping.

"I can't find him!" I tell them, panic ebbing into me.

"What?!" Pauleen exclaims.

"I can't find him!" I repeat. "I got to the river but he wasn't there, and the fruit on the trees are gone, but I couldn't find his footprints and he wasn't on the trail, so I have no idea where to look, it's getting dark and there's a chance that wild animals could find him, and-" Xavia suddenly smacks me, getting from next to Rupert to right in front of me in a second.

"Get a grip!" She tells me, wide awake and shaking my shoulders. "Panicking won't help him! We just...need...to..." She starts getting sleepy again, starting to lean back, when Rupert rushes forward and catches her, lifting her up off the ground.

"You need to stay awake." Rupert tells her, shaking her.

"Sorry..." Xavia says, Rupert standing her up. "Do you have anything that has Todd's scent on it?" She asks.

"Well...He was wearing his helmet, and he had his back pack...ah!" I rush over to Todd's and mine tent, go in, grab Stanly the Stego, and come back out of the tent to see Xavia's silver and black Andrarch sitting next to her.

"...He sleeps with a stuffed animal?" Everyone asks in unison.

"Hey, I know a guy who's sixteen and sleeps with a teddy bear." I tell them. I hold out the plush Stego to Silver Fang, who then sniffs it. He then sniff the air, the ground, walking around the site some, periodically sniffing the air. After a minute, he comes back over to us, lies down, flattens his ears against his head and puts his paws over his snout, whining.

"He can't find Todd's scent." Xavia tells us.

"So...what diga-does...?" Pauleen asks, worry on her face.

"Well..." Xavia says, rubbing the back of her neck. "Basically, or theoretically, whatever happened to him, it erased any way for us to find Todd."

"What?!" We all exclaim, horrified.

"That's terrible, digadig!" Pauleen says. "What'll happen to him?! How do we know he's okay?! Diga! Digadig!" Pauleen buries her face in her hands, crying.

"Hey," Xavia says, putting her hands on Pauleen's shoulders. "We'll find him. I know we can. We'll track him down and save him. Crying won't bring us any closer to finding him..." Xavia faintly smiles. "But it's okay. Let it out." Pauleen hugs her, crying.

"We need to go out and find him." I say.

"At this hour?" Rupert asks. "Us getting lost in the dark won't help Todd."

"We can't just leave him out there!" I say.

"No, Rupert's right." Sarisa says. "We'll have a better chance in daylight, and we need the rest."

"But-!" I can't argue with her reasoning. "...Yes ma'am..." I sigh.

"I know you want to protect him, but we can't help him if we get hurt." Rupert tells me. "Let's get some sleep, and look in the morning." I nod, and we all start heading over to our tents.

"Hold it!" Xavia says. We all stop and look at her. "Joe Rupert, you two get in Red and Todd's tent. Pauleen, get in Sarisa's tent. Todd was alone when he was taken, so none of us can be alone."

"What about you?" Rupert asks. Xavia goes over to her tent, disappears inside of it, then comes back out, holding a shot gun in her hands, a machete slung across her back, a taser on her belt, and red goggles on her head, undoubtedly highly equipped.

"I'll be look out." Xavia says, cocking the gun.

"What all do those goggles have?" I ask.

"Night vision, heat vision, and X-Ray." Xavia tells me.

"...Not bad." I say.

"All right, ya heard her." Joe says. Rupert and Joe move into my tent, Pauleen in to Sarisa's, while Xavia sits with her back against a large rock in front of the fire pit, looking at the tents and the shot gun ready.

"Night." She says.

"Night." We all say in unison. Rupert's lying on Todd's bed, I'm on mine, while Joe's lying on the ground on top of his sleeping bag. We're still wearing our clothes, and I lay on my back, looking up at the top of the tent.

_...Please be okay Todd..._

_ Please._

* * *

><p><strong>AN-DUN DUN DUUUUUUUN! Where's Todd? What's happened to him, and more importantly, will Red and the gang ever see him again?! <strong>

**Red: PLEASE LET HIM BE OKAY! *mopes in corner***

**Magma:...Onto reviews!**

**mysterydude123: In the center of the milky way there is a super massive black hole that has consumed all the stars and planets around it, and at the back of it, time stops and the laws of physics no longer apply.**

**ilovedogs12: Thanks~! :D**

**Omniverse: I just see him being able to confide in Todd more than anyone. I remember that potato. XD But, dude. I. AM. INSANE. Just read my one-shot Rupert's Nightmare! As for your love situation, *puts on glasses and lab coat* Now, I would suggest getting to know the girl. Find out what she likes and dislikes, and treat her with respect. Don't try to change her, and just be who you are.**

**Guest: ...Okay then. But, I need to finish watching the series! I really miss the Magical World. I liked it. :(**

**Fuzzy: Yes. Poor them. But...I DIDN'T PUT IN ANY MINECRAFT REFERANCES!**

**sachel: Thanks~! :D**

**Mew two girl: ...I think you're on a sugar rush as well. \:|**

**Dragon girl mew: I did not know that.**

**DunalN2: I will write.**

**sniperjun899: No, on your review for chapter 66, you called the fan girls something in another language that I can't read, so I was asking if you could tell me what you said in English.**

**Chi-San: XD Yeah...Xavia's the one to catch people. And yes. THA PINK SPARKLY DRESSES! Talk about insult to manly pride. And, his hearing's been getting better, remember?**

**Red: Magma does not-**

**Magma: That's Magma-SENPAI to you Red-Kun!**

**Red:...You really gotta stop reading manga.**

**Magma: I do not own FF and FFC!**

**Red: Leave a review!**


	69. Abduction

**AN-OKAY! Sorry about starting this late, I've been working on my other stories wanting to update them.**

**Red: *sitting in corner* The ones that don't have me in them...**

**Magma: Aw, quit your whining! I don't own FF or FFC, blah blah blah and all that jazz, now let's get to it! ONWARDS!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Sixty-Nine-Abduction<p>

I wake up, not wanting to. Joe and Rupert sleep quietly, Joe's hat over his eyes and Rupert curled on his side, using his coat as a blanket. I silently get up, and exit the tent, careful not to disturb them, then look to see Xavia standing in front of the table, her shot gun under her arm and machete still swung across her back.

"Whatcha looking at?" I ask, walking over. She stays silent. "What is-" I stop.

Sitting on the table, is Todd's helmet, back pack, and his cell phone.

All of them have the morning dew, undisturbed, sitting on them, as if nothing was wrong.

"...I didn't put these here." Xavia tells me, her voice with a certain sound that tells me she's not lying, and this isn't any kind of joke at all.

"..." I just stare at the items, my breathing starting to quicken. "T-T-T...TODD!" I yell, about to take off in no particular direction when Xavia grabs my elbow, stopping me.

"Get a grip!" She hisses. "Panicking won't help Todd, and it certainly won't help us find him! You've saved the world, you should know that! You should be able to stay calm!"

"..." I feel pangs of guilt in me at her words. _She's right...I've been under pressure before, I shouldn't be flying off the handle. _"I-I'm sorry..."

"It's alright." Xavia sighs, letting go of my elbow. "I don't like this anymore than you do, a person disappearing without the smallest trace..."

"...His Dino Medals!" I exclaim, grabbing Todd's pack.

"WHAT?" Xavia asks me.

"His Dino Medals!" I exclaim, looking through the back pack. "Maybe his vivosaurs can tell us what happened!" I find them, dumping them onto the table. "What happened?!" I ask, looking down at them.

_"...Wha...?" _One of them asks.

"Todd!" I say. "What happened to him?! Do you guys know where he is?!"

_"...TODD!" _They all suddenly yell with worry.

_"Everything was fine, then we lost our connection with him!" _One of them, a Spinax, says.

_"Yeah!" _Another, a Goyle says. _"And not too long after that, we blacked out! We don't know what happened!"_

"..." I say nothing, but my head slams down against the table, the dew making my bangs wet at the tips.

"This isn't good." I look up at the sound of Rupert's voice to see him, Joe, Pauleen and Sarisa up as well.

"We need to start searching." Xavia says. "Now." She looks at Rupert, Joe and I. "Joe, you and Rupert search west of here Red south, and I'll take North. Sarisa, Pauleen, you guys take east." She goes to her tent, and comes back out with two longer tasers, giving them to Sarisa and Pauleen, then gives Rupert the machete while Joe has his pick in hand.

"What about me?" I ask. Xavia looks at me.

"When we sparred, the only reason I beat you was because I had more experience." She tells me. She looks at Rupert, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't hesitate to use that. Slash, stab, or knock out. 'Kay?" Rupert just nods. Xavia quickly explains how to use the tasers she gave Sarisa and Pauleen, then looks at me. "If you hear something, plug your ears. Got it?" She asks, her hand on my shoulder.

"Got it." I tell her.

"Good." She says, nodding and pulling her hand off my shoulder, it hitting my collar. She then looks up at Joe. "Same to you, cowboy." She tells him, patting his shoulder.

A few minutes later...

"TODD!" I call, my pick in hand as I push my way through the foliage. _Dino, where is he?! He's gotta be somewhere! People don't just disappear! _

"Anything?" Xavia's voice asks over a walkie-talkie I have clipped to my only chest pocket, while the Free Caliostean Medallion occupies where the other would be. I pull off the communicator.

"Negative." I say into it.

"We got nothin'." Joe's voice says.

"Diga-Ditto." Pauleen's agrees.

"Does anyone else have the feeling they're being watched?" Joe's voice asks.

"That's a negative ghost rider." Xavia's voice says.

_Where have I heard that before?_

"Same." Sarisa's voice says.

"Why ask?" I ask, still looking around the jungle.

"Rupert says he's just got that feeling." Joe explains.

"Do you?" I ask.

"Nope." Joe says.

"So I'm the only one who feels that my soul is being pierced by watchful hawk eyes?" Rupert asks over the communicator.

"Yeah dawg." I say.

"...I give a perfect description and all he says is 'yeah dog'. Why do you say that anyways?!" Rupert asks.

"Eh, I dunno." I say. The communicator falls silent, and I keep looking.

"Hey Red." I hear Xavia's voice ask. I take the communicator of my pocket again, and see that the number has changed.

"...Why did the number change?" I ask Xavia over the communicator.

"I made it." She tells me. "I can change what 'station' they're on, so we're the only ones hearing this."

"Oh...Why?" I ask. "...You've...just been nicer to me than everyone else!"

"..." No response, and something pops into my head.

"...You...don't..."

"Finish that sentence, and I will reach through the communicator and strangle you."

"...Eh heh..."

"But no, I do not like you."

"Ah..."

"I just have a list of how I'm nice to people."

"...ZUUUH?!"

"Joe's on the bottom, then you, Todd and Rupert are above him, then Pauleen, then Sarisa."

"...Why do you tease that poor man?"

"I've told you, and I need to tell you something I was about to tell you before you asked why your station had changed."

"Oh...alright, what is it?"

"I found tracks, and they belong to a panther."

"...What?" My voice squeaks.

"And this ain't a small one either. It's headed in your direction, and I had to warn you."

"...Thanks..." I squeak.

"No prob." After she says that, the number on the communicator changes back to normal.

_...A panther? _I wonder. _Oh DINO...I don't know squat about those!...Well, except for the fact that they're black, in the cat family and they'll attack and eat me. _I keep an eye on the trees, and after a few minutes, I hear a woman scream. _SARISA! _I take off in that direction, the jungle a blur around me as I jump over logs and rocks and duck under branches. After a moment, I spot Pauleen and Sarisa, then run over them.

"Red! You're okay!" Sarisa says, ready to use the taser Xavia gave her.

"I heard you scream! What happened?!" I ask, frantic.

"...I didn't scream." She tells me.

"Wasn't me either, digadig." Pauleen tells me.

"And Xavia doesn't scream. She either yells, or attacks...or both." Sarisa says.

"...Then..." I hear the scream again, and look behind me just in time to jump to the ground, a black panther jumping over me, it's white fangs bared. I quickly then jump up to see it jumping back up at me, then hear a shot ring out.

My face drains of color at the sound, and the panther falls right on top of me.

"RED!" Sarisa and Pauleen exclaim, dashing over to me. I have my pick raised up to my collar bones, the handle right between the panther's slack jaws. Xavia suddenly burst from a bush, yanks the dead panther off of me, and shoots it again in the head, to make sure it's dead.

"Are you okay?!" Sarisa asks, worry on her face and eyes, while I have horror on mine, my breath quick.

"What's wrong, digadig?!" Pauleen asks.

"Give him some air!" Xavia says, making Pauleen and Sarisa get back. She crouches down next to me, down on one knee with the shot gun slung across her back. "Calm your breathing, you'll hyperventilate." I keep breathing fast and quick, staring up at the doming blue sky above. Joe suddenly comes into the area, starting to run over to me when Xavia holds up a hand stopping him. She then puts her hand over my chest, which quickly rises and falls, and starts making me calm my breathing by allowing my chest up and down as she breathes normally.

"..." I say nothing, but my breathing slows to a normal pace, and I relax. _The gun going off... _I think, the noise reminding me of when I was shot.

"You okay?" Xavia asks. I nod, and she helps me up. "Good reaction though, planning to use your pick like that."

"Thanks..." I say, slowly nodding.

"I thought that thing was one'a y'all!" Joe says, looking at Pauleen and Sarisa.

"No, that's the sound a panther makes." Sarisa tells him.

"Where's Rupert?" Xavia suddenly asks. We all look around, to see him nowhere in sight.

"He was right behind me!" Joe says, taking off back the way he came while we follow.

"He's this way!" Xavia yells, taking off in another direction. We don't question her, and just run after her. After some running, jumping and ducking, we come to the path that leads to the river.

"Rupert!" I yell, all of us about to start searching.

"Forget it." We all look to see Xavia standing there, her back to us and looking at something in her hand. We all go over and look at it, to see it's a small devise that has a blinking red light.

"What is that?" Sarisa asks.

"It's a tracking devise." Xavia tells her. "I put one on all of you guys."

"..." None of us say anything, but Joe takes off his hat and looks inside of it, to see one in it, I look under my collar where Xavia's hand hit it, to see one there, Sarisa finds one in her back pack, and Pauleen finds one on the back of her satchel.

"...Okay then." I say.

"This was taken off of him." Xavia says. "They don't just fall off." She looks at another devise in her other hand, which is a GPS with red dots on the screen, us no doubt.

"...What's that, digadig?" Pauleen asks, making all of us to look to see her picking up a medal.

"Todd's Stego!" I exclaim, rushing forward and taking it.

"Back to the site!" Xavia says.

A few minutes later...

"Okay, Todd was last seen last night at approximately 7:37, heading down to the river." Xavia says. We're sitting on a log, looking at a holographic screen with the site, and the surrounding area. She draws a line with her finger down the path to the river from the site. "Twenty-two minutes later, Red went out in search of him, not finding a trace aside from the trees being void of fruit. Today at 10:24 a.m., Joe and Rupert were together, here." She points at a spot on the map, about a half mile from the site, making a dot appear on the holographic screen. "Seven minutes later, the tracking device I put on him was found here," She points at the spot on the path, making a dot appear. "along with Todd's Stego. I've run some data, and the only thing that was common with their disappearances was their age, gender, and the spot where the last traces of them were found." She turns to look at us. "Any questions?"

"Yes." I say, raising my hand. "Why them?"

"I'm not sure of that." Xavia tells me. "I have to run some more data, but, there is one more thing common between the disappearances."

"What?" We all ask in unison.

"Both of them were alone." She tells us. "Todd went to the river alone, and Joe had taken off, being faster than Rupert."

"But still, why them?" Pauleen asks. "I would've been easier to take."

"While that may be true," Xavia starts. "whoever took Todd and Rupert must have a reason."

"'Whoever'?" I ask.

"Correct." Xavia tells me. "An animal wouldn't put Todd's stuff on the table, and they obviously didn't get lost. We're dealing with a 'who' not an 'it'."

"Why do you think they would take them?" Sarisa asks.

"I'm not sure." Xavia tells her. "In the data I ran, the answers were either one: someone took Rupert to hold him for ransom, and they took Todd to try to separate us when we went looking for him, giving them a better chance to catch Rupert, or two: They're after one of us, and are trying to pick us off one by one."

"There's gotta be SOMETHIN' other than that!" Joe objects. "After all, their tracks disappeared, right?"

"Correct." Xavia tells him nodding. "But, foot prints can be easily erased by smoothing the dirt out with leaves or something of the like. I require more data, but you're right about there being other reasons. However, we HAVE to avoid using this path," Xavia points at the path to the river. "since Todd and Rupert both disappeared on it."

"What about your tracking diga-devise, digadig?" Pauleen asks. "Is there anything else you could get from it, digadig?"

"Yes, actually." Xavia says. She pulls out her electronic clipboard, and two blinking red dots appear on the screen, where Rupert and Joe were looking. "Now, this was one minute before the panther attacked." The two dots start moving towards where the panther attacked. "This was when it attacked. Now, watch the dot that's farther behind." We all watch it, and it suddenly disappears. "At 10:26 the signal was complete severed, only to be picked up four minutes later, at the location spot. After Red heard that ringing, I had sensors set up along that path, them picking up any noise or movement. Now, this was at 10:25, right before the tracking signal was lost." Several screens appear, showing the trail and the time at the bottom of the screens. A minute goes by, and static covers the screens, blocking out anything else. The screens pause. "Now, they remained like that until 10:34, then went back to normal. Whoever caused the static knows that we're being cautious, and they have a computer expert with them."

"...Did anyone else hear that?" Joe asks.

"Hear what?" Sarisa asks.

"Play that static part again." Joe says. The screens rewind, and the static starts playing again. "Listen."

"..." We all say nothing, but at the back of my mind, at the edge of my consciousness, I feel something. It tingles, making my spine vibrate with a shiver, my blood gets colder but warmth creeps over my skin, my heart beats faster, while I can feel adrenaline crawling into my veins, and I can almost make something out from the static, gurgled, quiet gibberish. The screens go back to normal, showing the path, and the strangeness in me disappears along with it.

"Did ANYONE else hear that?" Joe asks.

"Yeah..." I say.

"Hear what, digadig?" Pauleen asks.

"You didn't hear that?" I ask her, confused.

"I didn't hear anything." Sarisa says.

"Hm..." Xavia hums, thinking. We all look at her, to see her eyes sweeping over all of us, one elbow in her hand, and her other hand holding her jaw. "...Strange..."

"What?" We all ask.

"Red, Joe, only you two heard it..." She says. She quickly takes her clipboard in hand, the screen changing to where it has the common factors between Todd and Rupert's disappearances, and she erases **AGES**. "Ages has nothing to do with it. Joe's twenty-four and the rest of the boys are eleven, and Joe heard...whatever it was that you heard, thus, age is not a common factor of the disappearances."

"So that just leaves gender and last trace points." Sarisa says.

"Correct." Xavia tells her. "Now," Xavia sits down on the table's bench, looking at all of us. "Joe, Red, what did you guys hear? What did you hear, feel, smell, taste, anything. If something happened when that static was going, tell me."

"I hear very quiet, gargled gibberish." I tell her.

"Not what I heard." Joe says.

"What did you hear?" Xavia asks, writing something down on her clip board.

"...Eh...it was gibberish, but it sounded close. Like someone was sayin' it right in m' ear." Joe tells her. "But it was soft. Real soft."

"Hm..." Xavia hums, writing it down. She looks up at us. "Did you guys feel anything?"

"My heart started beating faster." I tell her.

"Same here." Joe says. "An'...I mah blood turned cold but I got warmer."

"Yeah!" I say. "And, I felt a shiver go down my spine and some adrenaline go into my blood."

"Yeah! Jus' like that!" Joe say, agreeing.

"..." Xavia says nothing, but keeps writing. She then pulls a laptop out of her backpack, and starts typing something in. "I'm gonna run some more data. You guys can rest. I'll let y'all know when I get something." We all nod, get up, and start making lunch.

A few hours later...

I sit down on a log, tired from today. It's almost sunset, and Xavia's been typing on her laptop this entire time, eating while she worked. From the bits she's told us, she hasn't found out anything new, but is running as much data as possible. The sun dips below the horizon, cloaking the camp site in a dark coolness, the fire crackling and occasionally sizzling from sap. After a bit, Xavia closes her laptop, puts in into her pack, and plops down next to Sarisa on a log.

"Anything?" Sarisa asks. Xavia just shakes her head, tired.

"Nothing..." She sighs.

"I don't like this one bit." Joe says. "Not one bit, I tell ya. It's got somethin' with that witch doctor or somethin'."

"Witch doctor?" Sarisa asks.

"Zongazonga, digadig." Pauleen tells her.

"Ah..." Sarisa says with realization.

"Is it possible?" I ask Xavia, who nods.

"It's entirely possible." She says. "ZZ had very, and I mean VERY, _VERY_ rare crystals that're almost like Electrominites. The only difference is that he could cast spells on the crystals, and they could do it using energy stored into them naturally from nutrients in the environment around them. I've read from my ancestor's journal that she would hear about them from time to time, but she never actually asked about them, so I don't know much about their properties or anything unfortunately."

"Ugh..." I say, looking up at the sky. It's hard to imagine that this is the same sky, the same stars that Rosie and I gazed at when we were at the park those nights. That right now, she could be looking at the same thing I am. IS this the same sky? It has to be. There are as many stars studding the sky here as there was on Vivosaur when I looked at them. It's funny to think that here and there are the best places I've ever seen them, like I actually looked at the sky for the first time.

"Red." Xavia says, making me snap out of my thoughts and look at her. "You and Joe, you guys gotta be careful. If this...kidnapping keeps up, it's entirely possible that you or Joe could be next." Joe and I nod.

"...How do you think Todd's diga-doing?" Pauleen asks.

"It's hard to gu-" We suddenly hear something that reminds me of an explosion, but it sounds too off. Xavia's eyes widen, and in one deft move, she does a flip backwards and does a barrel roll in mid air, making her land on her stomach, her shotgun aimed out in the direction the sound came from.

"..." Nothing happens, and no one says anything. A couple minutes go by before Xavia slowly stands up, but her hands still hold her shot gun ready.

"If there was anything there, it's gone." She says. We all release our pent up breathes silently, and Xavia turns around to face us. "Now, I-" She stops, making us tense again. "...They're taunting us."

"..." We look in the direction she's looking to see Rupert's coat, backpack and cell phone sitting on the table.

"They are!" I exclaim. "That's practically the same thing that happened with Todd!" Xavia walks over to the table, looking at the contents.

"The cell phone so he can't call for help, the back pack so he doesn't have his vivosaurs, and his coat which is a significant object to him, one that he never goes anywhere without, something that proves the kidnappers have him." She says.

"...What should we do?" Joe asks.

"...It's late." Xavia says. "You guys get some shut eye. I'll keep watch." We all just nod, then go over to our tents. Joe lays down on the extra bed now that Rupert and Todd are missing, and I lay down on my bed. Joe soon falls asleep, silently dreaming behind closed eyelids, dreaming deep in his mind at the far corners of his consciousness.

"..." I lay silent on my bed, staring into the darkness that surrounds me. I can't sleep. Todd and Rupert's disappearances sit in the front of my mind, and I blame myself for Todd's. It's just like with Rosie's kidnap, I could've prevented it, but I didn't. After a minute, I struggle to fight back tears as they stream from my eyes from the guilt of blaming myself.

_'Red, stop blaming yourself!' _Air Strike tells me. _'It's not going to help Todd and it's not going to help you! You have to keep calm and keep going, otherwise you'll get depressed again!'_

_'...Okay...' _I think, sighing. _'You're right...Gotta pull myself together...But that doesn't mean I can sleep.' _I sit there for a second, then get up and silently exit the tent, closing the front behind me. I look up to see Xavia sitting where she was yesterday night, her shot gun in her hands and, much to my surprise, is wearing Rupert's coat. "Hey."

"What?" Xavia asks looking up at me. I walk over, and sit down, three feet away from her.

"Why exactly are you wearing his coat?"

"Eh, it's chilly and it smells like him. Clean." Xavia tells me.

"Are you sure you're not wearing because you wish he was your boy-" Xavia cuts me off by punching my arm.

"OW!" I yell, grabbing my arm. "That hurt!"

"It was supposed to." Xavia tells me flatly. "And I don't want to date. All that matters in my life is keeping Sarisa safe, and keeping her from seeing stuff that I've seen."

"Like what?" I ask.

"..." Xavia says nothing, but her face remains the same, hard with her eyebrows creased giving her an angry look, while a small scowl is edged into her face.

"...You're not gonna get a boy if you keep that look on your face, ya know." I tell her, making Xavia punch my arm again, causing me to do the same as last time.

"Didn't you listen to what I just said?!" She hisses. "I don't want a boy! I don't want to date! I accomplish NOTHING from it, and it's a waste of my time and money!" She sits there for a second, then sits back against the rock again. "...Besides...the only reason boys give me attention is for what I look like...I don't get it. I'm a complete GORGON, and they're too blunt and stupid to realize it. The only way I get them to leave me alone it by smashing their skulls into a wall or something."

"...Then how come when Sarisa says you're adorable, you believe her and act like a little kid?" I ask, rubbing my arm.

"..." Xavia sits for a second. "...I've had a rather...how shall I say...intense, life. I lost my parents when I was only six, and after that, my life was plunged into darkness and corrupted people. I never let it touch me though; I knew better. I promised my parents I wouldn't become one of them, and I've kept that promise to them. When Sarisa found me, I had turned bitter, cold, and distant. When I woke and found her sitting next to me, I was unsure of how to react. No one had show me any sort of kindness like that in a very long time. It may not mean much to you, a hero who's won the love and respect of just about everyone on the face of this planet, but to me, it was like a blind man being given sight by the generosity of a stranger. Seeing her, I knew she was a kind person. The kind that a person in despair wants to run to...I didn't want to be near her. When I saw her, I just wanted to run to her and cry. To just cry until there was no more tears to let out...But I wouldn't let myself. After I woke up when she was stroking my face, I had to fight back the urge, and when she had to leave, I watched her go. After the door shut, I cried. I wanted to cling to her, but I couldn't let myself. I hate having to see people like her suffer. People who only help, but wind up baring a burden...I didn't want to be a burden to her. I just wanted to get out of that hospital, to make sure I didn't hurt her...But, things don't always go according to plan. I wasn't fully recovered, but reporters were showing up, wanting to know about the substance I vomited. I half staggered half dragged myself out of that building. And there they were, waiting. They completely swarmed me, trying to ask questions, get my attention, or take pictures. I had to either throw or kick them out of my way, which only took more energy, so I wound up falling to the ground. Sarisa came. She took me to her parent's house, which is where she lived with them. I stayed there, much to my dislike.

I kept trying to leave, but they always kept me from it. They found out I only had Parker left to look after me, so they decided to let me stay with them for a bit, much to Elizabeth's displeasure. I tell ya, she'd probably skin me alive...But, I had recovered and was able to walk on my own, even if I did stagger. I tried to leave AGAIN, but Sarisa soon caught me. She picked me up and started carrying me back to the house, and I jumped down, trying to run again. She caught me, holding my wrist, looked me in the eye...and she wasn't mad. Not one bit. She just had a forgiving, caring look in her eyes...That just made me break. She asked me why I was trying to leave, and in response, I just broke down and cried. She just cradled me, and I just cried my eyes out. After that, I started sitting in the corner, trying to plug myself off from the world. Sarisa changed that too. She held me one day, and told me that she hoped that I would get better. After that, I stared to come out of my shell more and more. It eventually got to where I would crawl up into her lap and curl up against, then fall asleep...She just thought it was the cutest thing in the whole world...That's when I didn't mind her calling me adorable. She's the person who healed me. I never argue with her, I never yell at her, I never scare her, lie to her, or anything of the like, and I never will. She's the only person who matters in my life, and even if I have to die the most horrible death or go through the worst torture, I will never let anything happen to her."

"..." I just sit there, surprised. "...Well then."

"I know, I rambled." Xavia tells me. "I just like talking about her. How she healed me. I know I sound like I brag about her, but she really is worth it."

"..." I smile. "Well, I just have one question."

"Yeah?" Xavia asks, looking at me.

"What's wrong with me?!" I ask. "I mean, sure I'd freak out, in the bad way, if you said you liked me, but-"

"You're asking me to pound you six feet down underground, ya know that adventure boy?" Xavia asks, punching my arm again. "But, since you're wondering, it's one: you're too big of a goofball, and two: you're just too big of an idiot at times."

"...So now I'm a goofball and idiot at times?!" I ask.

"I just said that, didn't I?" Xavia asks.

"But still! That hurts!"

"So, would you rather me lie to you to make you feel good, or let me tell you the truth?"

"...Well...when you put it that way..."

"Besides, just because you saved the world doesn't mean that I have to make you feel about yourself, right?"

"Another good point."

"That's why I made it."

"But still! Ya could've put it more gently."

"...After everything you've been through, you expect me to put things gently?"

"...Uh..."

"Exactly."

"...I'm not talking to you!" I tell her, putting my head back against the rock, looking forward and my arms crossed.

"But you just did."

"...So?!"

"And you just did it again."

"..." I say nothing. "...How come you can always win an argument?"

"'Cause I'm not a periodic idiot."

"There you go again!"

"Yup." She just sits, watching the tents and wide awake. I can't understand how she survives with so little sleep, but I guess that's her. I rest my head back against the rock, looking at the trail tha leads to the river, my pick across my legs which are bent out in front of me, ready in case something happens. Xavia and I sit in silence, while the moon passes over head, and I begin to slip slowly into sleep, and into a dream...

_I sit up, sitting on a stone seat, in what looks like a coliseum. Down in the Battle Area, is a small group of Zongazonga's guards, Jacob, and Pipsqueak. ZZ and Jacob look like they're having a disagreement, ZZ pulling the rebel leader towards him some, then Jacob saying something and pulling the rebel leader back towards him, then ZZ saying something, pulling the rebel leader back towards him. I stand there and watch them start to yell at each other, puling Pipsqueak back and forth to where her feet dangle two feet off the ground, and the two men hold her by her elbows._

_"Don't I have a say in the matter?" Pipsqueak asks, looking up at the two men._

_"NO!" They both say in unison. I chuckle at it some, and when I open my eyes again, I'm in an elegantly decorated corridor, which I recognize as one of the hallways in ZZ's castle._

_"What's wrong Jacob?" I hear Pipsqueak ask, making me look to see her and Jacob walking down the corridor, Jacob's face a light shade of red._

_"The king..." Jacob says. "I wish he would STOP doing this to me..."_

_"Doing what?" Pipsqueak asks, making Jacob stop and look down at her._

_"He always, ALWAYS sends me a summoning when he's with...ah, how shall I say...concubines." Jacob says, his face flushing._

_"...THEY DO...__**THAT**__ WITH __**HIM?!**__" Pipsqueak yells, her arms waving rapidly in the air to where they're blurry._

_"Thankfully no." Jacob tells her. "They just kiss him is all..."_

_"Blech." Pipsqueak says, sticking her tongue out with disgust. Jacob gets down on his knees, and pats her head._

_"I couldn't agree with you more." He tells her. "He says he torments me like this because he say's I'm not a man yet."_

_"..." Pipsqueak says nothing, but tugs at Jacob's vest. "So you've never been with a woman?"_

_"...Yes..." Jacob says. "But, as far as I'm concerned, I am a man. I don't need that...that fluff, or whatever it is people call it."_

_"..." Pipsqueak says nothing, but tugs at Jacob's vest again. "Will you play with me?" Jacob smiles._

_"Of course. What do you want to do?" He asks. Pipsqueak then pushes him down, and darts down the hallway._

_"You can't catch me!" She laughs over her shoulder. _

_"I bet I can!" Jacob calls, running after her. I can hear the rebel leader's laughter, and it makes me smile from how diggin' adorable it is._

"...Hmmm..." I hum, shifting some.

"Red?" I hear Joe ask. I open my eyes to see I'm still leaning back against the rock, the azure sky has the sun coming up, and Joe's coat is draped over me, acting as a blanket.

"Joe?" I ask, looking up at him to see him holding his pick, and I'm able to see his short sleeved brown shirt that he wears under his vest.

"Sleep good?" He asks.

"Hm...Yes sir, thank you." I tell him sitting up.

"Yer welcome. I woke up, and I saw ya weren't on yer bed." Joe tells me. "I looked outta th' tent and saw ya fast asleep, an' Xavia looked like she had gotten some sleep."

"That explains why it was so quiet." I say, handing Joe's coat back to him, which he pulls on.

"Well, I saw 'er wearin' Rupert's coat and ya looked a little cold, so I thought ya might want a blanket or somethin'." He tells me, slinging his pick across his back.

"Well, thank you." I tell him, stretching my arms and cracking my neck. "I might've gotten pneumonia."

"Yep." Joe says, nodding.

"Mornin'." Xavia says. We both look to see her still wearing Rupert's coat, and sitting on a log in from of the fire pit, mixing something in a pot.

"Whatcha makin'?" I ask, looking at the pot.

"Oatmeal." She tells me. "Sarisa likes it."

"Ah..." I say.

"By the way, thanks for staying up." Xavia tells me. "I needed that sleep I got."

"That why ya wore Rupert's coat?" Joe asks.

"That, and it was chilly." Xavia tells him.

"Why are you still wearing it?" I ask.

"It makes me feel like a commander or something." She tells me. "Anyways, this is done." She takes the pot off, and pours out some of the oatmeal into bowls.

"Good morning!" We all look to see Sarisa and Pauleen walking over, fully rested.

"Mornin'." Xavia tells them. We all sit down at the table, and start eating breakfast.

"So, what should we do with Todd's and Rupert's disappearances?" I ask.

"Well, you and Joe need to stay here so that the kidnappers can't get you guys." Xavia tells me. "They seem to be going after the boys in the group."

"Alrighty, commander." Joe tells Xavia.

"Don't call me that." Xavia tells him. We finish eating, then sit around the fire pit.

"Okay, while Joe and I are here, what'll you three be doing?" I ask.

"I'd like to go check the censors along the trail to see if I can make it to where they'll last through the static, and set up some around the place where Rupert and Todd were last found."

"What should we diga-do, digadig?" Pauleen asks.

"...I don't know..." Xavia sighs. "You guys could watch Joe and Red or something."

"I'm okay with watching them." Sarisa tells Xavia. "You just do what you need to."

"Thank you." Xavia tells her. She gets up, pulling her pack on and slinging the shot gun over her shoulder. "If y'all need me, holler...literally." We all nod, and Xavia head down the trail, the tail to Rupert's coat swishing back and forth.

"...Why exactly is she still wearing his coat?" Joe asks.

"She says it smells like Rupert." I tell Joe, stirring the fire some with a long stick. "Clean."

"Ah...Get herself a little crush, eh?" Joe asks, amused.

"I asked her about it last night, and the last thing she has on her mind is dating." I tell Joe. "She said she gets nothing out of it, so it's a waste of time."

"...Oh..." Joe say plainly. We do nothing really, mainly just idle chat as the day drags by. Xavia comes back to grab some equipment, and when we ask her what she wants for lunch she tells us she already has food with her. She leaves, and we again sit silent, then decide to start making lunch. Pauleen and Sarisa go to get some mangos from a mango tree we saw, while Joe and I remain at camp, peeling some peaches.

"So, yer makin' us some fruit salad?" Joe asks.

"Yes sir." I tell him. "It's really good, so long as the fruit is good."

"Ya know, you'd make someone a good wife." Joe tells me, smiling happily.

"HUSBAND." I tell him flatly.

"Aw, come on." Joe tells me. "Ya can cook meals, clean yer house, and ya can wash clothes, an' that's what a wife does, ain't it?"

"..." I say nothing. "...Then YOU'D make someone a good wife!"

"I would NOT!" Joe yells, his face flushing.

"Yes you would!" I tell him. "After all, you live by yourself so you undoubtedly have to clean you suite and wash your own clothes!"

"But I ain't no cook!" Joe tells me.

"Aw, I'm sure Sarisa could cook for you!" I tell him happily.

"Will y'all QUIT teasin' me?!" Joe asks. "Why do y'all say I love her when I don't?!"

_'Well, doesn't THIS sound familiar?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'Was I really like this?' _I ask.

_'Yes. Yes you were.' _Flamethrower tells me.

"Ah...Joe, Joe, Joe." I tell him, shaking my head and smiling. "You just can't realize it."

"How can I realize somethin' that ain't real?!" Joe demands.

"Ah, you say it isn't real, but it is." I tell him.

"Anythin' else ya need fer th' fruit salad?" Joe growls, changing the subject.

"Eh, I could use some oranges." I tell him, shrugging.

"I saw an orange tree over yonder." Joe tells me, nodding over at the stream. I get up grabbing a bag to put the oranges in, and go over to the tree line. I take two steps in, and I find a tree over flowing with ripe, plump oranges. I put the burlap bag's strap over my head, then climb up into the tree, picking the oranges then dropping them into the bag. After I get all of them, I jump down to the ground.

"Alright Joe!" I say, walking back onto the site, the bag's strap over my shoulder while the actual bag hangs at my side, over flowing with the citrus fruit. "I got all I-" I stop.

Joe's nowhere in sight.

Not even a trace of footprints.

"...JOE!" I yell, dropping th bag making the oranges spill out onto the ground. "JOE! IF THIS IS A JOKE, IT'S NOT FUNNY!" I yell.

"What about Joe?!" I look to see Sarisa and Pauleen run into the site, and Xavia comes speeding up the path.

"HE'S NOT HERE!" I yell. Xavia whips out here tracking devise, then speeds back down the path again. Before we can decide whether to follow or not, she comes back, walking with the tracker in her hand.

"...And then there were four." She tells us.

An hour later...

"Okay, Joe's signal was lost at 1:17 p.m., then picked back up at 1:20, three minutes later." Xavia says, the holographic screen up with the data on it. "Now, I found his tracker at the same spot we found Rupert's tracker and Todd's Stego medal. Again, ages has nothing to do with this, and since Joe's been taken, we have to eliminate the idea that the kidnappers are holding Rupert for ransom. Any questions?"

"Are there any new theories behind the kidnappings now that Joe's been taken?" I ask.

"Well, one new theory came up, but I don't like it...AT ALL..." Xavia says.

"What is it?" I ask.

"..." Xavia blinks. "That maybe the kidnappers are taking them for their own...'amusement'."

"..." We all shiver at the idea.

"Exactly." Xavia says. "But, I have found a pattern."

"What, diga?" Pauleen asks.

"The time of the kidnapping, there's a time pattern." Xavia tells her. "Todd was taken after seven p.m., Rupert was taken after ten a.m., and Joe was taken after one p.m. There's a fifteen hour time difference between their disappearances."

"Fifteen?" Sarisa asks. "Why fifteen?"

"Well, I believe Joe was right about ZZ being involved." Xavia tells us, her face serious. "According to my ancestor's journal, ZZ became king when he was that age, fifteen, and ever since then people said that he said it was his lucky number."

"But if it was fifteen hours exactly, then wouldn't the minute be the same as well?" Sarisa asks.

"Well, I believe that it is fifteen hours, then a random number of minutes..." Xavia tells her. "I've run the numbers, and it seems that the numbers do have something in common..."

"What?" We all ask.

"..." Xavia says nothing. "Well...it seems that ZZ was rather fond of a woman's lips, so he would take time out of each day to do just that. It was never the same number, just when he felt like it."

"Wow..." I say, slightly disturbed.

"How bad WAS it, digadig?" Pauleen asks. "After all, Todd and Rupert's were over thirty."

"One entry in my ancestor's journal said over seventy in one day..." Xavia says, disgusted.

"SEVENTY?!" I exclaim. "BLECH!"

"You can exclaim that again." Xavia tells me. "Back to the point, the times of kidnapping do have this common factor, so..." She sighs. "I am unfortunately forced to conclude that one of Zongazonga's spells is behind the kidnappings. There's undoubtedly a crystal hidden somewhere that's causing this, so until we find it and remove the spell from it, all we can do is be careful. As I said last night, they're very powerful, and they are very difficult to find."

"I'm doomed." I say, worried.

"Relax." Xavia tells me. "The common factor of the guys being abducted when they were alone helps. All we have to do is have someone here at the site with you, not taking their eyes off of you."

"How can we find the guys though?" Sarisa asks.

"I'm gonna run some more data." Xavia tells her. "With Joe being taken, there's more to analyze."

A few hours later...

The rest of today's been uneventful, as Sarisa, Pauleen and I all just sat watching Xavia type away on her laptop, processing the data. We ate lunch and supper, and the sky is painted sunset with purple clouds crusted with gold as the sun dips below the tree line.

"..." We all say nothing, but watch as Xavia types, headphones on her head. She clicks her mouse and sits still, then her eyes suddenly get wide, and she tears the head phones off her head.

"What's wrong?!" Sarisa asks.

"...THAT...WAS CREEPY..." Xavia says, creeped out.

"What was?" I ask.

"Listen." Xavia says, typing something. "I processed that static that the censors picked up when Todd, Rupert and Joe were taken, and this is what I got. This is from when Joe was taken, and it took some massive decoding, re-analyzing, and some clearing up, but just LISTEN." She clicks the mouse, and we can hear the static as it plays. I feel the strangeness return like how it did when we listened to when Rupert was abducted, only it's stronger this time, and I can hear gibberish at the back of my mine.

We listen to the static, and we can suddenly make out music playing.

It's soft music...

"Come." A voice says, very soft. A shiver shoots down my spine, making it vibrate with a shiver, Goosebumps crawl over my skin and my face pales. Static over takes it, and we're unable to make out anymore.

"...THAT...IS VERY CREEPY...DIGA." Pauleen says, creeped out. Sarisa just nods, her face pale.

"Did you feel anything Red?" Xavia asks me.

"Yeah..." I say, nodding. "It was stronger this time."

"Hmmmm..." Xavia hums, thinking. "...Strength!" She suddenly gasps.

"What, diga?" Pauleen asks.

"Strength!" Xavia says again. She makes the holographic screen come up, show a picture of Todd, Rupert and Joe. "Todd was taken first because he was the weakest boy in the group! I'm not trying to offensive or anything of course, but still! Then Rupert was the next, then Joe, and then Red's the strongest! It's not going by how powerful you vivosaurs are, what you look like or their personality, it's going by how strong they are PHYSICALLY!"

"Then...why did I hear that ringing...?" I ask. "If I'm the strongest, then..."

"I've thought about that, and I think I have the solution!" Xavia tells me. "You see, when we first came here, the crystal had to know us. How many, how strong, and how far. Now, it probably sent out a kind of sonar wave that would bounce off of us and bring the required information back to it, and that's why you heard that ringing. It was those waves that it sent out!"

"Wow..." I say, amazed.

"And, I've discovered what time you'll be taken." Xavia tells me.

"..." I gulp. "Wh-when...?"

"Four o' clock tomorrow morning." Xavia tells me. "I'll be patrolling around the campsite, watching for anyone."

"Okay..." I say, relived. I know that if anyone shows up, she'll shoot the full of bullets.

"Now, just go to bed." She tells us. "The stress'll get to y'all as exhaustion." We all just silently nod, and head over to our tents. Sarisa and Pauleen are back in their own tents, while I'm alone in mine, the only sound being the woods that surround the camp. I've gotten used to their being the sound of people breathing, so I don't fall asleep right away. I just lie, staring into the dark with unease coursing through my veins. At midnight, I look out of the tent to see Xavia walking around the perimeter of the camp, the end of her shot gun in the palm of her hand, and the barrel of it resting on her shoulder, like a guard on duty. I watch her for a bit, and she's still wearing Rupert's coat, undoubtedly to stay warm. After a bit, I duck my head back into my tent, and lay back down on my bed.

_...The waiting..._

_Is this a form of torment? Now that I know I'm going to be taken, and at what time, waiting for it is just...intolerable. I can't stand it! I know something's going to happen, and I can only wait for it to happen! I KNOW I'll be taken like the guys were, and all I can do it LET it happen! How do I know I'll come back?! How do I know it I'll suffer?! How do I know if I'll be...be...If I'll be used for someone's amusement?! I don't to happen! Not one bit! NOT ONE BIT I TELL YOU!_

_'Red, CALM. DOWN.' _Air Strike tells me. I'm sweating and shaking from fear.

_'We know that you're scared, but think about. Xavia's here, and it's not like she's not going to let them take you. She'll just capture them and force them to tell us where Todd, Rupert and Joe are.' _Flamethrower tells me.

_'...It's easy for you guys to say that.' _I sigh. I sit and wait...

And wait...

And wait...

And wait.

"..." Nothing happens, and I look at my watch to see it's well past four, a quarter till five. _...Huh. Looks like I'm not gonna be taken. _I think, sitting up. I change my cloths since I've been wearing this outfit for two days straight. I pull on my shirt and suit, then my socks and boots, put my goggles on my head, and pull my pack on. I pick up the rebel leader's medallion, and raise it up to where I pin it to my suit, then freeze.

I hear something...

Music.

Soft...Beautiful...

I hear it from the back of my mind, the farthest corners of my consciousness, sweet, blissful music...

My blood turns to ice, warmth crawls over my skin, a shiver runs down my spine, and the medallion slips from my fingers, landing on the floor of the tent.

_'RED!' _My vivosaurs yell. _'Red! Snap out of it! You're...take...need...go...' _Their voices become muffled, and my connection with them sweeps away, like a grain of sand in a wave.

_"Red..." _A sweet voice says...

_...Rosie...? _I think, recognizing the voice...

_"Please...Come. I'm waiting to see you again..."_

_... _I exit the tent, my eye glassy and dazed, my face blank, as if I were in a hazy trance, a fevered dream while I'm in a doze...

"Red?" Xavia asks, looking at me. Horror appears on her face. "HOLD IT!" She starts running towards me. "You're not going anywhere! You...can't..." Her eyes become half lidded, she falls to her knees, then to the ground, slipping into unconsciousness. "...Stop..." She whispers, before blacking out.

I walk by her, down the path to the river, my head bobbing as I walk...

_"This way..." _

I turn off the path...

The jungle, shining golden and orange with the morning rays surrounds me...

The music become even more beautiful...

Chanting...

Blissful, alluring chanting...

_"Please come..."_

A cave entrance...

The darkness surrounding me...

Going deeper...

and deeper...

and deeper...

The music...

Louder, closer...

Blissful...

Wonderful...

Beautiful...

A...cavern...

Vaulted ceilings...

Smooth, polished floor...

Pillars...

A...pool...

It's a perfect circle, six feet in diameter...

The water...lapping against my legs...

Light...

It comes from the pool...

The azure bottom, while a circle of white light...

Right in the middle of the pool...

The...water...

It's...warm...

I stand...blankly staring...

A blah look on my face...

Upturned to the ceiling...

The water stops moving...

The music grows quiet...

The chanting stops...

_"Red..." _Rosie's voice whispers...

_"Will you come to me?"_

"..."

A faint smile on my face...

"Yeah..." My voice whispers, faint.

"I will..."

The pool suddenly flips in a perfect circle, still facing up, with the water in it, but throwing me into water.

_WHA?! _I exclaim, getting my wits and becoming alert. I quickly swim with powerful strokes upward, then splash above the surface of the water, gasping and sputtering. After rubbing my eyes, I look around to see the sun over head in the doming blue sky with fluffy white clouds, and a thick jungle surrounding me, while I shred water in a blue, blue, blue lagoon, fed by a crystal water fall.

...

_...WHERE...THE DINO...AM I...?_

* * *

><p><strong>AN-DUN! DUN! DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN! OH NOSE! Red, our hero and favorite character, HAS BEEN TAKEN...somewhere!<strong>

**Red: WHERE IN THE WORLD AM I?!**

**Magma: Excellent question.**

**mysterydude123:...Okay...then...And, If you ain't never caught a rabbit, you ain't no friend of mine! (I LOVE ELVIS SONGS! :D) And I have more fact where that came from! But, I MUST GIVE Y'ALL CLIFFIES! :D **

**Guest: ...Okay.**

**sachel: I SHALL KEEP WRITING! :D**

**Omniverse: Don't worry. We all have our fears from movies. (I know since I watched monster house when I was in the third grade, and the next two Halloween's it came back to haunt me.) But, I also slept in my parent's room from fear when we learned about the holocaust in history when I was in the seventh grade. I had a nightmare, so I got a pillow and blanket, and slept on the floor in my parents room for three nights. Even after I went back to sleeping in my own room, I was still scared that a bunch of Nazis' were gonna break down the door to my room and haul me off to a concentration camp.**

**Fuzzy: It was, wasn't it?**

**1T1S1T: And I have updated again! :D**

**Chi-San: YES! Magma the Insane! XD IT'S PERFECT! As for Xavia, yes. We all understand her a bit more now. :) And Rupert, LISTEN TO CHI-SAN! Joe really does need to make his move, doesn't he?**

**DigitalEmperor001: Yup. It's all 'cause she killed a man. As for the coons with chainsaws, does that mean I can't trust Coontail? If you're wondering, Coontail is the plush raccoon I still sleep with. XD I REGRET NOTHING!**

**Greywing44: All Xavia really needs is a little love, ya know? And yes. Pauleen really wants to snuggle with him right now.**

**Red: LEAVE A REVIEW!**

**Magma: And, I am working on a Christmas story just so y'all know. NOW BACK TO LISTENING TO CHRISTMAS MUSIC BY GLEE!**


	70. A Sweet Dream

**AN-NOW, TO THE STRANGE PLACE RED HAS JUST BEEN SENT TO...**

**Red: WHERE THE DINO AM I?!**

**Magma: You'll find out.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Seventy-A Sweet Dream...<p>

I look around at my surroundings, unsure of what to do. The jungle is thick and lush, the lagoon has a white, sandy beach with dirt worn trails going into the jungle. There's a thick tree root that goes right over the lagoon, forming a natural arching bridge, while the azure sky domes over head with the occasional fluffy white cloud and the sun shines, like nothing was wrong.

But I knew something was.

Even though the area around me is peaceful and calm, I can feel it in my gut, that feeling you get when something's wrong, when something is going to happen.

I quickly swim over to a shallow area, and stand up, the water up to my knees, covering my legs. I still feel danger somewhere, so I instinctively reach over my shoulder to slip my hand into my pack to get my pick, only to find empty space, and that my backpack is gone.

_What? _I wonder, looking over my shoulder to confirm just that, my pack missing from the spot it always rides on my back. My feet and hands are bare, my boots, socks, and gloves missing, the pouch that holds my Dino Medals gone, but other than that I still have everything. I reach into my only chest pocket, to find my cell phone, wallet, house keys, and Fighter's License are all missing. The spot where the left chest pocket would be is empty since I dropped the medallion when the...what to call it? Music? Took over my mind. After that, everything is fuzzy, making me unable to recall how I actually got here in the first place.

_Okay...I have no idea where I am, no shoes, no weapon, no I.D., no money, and I can feel danger in the air... _Out of habit, I reach my mind out to discuss this with my vivosaurs, only to feel nothing, then remembering that they're probably in the pouch, which is undoubtedly sitting on the picnic table back at the camp site. _Oh DINO...What have I gotten myself into NOW? Why can't I just go on a simple walk or camping trip without some misadventure or craziness breaking out and turning into mass chaos? ...Well, no one ever said the life of a hero was an easy one... _

Despite my paranoia, I still feel a certain...ease...in the air.

You can almost FEEL the peace and tranquility that it carries as the soft breeze blows.

"Something's defiantly wrong..." I mutter to myself. "This...this isn't right...I've been abducted, I know that much...But by who? Xavia did say this is with little doubt ZZ, but..." I sigh. "What suppose to DO? It's not like this is something they teach in a survival class or something...'Hey Mr. teacher-man, could you instruct us on how to survive in some jungle that we were abducted to after this music from some magical crystal takes over our minds leaves everything after that fuzzy?' Pft. They'd think I'm crazy."

...

"Well, maybe I have lost it some with everything that's happened to me..." I stand thinking a bit more, then sigh again.

_...What do I do...?_

"...Red...?"

My eyes suddenly widen, my heart skips a beat, and I whirl around to see a person standing on the trail behind me, looking at me.

"...Rosie." I whisper, looking into her pink eyes. She smiles, tilting her head. Her hands and feet are bare as well, her hair in the same pigtails, helmet on her head, and same clothes, except she wears the red heart pin in place of the turquoise oval one. I feel tears spring to my eyes and I get shaky, my throat tightening. "Rosie!" I run up to her, splashing out of the lagoon, and hugging her tightly, my hand holding her head against my collar bones, and my chin pressed against her helmet. She rests her hands on my chest as small fists, her fingers holding tightly to the fabric of my clothes.

"Rosie..." I say, my voice quiet and shaky.

"It's okay Red..." She tells me, her voice quiet, sweet and soft. She pulls her head up to look at me, a small smile on her face, making the smile on mine widen as idle tears stream from my eyes.

"...Rosie..." I say again, overjoyed that I can say her name aloud again, and taking one of her hands and pressing it against my right cheek, her palm smooth against my tanned skin. She just stands, smiling and gazing into my eyes.

"Red..." She says again, her voice the same.

"...I love you." I tell her, my heart beat quickening. "I love you so much!" I hug her again, pulling her close my eyes closing and going straight in for a kiss and-

"Red!" She says again, my lips hitting the palm of her hand, which she put up between us.

"...What?" I ask, pulling back and looking at her with confusion. She just smiles again.

"I'm glad to see you too..." She tells me, resting her head back on my collar bones. I hold her, both of us gently swaying back and forth, the sweet scent of strawberries coming from her hair.

I suddenly realize something.

"HOLD THE MEDAL!" I exclaim, jumping back away, much to her surprise.

"What's wrong?" She asks, confused.

"HOW DID YOU GET HERE?!" I ask.

"Long story." She tells me.

"...O...K...then..." I say. "But never mind that! Are the others here? Todd, Rupert, and Joe? Are they okay? We gotta find them and get outta here!"

"..." Rosie just tilts her head, her hands behind her back, taking a soft step forward, a movement and look on her face that suddenly makes me tense, nervousy ebb into me some, take a half step back, and feel my face get a bit warm. "What makes you think there's something wrong?" Rosie asks, her voice soft.

"W-well, I..." I search for words, only to have them fail me as her head leans in, a fraction of an inch away from mine and her eye lids lazy.

"There's nothing wrong, Red..." Rosie whispers, her hand going up my jaw into my hair, making me tense more, and my face warmer. "The others are here, and they're okay...They're happy..."

"...Uh..." The sound escapes from my throat, a bit high-pitched from nervousy, and I can feel my limbs trembling slightly. "But...This...this place..." Rosie moves her head closer, her lips biting down on my cheek softly.

"What about this place?" She softly whispers in my ear, making a shiver of excitement run down my spine.

"...W-well...I-I...It-it just feels...off...?" I ask. Warmth creeps over my skin along with goose bumps, and I felt some kind of...tingling...in the back of my mind. It made me want to relax, to let out a soft sigh and lay back, light as a feather as a strange chill runs through my blood. In response, Rosie's slender arms wrap around my neck, and she does the same thing with her lips against my cheek again, making my blush warmer and a strange sensation worm its way into my insides, and the tingling in my mind increases, making my goose bumps rougher.

"Off...?" Rosie whispers in my ear again, a tone in her voice that makes me only tense even more, my eyes wider and my blush deeper.

"...Ah...Uh..." I stammer, racking my mind for my senses. It's...difficult. As if something was pressing on my mind, making it difficult for me to process my thoughts. I push past it, and quickly step back from Rosie again. "Yes! It feels off to me! Where're the others?!" Rosie sighs.

"C'mon, you probably wanna talk to Todd first since he told us he's your 'bro'." Rosie tells me, taking my hand and leading me up the trail. I follow her, and I feel something strange creep up my arm, by the hand she's holding. What to call it? Excitement? Curiosity? BOTH?

"So...Did you come up through the lagoon?" I ask. Rosie looks at me, her head lolling back to show the smile on her face.

"Same as you!" She tells me, smiling a cute smile that makes my face heat up. She looks back forward, and I keep following her up the path. After a bit, we come to a large tree with its tree roots weaving in and out of the ground, and providing cool shade while soft, dark green grass grows on the ground.

Beneath the tree, is Todd and Pauleen, Todd's head in Pauleen's lap and Pauleen feeding him grapes.

"TODD!" I exclaim. His head pops up, and Pauleen looks up as well. I dart over to them, snatch Todd up and hug him tight, relief spreading through me at seeing that he's okay.

"Red?!" Todd exclaims, surprised. I just nod, his sandy-brown hair soft against my neck. He pulls back, looking up at me with a big smile. His helmet and pack are gone, back at the camp site, and his boots and socks are missing as well, probably hidden in his backpack. Pauleen just sits there looking at us, her feet and hands bare, even her golden bracelets gone. "Well it's about time you got here!" Todd tells me. "What took you so long?! This place is AWESOME!"

"...You were abducted!" I tell him. "That...music took control of your mind and made you come here, yet you say that this place is awesome?!"

"YEAH!" Todd tells me, a huge smile on his face.

"..." I facepalm. Then look back up at him. "Well, never mind that. We gotta get the rest of the guys and get outta here!"

"What?!" Todd exclaims. "Why?!"

"'Cause Xavia said that there's little doubt ZZ is behind all this!" I tell him, my arms shooting up in the air.

"I diga-don't think that's possible, digadig." Pauleen says, standing up. "After all, diga, we're all happy. Would ZZ really make a place like this, digadig? One that makes people happy, diga?"

"She does have a point." Rosie tells me.

"But what if it's a trick?!" I demand. "After all, Zongazonga was a ruthless brute! He could make a place like this and it have some string attached!"

"I dunno, Red..." Todd tells me. "After all, nothing bad has happened, and there's not'a reason to think that one would happen."

"Well...!" I rack my brain again. "It's probably just hidden!"

"Red," Rosie tells me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "relax. Being paranoid when everything's alright isn't good for you."

"But-!" I find it hard to argue with the worried, pleading look in her eyes and her hand on my shoulder, which the strangeness begins to spread from again. I hold her gaze for a second, then look down at the ground. "...Where're the others?"

"Eh, well..." Todd says, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's a bit hard to find Rupert-"

"HA HA!" We all look up at the sound of laughter to see Xavia doing a front flip out of the thick foliage, and perfectly stick the landing. Her hair falls to the small of her back in its thick, soft, poufy curtain, that from behind you wouldn't be able to see above the small of her back. She's wearing her sleeveless red shirt, her arms and shoulders bare allowing us to see and even, light tan and her thin, slender arms, and she's wearing cargo shorts that stop at her knees, and are the same sandy-gold color. Her feet and hands are bare, and she has a smile on her face. "Hey guys!" She says, tilting her head, happily smiling and raising and hand to wave.

"Hey Xavia!" Rosie says happily.

"...Who are you and what have you done with Xavia?" I ask.

"That hurts!" She pouts.

"SEE?!" I ask Todd, looking at him and pointing at Xavia. "Would the Xavia we know, and love to some extent, act like that?!"

"...She's...BEEN...acting like that." Todd tells me.

"For how long?!" I ask.

"...How long...?" Todd asks. He stands there and thinks for a second, then looks back at me. "A few weeks."

"A FEW WEEKS?!" I exclaim, jumping. "Todd, how long have you been here?!"

"...I dunno, a month? Month and a half?" He tells me, shrugging.

"..." I stand there, shock on my face. "IT'S ONLY BEEN THREE DAYS SINCE YOU WERE ABDUCTED!" I yell, my arms waving up and down so fast they're a blur.

"I think time moves differently here." Xavia says, her hands clasped behind her back.

"Then you mean YEARS could pass here but only a little bit of time pass in the actual world?!" I ask.

"Yeah! Hee-hee!" She giggles.

"...I...HAVE...LOST IT..." I say, looking at the ground and putting my hand on my head.

"AHA!" We all look up as Rupert jumps out of nowhere, wearing a sleeveless white shirt and his red and white pants, while his hands and feet are bare. Xavia turns to look at him, her hair rippling like water, right as Rupert gets his arms around her in a hug.

"Argh! You guys made me forget!" Xavia tells us.

"...For...get...what?" I ask.

"Oh, Rupert's always chasing her around, so they kinda play tag most of the day." Rosie tells me, smiling.

"...THERE!" I say. "That's more proof! This place, where ever we are, is just some kinda illusion! A dream! In the real world that wouldn't happen!"

"And I thought Xavia was the paranoid one." Rupert says.

"HEY!" Xavia says. Rupert just smiles, and sets her back down, his arms still around her.

"I'm telling you, there's something wrong! I can feel it in my mind and my gut! I always have a bad feeling in my gut when something bad is about to happen!" I say.

"Red, calm diga-down, digadig." Pauleen tells me.

"It's easy for you to say!" I tell her. "I'm sure Joe would agree with me that something's up!" They all snicker at the mention of Joe's name. "...What's funny?"

"Joe's what's funny." Rosie tells me. "C'mon. We'll show you why." She takes my hand again, leading me down another trail, while Todd and Pauleen hold hands and Rupert carries Xavia in a fireman carry, her head leaning against his and a smile on her face.

_...Where the where am I? _I wonder. _This...this place has to be a dream...Right? I...It IS! Don't doubt it! Even...even if it does feel real, it isn't!...Is it? I mean, would a dream be this...real? Rosie holding my hand, the breeze, the sunlight, the lagoon water, the sounds of the jungle, EVERYTHING..._

_ ...This...this CAN'T be real..._

_ ...Right?_

"We're almost there!" Rosie tells me, looking over her shoulder at me and smiling. I just blink, and keep walking as Rosie leads me down the path, holding my hand. After a bit, she stops, and crouches down, then guides me over to some bushes.

"Uh...Why?"

"You'll see." Todd tells me, crouched down next to me like the rest. Pauleen pulls the bushes aside some, to where we can all look out.

_...WHAT...THE...WHAT...?_

Sitting on a low tree branch is Joe, one arm wrapped around Sarisa's shoulders, while his other hand holds hers, his lips pressed against Sarisa's hand, while Sarisa sits smiling.

_...Tha...__**ZUUUH?! **_I get a look of surprise and shock on my face, while the rest are just smiling, and Joe and Sarisa sit there, not noticing us. Joe's hat is back at the site, so I'm able to see his full head of hair, his coat is gone allowing me to see his vest and short sleeved brown shirt, his hands are bare, his pick is gone, and his feet are bare as well, while Sarisa's boots, socks and hat are nowhere to be seen. Joe kisses Sarisa's hand again, making her smile more. He then looks up at her, smiling, pulls her closer and whispers something in her ear, making Sarisa laugh quietly some, and Joe smiles, then softly kisses her cheek.

"HOOOLD IT!" I yell, bursting from the cover of the underbrush. Joe and Sarisa look up at me, surprised.

"Hold what?" Joe asks.

"Just...! ZUH?!" I say, unable to comprehend what I just saw. "I...I thought you said you WEREN'T in love with her!"

"..." Joe just smiles. "I did, didn't I?" He asks.

"BUT-!" I start to object, but my mind is unable to come up with anything. I feel the light pressure against my mind again, making it hard to think.

"He's being paranoid." Xavia says, her and he others coming out from the underbrush.

"Thought so." Joe says. He stands up, Sarisa holding his hand and standing up as well, then wraps his arm back around Sarisa, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder. "Ya really gotta calm down, pard. Everythin' here's fine, yer just gonna stress yer self out."

"Yeah Red!" Todd tells me. I look at him, to see he and Pauleen holding hands. "Take it from us: We're perfectly fine here!"

"..." I say nothing, but look at Rupert and Xavia to see Rupert carrying Xavia in a fireman carry, Xavia's arms wrapped around his neck and her head rested against his while they're both smiling. I look at Rosie to see she has her hands behind her back, and is just smiling.

_"We're perfectly fine here!"_

_"We're perfectly fine here!"_

_"We're perfectly fine here!"_

_ "We're perfectly fine here!"_

_ ...Per...fect..lee...f...fine... _

_ ...Are...Are we...? _

I look around at the smiling, calm faces again.

_This...this can't be right...Right?!_

_ The...The abductions...Zongazonga's connection..._

_ I-I need to get us out of here, but..._

I look around at them again, then at the ground with a fevered stare.

_Are these my friends?_

_ Th-they are, but...being with each other?_

_ How could that happen so soon?_

_ Xavia's completely oblivious to Rupert,_

_ Todd's too shy to tell Pauleen,_

_Joe doesn't even know he's in love..._

_ And...Rosie..._

_ How...how did she get here?!_

_ The answers don't add up!_

_ There's too many questions!_

_ Too many_ _loose ends!_

_ This HAS to be a dream!_

_ This IS a dream!_

_ There's no denying that this place isn't real!_

_ This is all...an...ill...lu...tion..._

The pressure on my mind increases, causing my head to hurt and my stomach lurches.

_I-I...I feel...sick..._

I bury my head in my hands, and stagger back.

_This place...can't...be..._

The pressure increases.

"Here."

I look up, to see Rosie down on her knees in front of me, holding a wooden bowl with a cream colored stew in it.

"Drink this. It'll make you feel better."

"..." I say, nothing, but look at the bowl again with a ill, blank stare.

_I-I can't...drink it..._

_ I-It's not...real..._

The pressure increases.

_It...That's what's making everyone act like this..._

_ It...it has to be poisoned or something..._

The pressure increases again.

"I...can't..." I force out, my stomach feeling like it's starting to float, making my nausea increase.

"It's tasty! Try it." She tells me, smiling and holding it out more.

"...But..." I look around to see everyone on their knees, the guys holding the wooden bowls and drinking from them, while the girls sit in front of them, smiling.

_It...I..._

_ "Drink it." _A voice from the depth of my mind says, it sounding eerie and ominous.

_No...it..._

_ "DRINK...it..."_

_ But...It's...not..._

The pressure increases again.

_"It's real...If you don't think it is, then at least try to. If it isn't...then you can't drink it..."_

_ ...That...makes sense..._

_ "...Precisely..." _The voice purrs with satisfaction, then vanishing from my mind.

I reach out with my hands shaky and take the bowl from Rosie's hands, making her smile widen. I hold the bowl up to my lips, then hesitate.

_...What...what if it is poisoned...? _

The pressure on my mind increases.

_... _I get a sicker look on my face, and look around at the guys again. Todd's still drinking his, Rupert's holding the bowl in his hands, looking down at it with a half asleep, hazy doze look on his face, and Joe's lowering his from his lips, lazily opening his eyes.

"Drink it." Rosie tells me. I look at her again, a small, sweet smile on her face. "Please?"

Her voice sounded so sweet, so kind...

I look back down at the bowl in front of my lips, and sniff the air.

I smells so...

...ambrosial...

so...divine...

I put the bowl against my lips, and raise it, allowing the stew-like substance to rush into my mouth...

The taste would put my cooking to shame...

So divine...

So luscious...

So heavenly...

I drink all of it...

Warmth...blossoming inside me...

It feels...

...voluptuous...

So...satisfying...

All the pressure around my mind disappears...

"Better?" Rosie asks as I lower the bowl, a blank, hazy dream like expression on my face...My lips making a faint smile...

"...Yeah..." I sigh...Rosie smiles, leaning forward, and taking my head in her hands.

"Good..._very_...good..." She whispers, her voice soft...My expression stays the same...The guys have the same looks, while the girls just sit, holding their heads and smiling...

"Rosie..." I whisper, my head in her lap...

"Yes?" She asks, brushing my bangs back, a small smile on her face while her eyes are lazy.

"What's...so good?"

"You'll see..." She whispers, sitting me up against a tree and kissing my forehead.

_"You'll see..."_

Fuzziness...

A hazy dream...

The sun passing over head...

The stars glittering and the moon shining...

Dawns and dusks...

Sunshine...

The hazy doze expression on mine and the guy's faces...

Swimming in the lagoon...

Rosie kissing my forehead, cheek and neck like how she did when I got here...

The tingling and warmth...

Sleeping by myself beneath the stars, on a bed of soft, cool leaves...

Rosie's head on my chest while we sit under a tree, sunlight lighting the world...

Her hands running down my chest...

The girls feeding us fruit while mine and the guy's heads rest in their laps...

Music...

Music all around...

Dancing in a circle, holding Rosie's hands and laughing, while my head bobs and a big, idiotic smile on my face, with its dream expression...

This place...

...is real...

This place...

It's paradise...

* * *

><p>Sarisa exits her tent, dressed and ready for the day.<p>

_Ah...That was a good night of sleep! _She thinks cheerfully, stretching her arms above her head. She then lets them back down to her sides, and sees Xavia on the ground, unconscious. "Xavia!" She exclaim, running over as panic fills her. She rolls the girl over, then shakes her shoulders.

"What's-" Pauleen asks, starting to exit her tent, and seeing Sarisa trying to get Xavia u. "DIGA!" Pauleen exclaims. She grabs her satchel, pulls out her canteen, runs over and splashes some of the water out onto Xavia's head.

"AGH!" Xavia exclaims, shooting up. "What-?!" She looks around wildly, water droplets flying from her chin.

"Sorry." Pauleen says.

"...What...what time is it?!" Xavia asks, urgency in her voice.

"A bit after six." Sarisa tells her.

"...4:59 a.m..." Xavia says. She looks at the ground. "Red exited his tent, a blank, hypnotic look on his face."

"..." Sarisa and Pauleen say nothing.

"He got taken?!" Sarisa exclaims, horrified.

"What do we diga-do, digadig?!" Pauleen asks.

"Okay," Sarisa starts. She takes Xavia's head in her hands, making Xavia look up at her. "how did you wind up knocked out?"

"I...I dunno!" Xavia tells her. "I...Something just...I felt something in my mind, then I started fading out! I tried to stop Red, but...I passed out..." She grips the ground. "I FAILED..."

"No you diga-didn't!" Pauleen tells her. "WE failed! You shouldn't of had to do it all on your own! We could've done more to help you, digadig!"

"..." Xavia looks at the ground, her bangs covering her eyes and her arms starting to shake. "I failed..." She whimpers, tears starting to stream from her eyes. "I hate phantoms...I failed..."

"No you didn't!" Sarisa tells her, lifting her head to see tears streaming from Xavia's deep brown eyes.

"I FAILED, there's no denying it." Xavia tells her. "...He listened..." She looks back at the ground. "He was nice to me. He was kind to me. He held me while I cried, and I let him be abducted..." She pulls Rupert's coat tighter around herself. "He made me feel safe..."

"..." No one says anything.

"...Why..." Pauleen starts to venture.

"Am I crying?" Xavia asks. "Because the kidnappers have accomplished what they're trying to do. Because I didn't do more to stop them..."

"..." They all sit in silence.

"...I hate this!" Sarisa suddenly yells, making Pauleen and Xavia look up at her with surprise. "People doing this..." Sarisa says, her voice softer. "Xavia, you told me there are still people out there who want to hurt you. I bet this is them. They want to see you fail, us sad, and hold the boys for ransom no doubt."

"...I bet you're right, diga." Pauleen says. "...I wish I could find those people and give them a piece of my mind for abducting the guys!"

"..." Xavia's face suddenly drains of color, realization covering her face.

"What's wrong?" Sarisa ask, worried that it could be a Mental Attack.

"..." Xavia says nothing, but slowly stands, then turns her head to look over her shoulder at the path to the river. "...I know where the guys are."

"What?!" Pauleen and Sarisa both exclaim, jumping up.

"Where, diga?!" Pauleen asks.

Xavia slowly turns back to look at them, horror on her face.

"...They're in The Realm."

The air turns colder and the jungle goes silent for a few seconds.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-DUN! DUN! DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!<strong>

**Yes, the boys where-abouts are now known...**

**The dreaded Realm that Jacob and the other ghosts spoke of...**

**IS WHERE THEY ARE!**

**Red: WE'RE DOOMED!**

**Magma: Yup.**

**Red: YOU'RE NOT HELPING!**

**Magma: It's what I do.**

**Red: -_-**

**Omniverse: Strange show.**

**DunalN2: ...What?**

**DigitalEmporer001: Don't worry. We don't have a chainsaw.**

**sachel: ...Will Xavia explain her true feelings about what?**

**Chi-San: HE WAS ABDUCTED AND SENT TO THE REALM!**

**1T1S1T: UPDATED! :D**

**Blossom: I love mah cliffies~ ^^**

**mysterydude123: Elvis made a song just for Xavia: devil in disguise. XD**

**Gunsandgames: He did, didn't he?**

**Greywing44: Just wait. It gets better.**

**Magma: Okay, I feel like this chapa was short, but Red's mind has gone fuzzy, so he can't recall or comprehend what's going on.**

**Red: I don't like this...**

**Magma: LEAVE A REVIEW! AND I DO NOT OWN FF & FFC!**


	71. Turns Into a Horrid Nightmare

**AN- Okay, Ben K. (can't remember how to spell your last name :P) I know this'll make you mad, but,**

**I know Omniverse is telling the truth.**

**First off, he's been a lot more mature about how he's spoken of you, not using extremely negative things about you and speaking highly of himself like you have.**

**Secondly, if you hate Gadget Girl so much, then don't read or review it. **

**Thirdly, you have no right to speak so lowly of Omniverse, and if you were really better than him, you would use a larger vocabulary when you review rather than using such **_**vulgar **_**words.**

**Fourthly, don't patronize him for loving Ben 10 so much. After all, we all have TV shows we enjoy watching, and Ben 10 is a pretty awesome show.**

**And lastly, since you have shown such a negative attitude, the kind I have to constantly deal with, I have no reason to acknowledge you, nor do I have a reason to listen to your ranting.**

**So, until you become a better person, you no longer exist to me.**

**Red:...DUDE...I'm sorry, but Magma just BURNED you...**

**Magma: BUT! For all you other beautiful readers, I'm very sorry about not updating. I've been working on a Christmas story, and here's a sneak peek for it! XD ENJOY:**

"When's supper?" Lester asks.

"Ah! Speaking of food," I say. I then tug at my mom's sleeve. "can we go make some?"

"Alright, sweetheart." Mom says, smiling. I notice some of the guys snicker at my mom calling me 'sweetheart'.

"Jealous!" I tell them, pointing.

"Hey, don't point at me." Joe says. "I had ta deal with people laughin' at what mah folks called me."

"Joey's right ya know." Xavia says.

"XAVIA!" Joe yells, his face flushing as we all laugh. "HOW IN TARNATION DO YA KNOW WHAT MAH PARENTS CALLED ME?!"

"I called them and asked for all the dirt they had on you before I came." Xavia says, a casual smile on her face.

"..." Joe says nothing but we all keep laughing.

"What?" Xavia asks. "You know I never go anywhere unprepared."

**I hope y'all enjoyed that! Now...**

**ONWARDS!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Seventy-One-...Turns Into A Horrid Nightmare<p>

I sit under a tree, Rosie's head on my chest, while she looks up at me and twirls a lock of my bags around her index finger.

My mind's gotten clearer, thankfully, but I can barely remember anything after drinking that stewish stuff. It's a hazy dream almost. But I still will NEVER drink anymore of that stuff. EVER.

"Red?" Rosie asks, making me look at her, a faint smile on my face.

"Yeah?" I ask. She sits up, then rests her head on my shoulder, one arm around my neck and the other with her hand on my other shoulder.

"If you could..." She starts. "...would you stay here with me? You know...never leave? Both of us here, forever?"

"..." I sit there for a second, then smile faintly again. "I'd love that."

* * *

><p>MEANWHILE, ELSEWHERE WHILE THIS WAS HAPPENING!<p>

Todd laid outstretched on soft, cool grass, Pauleen's head on his chest and his arms folded behind his head. The sunlight warmed his face, the sound of Pauleen's even breaths calmed him, and he felt like falling asleep from how calm he was.

"Todd?" Pauleen asks, lifting her head up some.

"Yeah?" Todd asks.

"If you could..." She asks. "...would you stay here with me? You know...never leave? Both of here, forever?"

"..." Todd smiles. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

><p>MEANWHILE, IN ANOTHER PLACE WHILE THIS WAS GOING ON!<p>

Rupert laid along a thick tree branch, that was low towards the ground, making it easy to get on and off of, almost like a raised bench. His head rested in Xavia's lap, whose gentle fingers combed through his thick, silver locks.

"Rupert?" Xavia asks, her voice quiet.

"Yes?" Rupert asks, opening his eyes, a faint smile on his face.

"If you could..." She starts. "...would you stay here with me? You know...never leave? Both of us here, forever?"

"..." Rupert says nothing, but puts on of his hands against the side of her face, her skin smooth. "That's the pure definition of perfect..."

* * *

><p>MEANWHILE, WHILE THAT HAPPENED, THIS HAPPENED AT ANOTHER PLACE!<p>

Joe laid stretched out in a clearing on soft, cool grass, lazily watching the clouds slowly pass, while Sarisa laid stretched out as well, her head next to Joe's while her feet pointed north rather than south like Joe's.

"Joe?" Sarisa asks, looking at him, making him look at her.

"Yeah?" He asks.

"If you could..." She starts. "...would you stay here with me? You know...never leave? Both of here, forever?"

"..." Joe faintly smiles. "Yeah...I would."

* * *

><p>WHILE ALL OF THIS IS HAPPENING, BACK IN THE REAL WORLD, THIS IS GOING ON!<p>

"...What's The Realm, diga?" Pauleen asks, making the air go cold again and the forest around them fall silent for a few seconds, before it going back to normal.

"The Realm..." Xavia says. "is where ZZ sent men who got in his way of spending time with a woman."

"...That's harsh." Sarisa says.

"They don't think so at first..." Xavia says. "According to my ancestor's journal, she took a lot of notes on The Realm. When a man was sent there, they would see their lover. The woman they were so madly in love with...Then, after a bit the lover would give them a kind of drink, which people called 'Haze Stew', since it was a stew-like substance, and it made your ability to distinguish things hazy, almost like getting drunk. It would plunge the consumer into a dream-doze state where there was only happy, nothing else."

"That diga-doesn't sound so bad." Pauleen says.

"Not at first..." Xavia tells her. "The stew would wear off...then it started."

"...What did?" Sarisa asks.

"It was called 'Pure Terror'." Xavia says. "The lovers, they would...well, reach _inside_ the men, and open their mind to their darkest fear...it _completely _consume them, making them completely terrified, ever fiber, every nerve scraped raw with horror."

"..." Sarisa and Pauleen say nothing.

"What do we do, digadig?!" Pauleen asks. "We can't let that happen!"

"Is there any way we can contact them?!" Sarisa asks.

"On it!" Xavia says, grabbing a bowl. She puts it on the table, fills it with water from her canteen, and takes out several things from her pack, including a red note book, it falling open to a page scribbled with notes. "I learned from the notes the rebel leader wrote about some kinda mixture that would allow you to open a sound portal to The Realm. I found it interesting, so I copied it, and I think I'll be able to make it."

"HURRY!" Pauleen and Sarisa say in unison.

* * *

><p>SO, NOW THAT ALL OF THAT HAS HAPPENED AT THE SAME TIME, LET'S GET ON WITH IT!<p>

Rosie smiles, making my smile widen. She then sits up, then leans her head towards mine. I feel the tingling and strangeness again, which makes me lean in towards her. My head tilts to the side, and-

"GUYS!" Xavia's voice rings out, serious.

"What?" I ask, opening my eyes. I then quickly look around to see her nowhere.

"What's wrong?" Rosie asks.

"Did...didn't you hear that?" I ask.

"Hear what?" Rosie asks.

"GUYS! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!" Xavia's voice yells again.

_That is real! _I think, jumping up.

"XAVIA!" I yell at the top of my lungs.

"What about her?" Rosie asks.

"Guys, listen! You're in The Realm!" Xavia's voice yells.

_...Oh no... _I think, words rushing into the front of my mind as I remember Jacob and the other ghosts talking about it.

"If you don't know what I'm talking about, I'll explain later! But listen: you guys gotta get together and STAY AWAY from any girls you see, no matter WHAT!" Xavia yells. "And ESPECIALLY DO NOT let them catch you!"

"XAIVA!" I yell again. No reply.

"...Are you alright?" Rosie asks, standing up.

"I-I..." I look at her to see worry in her eyes. Confusion fills me, not knowing what to do.

"Do you want something to eat? Will that make you feel better?" She asks. I stare into her pink eyes.

I realize something.

Beyond the worry in them...

...is nothing.

Only a dark, ominous storm cloud, brewing with evil.

Her features, they're too...

...too noticeable.

Her lips are fuller and pinker, her eyelashes thicker and darker, her blush more noticeable.

"..." I say nothing.

_...No..._

"Red, are-"

"Stay away." I tell her, stepping back as she steps forward.

"What?" She asks. "Why?"

"...Because." I tell her. "...You're not Rosie."

"..." Her eyes grow wide, and before she can do anything, I sprint down a path, fast as my legs can go without looking back.

_ARGH! I'm such an IDIOT for thinking that was her! _I think, jumping over a log. _STUPID! STUPID! ...Ugh. If my vivos could make contact with me, they'd be scolding me for kicking myself. I can do that later, but right now I have to find the guys and form a plan with them. _I jump over a large tree root, then crouch down and look over the top.

"Red!" Todd's voice says. I look behind me, then up to see him in the tree.

"Coming!" I quickly shoot up the tree, then crouch down on a thick branch, noticing Joe and Rupert are here as well.

"I know I wasn't the only one who heard the real Xavia's voice." Rupert says.

"Ya got that right, pard." Joe tells him.

"Okay, okay. We all heard her." I say. "Now, we need to make a defensive plan. For whatever reason that they DO catch us, we're undoubtedly screwed."

"Red's right." Todd says. "The...well, I dunno what to call them, but I'm sure they'll tear up this place looking for us!"

"You're half right." We all look up to see Xavia standing on a branch above us.

"RUN!" Rupert yells. We half jump half slide down the tree, and run as fast as we can.

"What do we do?!" Todd yells. I snatch a rock off the ground and chunk it at Xavia, only to have her dodge it.

"HALT!" Sarisa yells, jumping in front of us, making us skid to a stop, then turn to run another direction, only to have Rosie and Pauleen appear on either side of us.

"..." We all stand there, not knowing what to do.

"C'mon..." Pauleen says, taking a step towards us. "You guys don't really wanna leave, right?"

"Pauleen doesn't talk like that!" Todd says.

"It's too late." Rosie says. "They know."

"Yes..." Sarisa says. "The King will not be happy."

"Your master is dead!" Rupert tells them.

"And we know you guys aren't real! You guys aren't our friends, so just take off your disguises!" I say.

"..." The four of them say nothing, but their faces get hard.

"...Ya probably shouldn't of done that." Joe says.

"Probably." I say, quickly agreeing with him.

"He has asked." Xavia says. "So, we will show ourselves."

Their eyes turn a solid, blood red.

Their backs hunch,

Their skin turns black,

They morph and grow,

Their hair disappears,

and their teeth turn into daggers.

"..." The guys and I say nothing, but look at the four demons in front of us.

They're pure black, have thick, broad shoulders and front legs, then their lower half is very small in comparison, their back legs bend _twice_, at the first bend making them go back up, then the second making the leg go back down. Their feet are as big as my head and have curved, sharp claws on them, and they have thick tails about four feet long with scythe like blades at the end. They're pure black except for their eyes which are blood red, and their dagger-like teeth are tinted yellow. They're seven feet long and five feet tall, much bigger than us.

"..." We say nothing, but we're all obviously horrified.

"Better start running..." One of them says, the voice gargled and demonic.

"WE'RE SO COMEPLETELY SCREWED!" Todd yells as we run, probably already a half mile away.

"Those thing'll KILL us! Slaughter us!" Joe yells.

"We just gotta-" I suddenly slam into a wall, making me fall back on the ground.

"There's some kind of shield!" Rupert says. I quickly scramble up, my shoulder hurting from the impact, and look to see the guys hitting an invisible surface. I put my hands up where I hit it, and feel a hard, smooth surface.

"This could be the edge of this place!" Todd suggests.

"So true..." We all while around to see the demons, one up on a rock, one perched on a tree limb, and two of them stalking up to us, the same way a lion sneaks up to an antelope.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back in the real world!<p>

"So you know where it is?" Sarisa asks Xavia, who's digging through her back pack.

"Yes ma'am." Xavia answers, not looking up. "I was able to with my ancestors notes and the censors I set up, pinpointing the opening to be inside a cave. Apparently The Realm is its own world, but there's a way to open a rift in into it, allowing access to the crystal that sustains it. All I have to do is open that rift, and I'll be able to destroy the world and the demons within it."

"What a about the guys, digadig?" Pauleen asks.

"They'll be transported back here upon the destruction of the world." Xavia tells them.

"What all do you need?" Sarisa asks.

"Just one thing; I made it some time ago." Xavia tells her, still digging through the pack. "It's specially made to help fight anything like this, and with my life I figured I would need it a one point or another."

"You really know how to prepare, diga." Pauleen says.

"Yep." Xavia says. "Dang, I gotta clean this thing out...Ah! Here it is!" She pulls out a ring. It was thick, like a man's ring, it was made of shining silver, had a large, oval shaped black jewel with a flat top, then a ruby star in the black jewel.

"...How diga-does that help us?" Pauleen asks.

"It'll help me." Xavia says, standing up. "You two stay here. This is dangerous."

"Then why are you going alone?!" Sarisa demands.

"'Cause I'm better at this kinda situation. Fighting runs in my blood, you know that." Xavia tells her.

"Well, diga, what does that ring do?" Pauleen asks.

"This." Xavia says, putting the ring on the third finger on her left hand.

White light surrounds her.

* * *

><p>Mean while, back in The Realm!<p>

"We will enjoy feasting on your fear..." The demon on the high rock tells us, leaping down to the other two, continuing towards us in the same manor they are. The one in the tree leaps down joining them as well.

"What do we do?!" Rupert asks, fear obvious in his voice.

"Pray for a cowboy on a Ptera?" Todd asks.

"What?" Joe asks, looking at Todd.

"Well, ya know. Red and I were at the edge of a cliff, the Allo was coming at us, you showed up, and...ya know..." Todd tells him.

"We need help is what we need." I say, looking at the gleaming teeth. They're fifteen feet away now.

"Be scared..." One of the demons say. "It builds our appetites..." It then roars, and jumps straight at us.

A black object suddenly smashes into the ground, causing a noise that sounds like a meteor hitting Earth, and making dust fill the air.

The four of us cough while the demons all hiss, and the dust clears to show a black sphere sitting on the ground between us and the demons. Wings, big, black, feathery wings, unfold, and a person stands up.

"XAVIA?!" The four of us exclaim.

"Yes?" Xavia asks, looking over her shoulder. Her wings sprout from her shoulder blades, she's wearing a sleeveless black shirt, red pants, black boots, red bracers on her four arms with black at the ends of them, and in her hands are black swords with red handles, black cross guards with red in them, blades as black as pitch and so sharp it looks like you could cut yourself just by looking at them, while a thick, red line runs down the middle of the blade on either side. Xavia's necklace hangs around her neck, and her hair is in its usual style.

"HSSSSSSSSS!" The demons hiss, making Xavia look back at them.

"A female?" One of them hisses.

"How?" Another asks.

"Simple." Xavia says. "I merely used some notes and some data I had to pinpoint to location of the portal, that pool of water in the man-made cavern. I have a special tool I created to help fight against magic, so I was able to break through the crystal and into the lagoon, then I heard yelling so I just flew here."

"You will step aside if you wish to live..." One of the demons hisses at her. Xavia merely holds her swords ready, and gets in a ready-to-fight stance.

"I do not fear death, because you cannot kill me." She tells them. They hiss again, and one jumps at her. Xavia crouches down and jumps up, then flips, allowing her heel to smash into the demon's head, sending it smashing into the ground. Another jumps, Holds up her swords to where they form an X, stopping the demon from reaching her. She then slashes them out, making the demon cry out in pain, then lops it's head off.

The head actually grows back, and the demon just smirks, another jumping at Xavia, who impales it on one sword, stabs it in the side with the other, and uses the force of it jumping at her to spin in a circle, then throwing it off of her swords, making it fly across the area.

_Wait..._ I think, looking at them. _Wasn't there four? _

"HSSS!" The fourth hisses, jumping down from a tree branch. Xavia looks up at it in surprise, then uses her swords to block the attack, but she slides back some from the force. The demon continues pushing her, making Xavia slide back more. She then suddenly jumps back, making the demon fall on its face, then jumps at it, spinning like a tornado made of blades, slicing the demon up before jumping back in front of us, her wings spread out to their full wingspan, about twelve feet. The first one, the one Xavia hit with her heel, gets up, and jumps into the air. Xavia gets air born with one flap, and goes straight towards the demon, her swords ready. They start aerial combat, Xavia being much faster and more agile than the demon, who can't even touch her.

"Enough of this!" The first hisses. The other three suddenly launch from the ground, grabbing Xavia by her wings, weighing her down, causing them to all plummet.

"Xavia!" Rupert yells, about to run forward only to slam into another invisible wall.

"What?" Todd asks, his hands on the new one.

"They made it so we can't help her!" I say.

"Never thought I'd say this, but go Xavia!" Joe yells.

_There's not much she can do though! _I think, looking at the fight, which now has one on the demons holding Xavia's wings against her back, the other two having her arms and legs pinned, and the first one, which seems to be the biggest, standing in front of her.

"Now..." The first hisses. "We need the cover."

"Cover?" Xavia asks.

"Yes..." It hisses. "Before we send you into Pure Horror, we have to look like your lover."

"...I don't have one." Xavia says.

"So you say!" The demon says. It then grabs her forehead. "Now, let us see who it is you love!" The demon is surrounded in a black sphere, which this dissolves away to show the demon exactly how it looked before.

"...What?" It asks.

"Whaddaya mean 'what'?" Xavia asks. "I know that you guys have to know what the person's lover looks like before you enact Pure Horror on them, so I'm not scared because I don't _have_ a lover for you guys to disguise yourselves as. So, I am invincible to Pure Horror."

_So she doesn't have a crush on anyone..._ I think, understanding what she's saying.

"Then we will kill you!" The first says, raising its clawed hand to slice her open.

"Get away from her!" A blast of white suddenly hits the ground, sending the demons flying and allowing to take off into the air.

"I told you two to stay at camp!" Xavia says. We all look to see Sarisa and Pauleen, flying through the air. Sarisa's wings are whiter than snow, she's wearing a pure white, sleeveless shirt, blue pants and white boots, with white bracers that have blue at the ends, Pauleen's wings are pink with yellow tips, she's wearing a pink shirt, green pants, pink boots, and green bracers with pink at the ends. Sarisa has a spear with the spear head being white and the wooden shaft being blue, and Pauleen has a bow that's green with pink embedded in some parts.

"We're not leaving you to fight alone, digadig!" Pauleen tells her. an arrow materializes, ready to be pulled back and shot in her bow.

"We stick together no matter what!" Sarisa tells Xavia, who just nods, grunting in confirmation. They land, standing between us and the demons who hiss.

"This is trying our patience..." The biggest one hisses.

"But they are still out numbered..." Another hisses.

"I was able to hold my own against you four." Xavia tells them. "Well, how do you think the fight's gonna go now?"

"..." The demons only hiss in response.

"Fight like a girl!" Pauleen yells, shooting the arrow, allowing a new one to appear and the shot arrow hitting a demon's forehead. They break out into a fight, Xavia duel wielding her swords, Sarisa blocking and stabbing with her seven foot long spear, and Pauleen shooting the demons full of arrows. The guys and I all watch, shocked and amazed, at the fight.

"How long is this gonna be, digadig?" Pauleen asks, shooting a demon on its left flank.

"Until a rift in this world's fabric can be opened!" Xavia yells.

"...Rift?" Rupert asks.

"Fabric?" Todd asks.

"What is this? Sci-fi?" I ask.

"How do we do that?" Sarisa asks, stabbing one of the demons.

"I don't-" Xavia starts, when she suddenly gets an idea. "Cover me!" She flies high up in the air, Pauleen and Sarisa following her. Pauleen keeps the demons pinned down with her arrows while Sarisa knocks down any that come too close, and Xavia flies up even higher. She gets at least five hundred feet up, puts her swords to where the tips are pointing up at the sky while her arms are stretched up above her head, then folds her wings against her back, allowing herself to fall. Her head and the points of her swords point at the ground, she falls with increasing acceleration, then suddenly spreads her wings, making her curve up, and slices her sword, which have red light trailing from them.

A screech, like metal grinding against metal, fills the air.

There's some kind of explosion, which knocks me off my feet, only to have me be sent tumbling into empty space. I open my eyes to see the world around us disintegrating, the demons clutching their heads and releasing booming roars of pain, the azure sky turns to a muddy brown, and the space closes in, focusing around one point: A crystal.

It's pitch black with red energy humming through it, it has several crystal-like points coming off of it, and Xavia has it seized in her hands, her face contorted with pain as red electricity shocks her, yet she holds her ground. Bright light begins to crack through the crystal as Xavia begins to break it in two with her _bare hands_, more and more of the light coming out as the splits multiply and grow.

An eruption of bright light fills my vision, my breath being knocked from my lungs.

Unconsciousness takes over my mind.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-TA-DAH! Yes, the girls just saved Red and the guys from the demons.<strong>

**Red: Like guardian angels!**

**Magma: CORRECT!**

**Red:...Did you drink soda?**

**Magma:...*hides empty soda bottles in desk drawer* No.**

**Omniverse: Yup. But don't worry, I won't tell anyone! :D**

**sachel: Okay, I am in no shape, form, or fashion trying to be rude, but it would be greatly appreciated if you would look back over your reviews for spelling errors and to make sure the whole message is there before you submit your review. It is **_**very difficult**_** for me to understand them when some parts are missing. As for Xavia and Rupert, that was answered in this chapa, revealing that Xavia does not have any romantic interests. **

**random dude: I'm not sure whether or not to do the Battle Royals...**

**myseterydude123: Now the question is who will claim the five hundredth review. :) BUT! As for your hat, don't eat it. That's bad for digestion.**

**Guest: Yup, Red's trance went away.**

**DunalN2: UPDATED! :D ...And what do you mean when you ask if Duna's in this? ?_?**

**Greywing44: They did, didn't they? :D**

**Blossom: Sweet. *thumbs up***

**Tefflateam: Thankies~! :D **

**DigitalEmperor001: Yes. I AM EVIL! *evil laugh* But, if you can say it, it's a word.**

**Guest: See Chapter 62 for the mention of The Realm. It's near the end, when the ghosts show up in Red and Todd's house.**

**Chi-San: I KNOW RIGHT?! *joins in running around in circles***

**Trin: Yup! I am proud to say that I have the longest FF Fan fiction on the website, and thanks! I'm always happy to write stories people enjoy! :D**

**1T1S1T: Yup! Maybe more than a hundred?**

**Magma: Alrighty y'all! Stay tuned for next chapa, and I do not own FFC!**

**Red: And see that review button down there? Go on, click it. YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO!**


	72. Mixed Up

**AN-This is just a crazy little chapa that shows the dangers of messing with crystals that make you go into an illusionary world. :3 **

**Red:...I don't like the sound of this.**

**Magma: ONWARDS!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Seventy-Two-Mix up<p>

I begin to wake up, the first thing I'm aware of being that I'm in a bed, wearing only my boxers and a light breeze on my face. The air smells fresh and clean, carrying the sweet smell of fruit and sugar, and the smell of a tropical ocean. I can hear the rustling of leaves, crickets chirping, birds merrily singing, and what sounds like a person writing. I force my eyes open, seeing what looks like the underside of a thatched roof, but good and thick, not allowing anything through. The room around me looks to be made of bamboo, and the floor made of palm wood. There's a wooden desk, a circular arch way going out to a balcony, a jungle made of reddish-brown trees with branches that fan out widely, the green, green leaves rustling as the breeze tugs at them. I look back at the desk to see a person sitting at it, writing in a book. They have black hair that stops at their jaw, they're wearing a tattered blue over shirt with the short sleeves torn around the edges, the end of it stopping at the bottom of their rib cage. Due to the holes in it, I can see a red shirt under it, also torn at the bottom of the rib cage and the sleeves completely gone, but other than that, it's in good condition, no holes or anything. Their midriff is easy to see due to their torn cloths, showing they're very thin with an even, healthy tan. Their pants are torn as well, making them stop at the middle of their upper legs, while a brown belt holds up their pants. Their legs are thin and slender, also having an even tan, their hands and feet are bare, but they look very healthy from what I can see.

"...Huh...?" I say, it being quiet. The person quickly looks at me, their eyes wide. They're a girl, with deep brown eyes, freckles dusted across their nose and cheek bones, and full red lips.

...

_Xavia? _

"Ah! You're awake!" She says, smiling to show teeth as white as pearls. She quickly gets up, running over to a door and opening it. The door is made of wood as well. "Hey! He's awake!"

"Ah! Good!" Xavia steps aside as a person I've never seen before enters the room.

She looks almost exactly like Xavia.

Her hair is auburn brown with bangs that cover her forehead, her hair stopping at her jaw. Her shirt is white and torn at the bottom of her rib cage, the sleeves gone as well while her over shirt is red and torn at the bottom of her rib cage, the sleeves torn short as well with holes torn in it as well. Her pants are blue with a black belt, the ends torn at the middle of her upper legs. Her eyes are green, she has freckles dusted across her nose and cheekbones, and full red lips as well. She and Xavia both have the same builds, and I suddenly notice that they're both tall, Xavia being taller than she should. Their chests are flat, their legs long and slender, tans even, same height, and, bottom line, attractive.

"How ya feel kiddo?" The girl with brown hair asks, walking over and sitting next to the bed, cross legged on the floor.

"..." I blink, and look at Xavia. "Xavia...where are we?"

"..." She blinks. "...Who's Xavia?"

"..." I blink, confused. "You...you're not her?"

"No." The girl says, shaking her head. "Th' name's Icy Blue!"

"...Icy Blue?" I ask.

"Yep!" She comes over and sits down next to the girl with green eyes. "And this is mah best friend in all the places and worlds and demintions that'll ever exist, the person one'll ever replace, and the person I'll never let anything come between us," She wraps her arm around the brown haired girl's shoulders. "Magma Red!"

"Nice to meet ya!" The girl with brown hair, Magma Red, says.

"..." I blink. "You...look much like Xavia." I tell Icy Blue. Her bangs are even styled the same way.

"Interesting." She says.

"Well, how do you feel?" Magma Red asks me. "We found you on the beach this morning."

"...Beach?" I ask. _That would explain the tropical scent to the air..._ I think.

"Oh yeah!" She says. "This house we're in; it's both a tree house and a beach house! We made some of it on the beach, then built it into the jungle, making it up in the trees. It's easy to defend incase a hostile tribe attacks, it's comfortable, and very tranquil!"

"..." I blink again. "Uh...Magma Red? Icy Blue?"

"You can call us Magma and Icy." They tell me in unison.

"...Okay, but...Where am I? I wasn't-"

"YOU'RE DREAMING!" They both tell me in unison, huge smiles on their faces.

"...I'm WHAT?" I ask. Everything goes black for a second, then I open my eyes to see the top of a tent, the familiar sounds of the camp site filling my ears. _...That...was a strange dream. _I think, sitting up and exiting the tent. I stretch my arms above my head, enjoying the sun on my face.

"Hey, diga!" I look to see Pauleen sitting on the table, Sarisa sitting on one of the benches, and Xavia typing on her laptop. "Joe's awake!"

_...Joe? _I wonder. Xavia looks up, gets up, and walks over while Sarisa and Pauleen run over. I suddenly notice that they're shorter than I remember.

"Joe!" Sarisa says, hugging me.

"How ya feel cowboy?" Xavia asks.

"...Cowboy?" I ask, my voice not my own. I tease, jump back from Sarisa and look at myself. "WHAT THE WHAT?!" I yell, seeing that I'm in Joe's body and wearing his cloths, his pick slung across my back.

"...Joe don't talk like that." Xavia says.

"What's with all the yelling?" Rupert asks, exiting his tent, rubbing an eye.

"RUPERT!" I yell running over to him. He looks at me right as I grab his shoulders. "Something's wrong! I'm in Joe's body! I'm RED!"

"..." Rupert says nothing, but looks down at himself, horror on his face.

He then yells, running from my grip and running in panic filled circles around the camp.

"...Problem, diga?" Pauleen asks.

"I'M TODD!" Rupert/Todd yells.

"WHAT?!" Sarisa exclaims.

"That would explain the speech pattern." Xavia says, writing something down on a clipboard.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO US?!" I yell.

"It seems that breaking the crystal caused y'all to get thrown into each other's bodies." Xavia says, still writing something down.

"What happened?" We all look to see Todd's body coming out of the tent he and I share. He sees Rupert, freezes, looks at himself, then slowly back up with utter horror on his face.

"NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He yells, falling to his knees and grabbing his head. "Why am I the one who has to be in Todd's body?!" Rupert, able to tell by the speech, asks with distraught.

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!" Todd demands, his face mad.

"This is amusing." Xavia says, half smiling and writing on her clipboard.

"XAVIA!" Rupert yells, grabbing her shoulders. "You have to fix this! Is there any way to fix us back?! You have to fix us!"

"WILL YA KEEP TH' YELLIN' DOWN?!" My voice yells, making all of us look to see my body standing there, anger obvious on my face. "Honestly! A guy...When'd y'all get so big?"

"Hi." I say. Joe looks at me, sees that we've switched bodies, and gets a look of shock on his face.

"...WHAT IN TARNATION?!" He yells. "XAVIA, YA GOTTA FIX US!" He yells, getting over to her and putting a hand on Rupert's/Todd's shoulder.

"You gotta!" Todd/Rupert says, putting a hand on Rupert's/Todd's other shoulder. "I don't wanna stay like this forever!"

"I'm with them!" I say.

"Digadig! You have to Xavia!" Pauleen agrees. We all start asking her to fix us, while she stands there, a blank look on her face.

A few minutes later...

Xavia stands there, still listening to us, then suddenly grabs Todd's/Rupert's ear and Rupert's/Todd's ear, smashing their heads together and making us go quiet.

"Okay, moving on." She says. She then grab's my/Joe's ear, and Joe's/my ear, smashing our heads together.

"...OW..." I groan, my head hurting as I sit up, rubbing my head.

"Here you go, digadig." I open my eyes to see Pauleen sitting in the tent, holding a cup of water and one of the aspirins Xavia makes out to me, which I take and put in my mouth, drinking in down with the water. My head ache disappears, and I finish drinking the water.

"That's better..." I say, recognizing my voice as my own, telling me I'm back in my body.

"Everyone else is already up, digadig." Pauleen tells me. "C'mon. Xavia wants to talk to you guys." I follow Pauleen out of the tent, to see Everyone sitting around the fire, Xavia typing on her laptop. I sit down on a log with Todd, Pauleen sitting next to him.

"Alright," Xavia says. "I need you guys to tell me anything y'all remember."

"...Well..." Rupert starts.

Realization hits me.

I was with Rosie in The Realm.

"I honestly don't remember much." Joe says.

"Ditto." Todd says. "All I can recall is some dream doze feeling. Other than that, blank."

"Rupert?" Xavia asks.

"Agreed." Rupert tells her. "I can't even remember how I got there. The last thing that's clear and understandable is when Joe took off after we heard someone scream."

"That was a panther." Sarisa tells him.

"Red?" Xavia asks.

"..." I say nothing, but I can remember Rosie. That's it really. I can't remember who Todd, Rupert or Joe was with, what all we did, or anything. Just that I was with Rosie. "...Nothing." I tell her. Xavia nods.

That night...

"Ah...good to be back in the right world." Todd says, laying down on his bed, wearing his pajamas and hugging Stanly the Stego.

"Yeah dawg." I say, may arms folded behind my head.

_'Red, the next time you hear singing like that, I AM GOING TO COME RIGHT OUT OF MY MEDAL NO MATTER WHERE WE ARE A RIP YOU EARS OFF, __**GOT IT**__?!' _Flamethrower yells at me, making me smile.

_'I missed you too.' _I tell him.

_'Man, you had us worried!' _Air Strike tells me, mentally giving me a tight hug.

_'All of us were about to tear this place apart looking for you!' _Cloud Cover tells me.

_'I have the most wonderful vivos in the world.' _I think, mentally hugging all of them, a hug which they return, making me warm inside.

"...I actually do remember something from the Realm." Todd says, making me look at him.

"Same here." I tell him. "I remembered who I was with."

"Yep." Todd says. "...Pauleen's angle wings were beautiful."

"...I wonder what Rosie's would look like." I say quietly, drifting into slumber.

I wake up the next morning laying on my stomach, my arms flailed out and sawing logs just like Todd, who like me is fully rested.

"Mornin' bro." I tell him, sitting up, cracking my neck and smacking my mouth.

"Good morning..." Todd says, sitting up as well.

"...You know," I start. "for once, I wish we could just have a normal vacation that didn't involve kidnapping, fighting, someone being knocked out, or bad guys.

"...What about getting kissed by our crushes?" Todd asks.

"That, is welcome any day." I tell him. "No objections."

"Yeah..." He says. We get dressed and ready, then exit the tent, and help with packing all of the gear up, getting ready to go home. After we pack everything up, we walk back down the path we hiked up to come here, getting back to Xavia's house, all of us then splitting up to go back to our houses. Todd and I come to the Base, go in, and I head straight to the laundry room, washing some of our cloths. Todd comes in after a bit, and helps me with folding them, then we both take our clean, fresh smelling cloths back to our rooms, storing them away in our dressers. My cell phone rings, making me pull it out and answer it, the number being Rupert's.

"Hey Rupert." I say, sitting on the end of my bed.

"Hello Red." He says. "Have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"The staff leaders decided to have a formal party tonight."

"Whelp, time to dig out that tuxedo and comb yer hair!"

"...Right..."

"So, what should we all do for the rest of the day?"

"Meet me at the Stone Pyramid. We can do some digging there."

"Alright!" I hang up, grab my pack, and walk into the hallway. "C'mon Todd! We're heading down to the Stone Pyramid!"

"Alrighty!" Todd says, coming out of his room. We head out to the Jungle Labyrinth, then to the Stone Pyramid to see no one there.

"...Guys!" I call, my hands cupped around my mouth to make it louder.

"Digadig!" Pauleen says, jumping out of some bushes. "We're back here, diga! Xavia saw something."

"Ah." Todd and I say in unison. We follow her through the underbrush, to see Xavia crouched on a rock, a journal in her hands as she draws a parrot, it being a perfect portrait of the one sitting on a tree branch while Rupert sits next to her. Xavia finishes it up, closing the journal.

"That's a very good picture." Rupert tells her.

"Thanks." Xavia tells him. "Years'a practice."

"Sarisa?" We all look as we hear Joe's voice, to see Sarisa sitting on a fallen log, and Joe standing up. Sarisa has a down cast look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"My sister is annoying me half to death." Sarisa tells him. Joe stands there a second, then sits down on the log, three feet of space between them.

"Why don't she leave?" Joe asks. I suddenly notice Xavia has her phone out, recording what's going on.

"You're recording this?!" I whisper.

"Hey," Xavia whispers back. "when they're married they watch this, Sarisa laughing and Joe getting embarrassed."

"...Or do you just wanna blackmail Joe?" I ask.

"Thanks for the idea!" She whispers, smiling.

"She won't leave because she thinks I can't take care of myself." Sarisa tells Joe. "So in other words, she won't leave till I get married to a good man."

"..." Joe says nothing. "...What if she thought ya were gettin' hitched?"

"...What?" Sarisa asks.

"Well now, think 'bout." Joe tells her. "If ya gotta good feller to agree to pretend to be engaged to ya, then ya told yer sister that ya were getting married to 'em, then she would leave."

"...That's actually a good idea." Sarisa tells him.

"Thank ya." Joe says. "Now ya jus' gotta find a-"

"What about you?"

"..." Us, the Patrol team, all cover our mouths to keep from bursting out laughing.

"...WHAT?!" Joe exclaims, falling off the log.

"Well, she doesn't hate you, so that's one reason." Sarisa says.

"I CAN'T DO _THAT _THOUGH!" Joe says, jumping to his feet.

"Why not?" Sarisa asks, standing up.

"W-w-well...I..." His voice trails off as he undoubtedly racks his brain for a reason. "I...uh..."

"Well?" Sarisa asks, stepping towards him. Joe just keeps stammering, backing up, only to walk back into a tree, making him quickly look at it, then back at Sarisa to see her an inch away from his face, making him tense back against the tree, his face getting a red tint to it.

"...Ah...Uh..." Joe says, his voice a bit high-pitched from nervousy.

"Please?" Sarisa asks.

"..." Joe says nothing, but looks as if he's about to go into a panic. "I-I-It ain't that simple!" Joe says, quickly stepping to the side and hurrying past her.

"How so?" Sarisa asks, looking at him.

"..." Joe says nothing, but clamps his mouth shut, think with that still panicked look on his face.

Ptera's medal suddenly flies out of Joe's coat, the Pterosaur appearing right behind him.

"..." Joe just looks at him. "...What in tarnation are ya-"

Ptera's head suddenly shoots past Joe, grabs Sarisa's vest in his beak, and then yanks back, causing Sarisa to slam right into Joe, making them both fall to the ground.

It takes every fiber of my being not to burst out laughing, while Joe has an awkward look on his face, while Sarisa's is slightly surprised. She then just smiles sweetly, putting a hand on the side of Joe's face.

"Please?" She asks.

"...S-Sure..." Joe says, his voice very high from nervousy.

"Thanks!" Sarisa says, jumping up, then running off with her fists in the air. "FREEDOM FROM MY SISTER, HERE I COME!"

"..." Joe says nothing.

_"...Why didn't you kiss her?" _Joe's Ptera asks, projecting his thoughts.

"PTERA!" Joe yells, on his feet and mad. "WHAT IN TARNATION IS WRONG WITH YA?! DOIN' WHAT YA JUS' DID AIN'T FUNNY! NOT ONE BIT!"

"I beg to differ." Xavia snickers, putting her phone away.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-...Well, I guess I'll just stop here fer this chapa...<strong>

**But, I AM REALLY, REALLY, REALLY SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG TO UPDATE! (Sure, it was just ten days, but that's a LONG time for me!)**

**Red: FINALLY!**

**Magma: Yup. And yer going dancin' next chapa!**

**Red: Hopefully this one'll be better than the last one I went to...**

**Guest: Unfortunately, the guys only remember the person they were with in The Realm.**

**sachel: I understand about the internet connection troubles, and it's okay. You don't need to apologize.**

**Guest: *extreme happiness* I SO WISH THIS COULD BE AN ANIME! And I'm glad I could write something that a person who doesn't read a lot enjoys. :D**

**DunalN2:...Who?**

**Guest: They were gaping big time man.**

**Supernoah95: Ah, that depends on my motivation and over all laziness.**

**Omniverse: :D**

**Costume: Dark red cape that falls to the small of back, dark red pants with baggy legs and tucked into black boots that have red 'R's on the side, a light red shirt with short sleeves, red bullet proof vest with two black 'R's over the heart, red gloves, and a red mask that goes around the eyes. **

**Name: Red Rocker**

**Secret Identity: Jess Camo, an artistic young woman who's a journalist with a black belt in martial arts, can play bass guitar, sculpt, paint, and, when no one's around, break dances in her room.**

**Gender: Female**

**Appearance (I know you didn't ask, but...yeah.):Short dark brown hair that stops at jaw, freckles, green eyes, short sleeved red shirt, green-grayish cargo pants, navy blue jacket that's ALWAYS tied around her waist, black cut off gloves, and red sneakers.**

**Background: Grew up on a farm with her parents, always believing everyone's life had meaning. Hearing about the cruelty people had suffered under in school, she vowed to help people any way she could.**

**Other: Has indestructible red and white bass guitar that sends out sonic waves when using it to fight crime. **

**Chi-San: You tell 'em Chi-San! And, with the matter of Xavia, THAT WILL BE MADE CLEAR!**

**Gunsandgames: ...It was really that good?**

**DigitalEmperor001: I'm not crazy! I'M INSANE! **

**mysterydude123: Well, we can only wait and see.**

**1T1S1T: YUSH! :D**

**Greywing44: SWEET!**

**Magma: Anyways, you can expect updates to be slow. Again, please understand that I'm working on a Christmas story, so I'll be trying to get done for when the time comes to post it.**

**Red: Magma does not own FF or FFC!**


	73. Another Dance

**AN-We're back, and I can't quite come up with anything to put here.**

**Red: Magma Red does not own FF&FFC.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Seventy-Three- Another Dance<p>

"Hello?" I ask, picking up the phone, having just finish washing the dishes from lunch, and drying my hands on my apron, using the speaker phone in the kitchen.

"Hello." Rupert says.

"Hey man! What can I do for ya?"

"Ah...I was just wondering if you and the rest of the team would be alright with me not attending the formal get together tonight."

"WHAT?!" Todd and I exclaim, Todd zipping over from the washing machine, where he had been putting in the dishes.

"Whaddaya mean you're not going?!" Todd asks.

"Well...think of it." Rupert says. "It's formal, so I would have to wear a suit, and there's bound to be fan girls there, which means I would practically be wishing for my death if they saw me."

"..." Todd and I say nothing.

"Well, you do have a point." Todd says, as an idea pops into my mind, it appearing on my face as I smile.

"But oh well..." I sigh, making Todd look at me, realizing I'm scheming something. "After all, Xavia did say she was going and as you said, it is a formal occasion so that means she _would _have to wear a _dress_, but since you're not going you won't be there to see her in it and she'll suffer the annoyance of boys wanting to dance with her and you won't be there to keep them away so that she won't get annoyed, but oh well."

"On second thought I may be able to avoid them!" Rupert suddenly says. "I'll see you both at the pickup spot! I must find my suit!" He hangs up, allowing me to push the button that hangs up the speaker phone.

"..." Todd says nothing, making me look at him to see his jaw dropped and surprise on his face.

"My parents always did say I had a way with words." I say, smiling some.

"HI-FIVE!" Todd says, holding hand up in the air, allowing me to high-five him. After that, I hang my apron up on a hook on the wall, we both go into the living room, sit on the sofa, and play some video games for a bit. Around five, we go upstairs to get ready, both of us going to our separate rooms. I take a quick shower, dry my hair, then put on my tux, which has a deep blue vest, a black bow tie, a white dress shirt, black coat and pants, white gloves, and shiny black shoes. After that, I go back into my bathroom, combing my hair.

_'You know, I kinda wish I could do it in a different style for the occasion rather that have it how it always is.' _I think, putting my goggles in place.

_ 'Well, with your hair there's not too much to do with it due to the length.' _Flamethrower tells me as I exit it the bath room.

_'Hey! Maybe you could do it Rupert's style!' _Air Strike says as I put the pouch that holds their medals into an inside pocket of my coat.

_'I don't think so.' _I tell him. _'I'd have to get the back of my hair layered in order to do that, as well as some other stuff.' _

_ 'Oh.' _He says. I exit my room, shutting the door behind me.

"You ready Red?" I look at Todd, who comes out of his room wearing a dark green tuxedo with a tan vest, dark green bow tie, his hair combed, his helmet on his head and his shoes are black and shiny, just like mine.

"Yup!" I tell him giving him a thumbs up. "You look pretty sharp in that."

"Yeah, but not as good as you!" Todd tells me.

"Ah! But, we have our own style of good looks!" I say as we head down the stairs.

"True, after all, I have that boyish look then you're just downright handsome." Todd says as we walk out the door.

"Correct, my bro!" I say. "Then, Rupert has that princely look and Joe has the adventurer charm."

"Yep." Todd says as we walk down the sidewalk. After a bit, we come to Sarisa's house, which is where we all agreed to meet up, seeing Pauleen already waiting in the front yard. She wears a white dress shirt, a short sleeved sweater that comes to the bottom of her rib cage, a long green skirt that brushes the ground and has a yellow ruffle on the side.

"Hey guys, digadig!" She says.

"Hey Pauleen!" Todd says, I catching a flicker of nervousy in his eyes that make me smile a bit more. "Y-you look nice."

"You too, Todd." Pauleen tells him, I noticing her face getting a small flustered only making me smile a bit more.

"What're smiling about?" Todd says, his voice a bit demanding as he sees the smile on my face.

"Ah, I'm just think about how Joe will react when he sees Sarisa." I say, smiling with amusement.

"That would explain it, diga." Pauleen say.

"Hello." We all look to see Rupert coming through the front gate, wearing a black tuxedo with a red vest and bow tie, his hair shining in the evening sun.

"Hello!" Todd says, smiling.

"You looking sharp in order to get someone's attention?" I ask, smiling as well, then smiling more as Rupert's face flushes.

"I am not!" He says. "My aunts wouldn't stop fussing over my hair, just so you know!"

"Sounds like them." We all look as we hear Xavia's voice, Rupert looking faster than the rest of us. She's standing behind the fence, she's wearing a black coat, white dress shirt, and a red sweater vest while the fence blocks our vision from the waist down. "After all, they fussed over every little design in engineering class till it was all taken care of." She walks through the gate, allowing us to see she's wearing black dress _PANTS_, and black dress shoes like mine and Todd's. Her hair is in the usual ponytail, only her bangs are held back by two plain red clips on the left side of her head, only one small lock that's about a half inch long hangs down from her willows peek.

_'She's wearing pants.' _Cloud Cover says. _'How surprising.'_

_ 'Hey, I'm just waiting for Rupert to get the chance to get mad at Todd and I for making him think that she would wear a skirt or dress in order to get him to come.' _I tell her.

"That defiantly sounds like my aunts." Rupert sighs.

"Howdy." We all look to see Joe coming down the side walk and through the gate. He's wear his hat, a suit with black pants and coat, a white dress shirt, black vest with a high, turned up collar, and black dress shoes.

"Where's your bow tie?" Todd asks.

"I dunno how ta tie 'em!" Joe says, pulling in out of his coat pocket. It's the same dull yellow as his bandana. Xavia suddenly swipes from his hand with one of hers, the other grabbing the collar of his coat and yanking him down as she then proceeds to move her hands quick enough to where they're blurry, only to then stop and step back, allowing us to see she tied the bow tie on perfectly.

"There ya go cowboy." Xavia tells him, smiling, her smile then turning into a devious grin. "After all, I want ya to look sharp when ya ask Sarisa to dance with you." Her remark makes Joe turn red, and he stands straight.

"What in tarnation makes ya think I do that?!" Joe demands.

"..." Xavia instead looks at her watch, which I just now noticed for some reason. It's black with teal designs, and it look...futuristic. Xavia then just smiles, her head tilting some. "Hmph." She says quietly with obvious amusement, her hand going into her coat pocket, and the other going into the air, ready to snap. "5...4...3...2...1..." She snaps, and right as she does the door to Sarisa's house opens, making us all look, except for Xavia who has a triumphant, smug look on her face and her eyes closed.

Sarisa's wearing a pure white dress with a collar, and a skirt that brushes the ground, and short sleeves. Her hair is in her usual braid, her hat absent from her head, allowing you to the thick, shining hair on top, and that's it. The dress is plain and simple, but she still looks beautiful in it.

"Hi." She says, shutting the door behind her.

"You look beautiful!" Pauleen says, a huge smile on her face.

"Not as much as you." Sarisa tells her, smiling. I look at Joe out of the corner of my eyes to see him stiff and blushing.

"Well, we're all here so we might as well head out!" I say.

A bit later...

We head into Cranial Isle's Fighter Station, to see it decorated and some tables with food on them, and the floor cleared to accommodate all the people inside. There's music playing, some people dancing, while other stand and chatter or eat various foods from the tables. The music that's playing is sweet and elegant, the notes floating through the air as easily and as smoothly as a golden leaf rides the autumn breeze. Terry calls Joe over, making him and Sarisa walk over to him the other two staff leaders, leaving us eleven-year-olds by ourselves.

"...So...what should we do?" Todd asks.

"I'd like to taste their food." I say, my stomach growling.

"Then let's." Xavia says, walking off towards the tables as we follow. There's crackers with fancy spreads, shrimp, and other such foods you'd find at a elegant occasion like this, even a fountain of chocolate with bowls of chopped fruit that you can dip into the chocolate. We try some of the foods, finding them well prepared and delectable, while we chat with each other, discussing what we should do next.

"I honestly just wanna vacation that won't involve kidnapping, fights, jerks, strange things, or any risks of death." I say.

"Agreed." Rupert says.

"Ah...just to have a nice, relaxing vacation, digadig." Pauleen sighs happily at the thought.

"With us, it'll be difficult..." Xavia says.

"That's quite obvious." Rupert tells her. She merely replies with a 'Hm', then turns away from the table, one hand on her hip, and the other stroking her bangs that were held back by the two red clips.

"Ah...This gathering of others bores me." She says, half sighing. "I had no intention of coming honestly, until Sarisa asked. Then I had to say yes." She looks at us, the hand on her hip now in her pocket, and her other back down at her side. "I'd rather be out on a dig site with just y'all right now."

"That would be nice." I say. "But, we're famous and the public demands we come to things such as this."

"True." Pauleen says.

"Hm." Xavia hums again, it flat and bored. Her eyes wonder around the room, stopping at Joe and Sarisa, who stand by themselves, not talking and Joe looking like he's about to lose it from sheer nervousy.

That mischievous, sly grin appears on Xavia's face.

"I'll be back." She tells us over her shoulder, a normal smile on her face as she walks off.

"What is she planning _now_?" I wonder aloud.

"What?" Todd asks.

"She had that grin, diga-didn't she, diga?" Pauleen asks.

"Yep." I say.

"Well, you never know what she's planning." Rupert says. "...Sometimes I wonder if a person could even be able to tell that she's planning something." We all nod in agreement at that. We stand there, chatting about the subject some more when Xavia walks over, a gleeful and triumphant smile on her face.

"...What did you do?" Todd asks. I look past the crowds to see Joe and Sarisa still standing there, just as they had been before, nothing having changed.

_What did she do indeed. _I think. Xavia looks at the watch on her wrist.

"5...4...3...2...1..." She counts.

"All right dudes!" Kent says, making everyone look at him to see him with a mic in his hand. "Grab that special someone and hit the dance floor!" Terry takes the mic from Kent, making the snowy Staff Leader frown.

"As a request, we're playing an especially slow song." Terry says, it clicking in my mind. "So, enjoy!"

"That's what you did." Rupert says, understanding as well.

"It cost me some G to persuade them, but it turned out just as planned." Xavia says, the devious grin on her face. The music starts, making people get into couples, and I recognize the song.

_This is the same song Rosie and I danced to on Vivosaur! _I think, remembering the elegant dance, which makes me start to feel heavy.

"So, gonna dance Red?" Todd asks. "'Cause fan girls are gonna target you with this song going."

_He's right. _I think. _If I get down, a crazy-maybe even desperate-fan girl will try to force me to dance with her._

Instead, I suddenly push Todd and Rupert towards Pauleen and Xavia.

They both stumble from the sudden push, making Todd put his hand on Pauleen's shoulder for balance, Rupert doing the same, putting his hand on Xavia's shoulder, making the two girls look at the respective boy.

"..." Todd and Rupert say nothing, but have those "DERP" look on their faces.

"All right, diga!" Pauleen says, smiling and taking Todd hand, leading him over to the dance floor. He looks over at me, to see me smiling and giving him a thumbs-up. He smiles, he and Pauleen disappearing into the dancing couples.

"...Would...you...like to dance?" Rupert asks Xavia, making me look back at them.

"..." Xavia stands there for a second. "Well, I'm not much for dancing and I'm no good at this kinda dancing, but if you wanna, sure."

"Thank you." Rupert says, him leading her off to dance.

_'Mission accomplished!' _I think, smiling triumphantly.

_'Great!' _Air Strike says, mentally smiling. _'Now, what're you gonna do about the fan girls?'_

"..." I say and think nothing, but I look to see a group of them in elegant dresses rushing over to me. _'WHAT DO I DO?! Some of them won't take no for an answer and I can't avoid them forever since this song is ten minutes long, SO DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY IDEAS?!'_

_ '...' _Silence.

_'...Guys...?' _I whimper.

"Hi!" I quickly whirl around at the word, then let my jaw hit the ground.

"GUYS?!" I exclaim, shocked.

They're in their human forms, like how I saw in the dream they gave me.

Air Strike's green hair is neatly combed, his suit is the mahogany purple with the sea green crystals in it, his shoes and gloves are emerald green like his claws from his vivosaur form, his dress shirt is a pale sea green, and his bow tie is the same red as his eyes.

Flamethrower's fiery red hair is neat as well, his eyes are angled and golden, his suit is blue with black tiger stripes on it, his dress shirt is white, his bow tie black, and his shoes are black and shine.

Cloud Cover's hair is short and layered, red white tips the hair behind her ears green and upswept, her eyes gray. Her dress has a long skirt that brushes the ground, is sleeveless and the same teal that she is when in her vivosaur form. There's a red band around her waist, the edge of her skirt has a yellow pattern that looks like clouds, she has on a sleeveless sweater that stops at the bottom of her ribcage, and it's pure white, while there's red bars painted on her face, like in her vivosaur form.

They're _beautiful._

"...ZUH?!" I exclaim, shocked. "You-You guys can-?! Since when-?! ZUH?!"

"Surprised?" Air Strike asks, smiling. They all look about fifteen, so they're taller than me.

"Yes, I'm surprised!" I tell him. "But, you guys are beautiful, I'll give you that."

"Thank you." Cloud Cover tells me, smiling.

"Anyways, we figured that if the fan girls saw us, they'd stop for a bit in order for us to make a plan." Flamethrower tells me.

"Ah...good plan." I tell him.

"Thanks, now-"

"Would you like to dance?" Cloud Cover asks me, making Flamethrower stop in mid-sentence, and making Air Strike and Flamethrower look at her with shock.

"Ah...o...kay?" I ask.

"Great!" Cloud Cover says, grabbing my hand and leading me out to the dance floor. I look over my shoulder at Flamethrower and Air Strike to see the mad, even a bit of jealousy in their eyes.

_Do they...like her? _I wonder all of a sudden. IT's a bit difficult for me to dance with her since she's taller than me, but we make it alright.

"You look much different when we're in human forms." Cloud Cover tells me as we sway to the music. "Everything looks so much more different."

"I would just like to know how you guys can even _have_ human forms." I tell her. She just smiles, hugging me.

"You're _so cute!_" she squeals.

_ZUH?! _I think, shocked as I feel heat surface on my face. _'Can you hear me?'_

_ 'Yes, yes I can.' _She tells me as we resume dancing.

_'Why...just...ZUH?!' _

_ 'What's so 'Zuh' about it? After all, I'm sure a lot of people would agree.'_

_ 'But-! When I was LITTLE I was cute! My mom obsessed over me so much...But I'm older now, so I think the correct term would be 'handsome' or something like that.'_

_ 'Red, to ME you're little.' _Cloud Cover points out. _'After all, I'm thousands of years old.'_

_ 'But you're not a DINOSAUR anymore!'_

_ 'True, after all, what I remember from then is hazy at some points, but I still remember.'_

_ 'Dino...' _I think, rolling my eyes. _'But as a vivosaur you're only a few month old!'_

_ 'And? Vivosaurs are a form of dinosaurs, so wouldn't it make since that we age like dinosaurs? After all, dinosaurs were twice as big as when they hatched by their first birthday.'_

_ 'WELL-! ...Why are we talking about this?'_

_ 'I'm not sure.' _Cloud Cover says, hugging me again. _'After all, you're like a little brother to me. AND YOU'RE SO CUTE!'_

_ 'ARGH!' _I think, getting irritated. _'Now I know what it's like to be Xavia...sorta...'_

_ 'What did you look like when you were little anyways?'_

_ 'Ah...hold on.' _I search through my memories, remembering one time when I was about six, looking at my reflection in the mirror, then send the image to Cloud Cover. _'My face was kinda chubby, my eyes were bigger, and-'_

_ 'YOU WERE SO CUTE!' _She suddenly squeals, her hug a bit tighter.

_'...And all this time I always pictured you to be a bit motherly...'_

_ 'Well, didn't you say your mom was kinda like this? Obsessing over how adorable you were?'_

_'...Good point.' _I tell her. After the music finishes, she and I hurry back over to Air Strike and Flamethrower, who both have bitter looks on their faces. _'Yeah...they're defiantly jealous...'_

"You dance well." Flamethrower tells me, trying to lighten the mood.

"Thank you." I tell him, smiling. We chat for a bit, they then going into their medals when Todd, Rupert, Pauleen and Xavia start to come over.

"Who were you diga-dancing with Red?!" Pauleen asks me. "She was so pretty!"

"Ah, an old friend of mine." I tell her with a shrug.

"Well, she was still very pretty, digadig." Pauleen sighs.

"I think the look on Joe's face wasn't too bad either." Xavia snickers.

_Ah, yes...I remember seeing his face from time to time._ I think. He had had a look of complete nervousy, and I recall at one point Sarisa had her head on his chest, only make Joe even more nervous. "Heh heh...I guess that was worth bribery!"

"Indeed it was." Xavia says, smiling.

"Hey, you guys know how we were talking about taking a vacation?" Todd asks, making us all look at him.

"Yes." Rupert says.

"Well, maybe we could plan one or something?" He asks.

"That would be nice, digadig." Pauleen says. "Oh! Maybe we could all go to Vivosaur Island, diga?"

"NO!" Todd and I yell in unison, a bit of panic in our voices and on our faces.

"..." There's total silence in the room, save for the music, due to everyone looking at Todd and I from our sudden outburst.

"..." Pauleen blinks, Rupert looks a bit surprised, and Xavia raises an eye brow.

"...It's just..." Todd starts.

"I had some bad experiences on Vivosaur, and...yeeeah." I quickly say.

"Ah..." Pauleen say, everyone else going back to their chatter.

"Then what should we do?" Rupert asks.

"Well, what about a tropical resort?" Xavia asks. "After all, those would be the most relaxing."

"True dat." I say.

"Well, then where should we go?" Todd asks.

"That way." Xavia says, suddenly walking off. We look at each other for a second, then hurry after her. We walk outside into the dark world, able to see where she is due to the moonlight reflecting off her hair. Quickly catching up to her, I can see the white of Sarisa's dress through the dark midnight blue surrounding us. We follow her, Xavia suddenly making a turn as we come into what looks to be a small park, making us follow her. She creeps in absolute silence, eventually crouching down behind a bush, making us do the same. Looking out from between the leaves, I spot Joe standing on a small, stone bridge, gripping the railing with irritation.

"What's with him?" I ask in a low whisper.

"He and Jack were arguing." Xavia responds, just as silent. Sarisa walks up to the bridge making Joe quickly look up at her.

"Are you alright?" She asks him.

"Uh...naw...not really." Joe tells her, leaning back against the bridge railing. "My brother's irritatin' me half ta death."

"I know that feel." Sarisa says, leaning back on the railing as well, next to Joe. "Elizabeth is a world of aggravation."

"...What do ya not like 'bout her th' most?" Joe asks.

"The way how she treats Xavia." Sarisa tells him. "She acts like Xavia's...dirt. Like she's worthless. Always wanting her to leave, to stay away from me, to...disappear." Sarisa looks up at the sky, the moonlight bathing her face in silver. "But...she's not. Xavia's just different is all, and that's one reason why people act like she's not worth anything. What's so wrong with being different? If we were all the same, we wouldn't have value, we wouldn't be humans; we would be robots. If we were all the same, no one would have value since they could be replaced. What people refuse to acknowledge now days is that people need to be different so that life can actually be interesting. It's like that old saying: 'Varity is the spice of life'."

"..." Joe stands silent. "...Ya kinda sound like an older sister."

"..." Sarisa says nothing, but I can see her smiling fondly. "That makes me happy."

"..." They're both silent.

"Oh, by the way, I just remembered." Sarisa says, standing up.

"Yeah?" Joe asks.

Sarisa kisses his cheek, making Joe's face turn _very_ dark.

"Thanks for helping me with my sister." Sarisa tells Joe. "She said she'd leave in the morning."

"...Y-yer welcome..." Joe forces out, still shocked. Sarisa just smiles, then walks off.

"Aw..." Pauleen says, smiling.

_Either way, Joe's right. _I think. _Sarisa talks about Xavia like a loving sister..._ Xavia stands up, walking out of the bush. _And that's just what she needs._ The rest of us stand up, following Xavia back to the Fighter Station.

A bit later...

We walk in, seeing Mr. Regius as well as Rupert's two aunts. Mr. Regius is wearing a nice tuxedo with a black coat, pants, and bow tie and his dress shirt is white, while Rupert's aunts are wearing the same style dresses, frills along the straps and the skirts coming to their knees, and dress shoes with short heels on their feet. Emerald is wearing a green dress, and Amber is wearing a hazel dress, making their eyes pop with their respective color.

"Hey Rupert," Todd starts. "how old are your aunts? They look pretty young."

"They're about thirty-six." Rupert tells Todd. "They're a year younger than Father." Rupert's aunts suddenly notice us, smiling.

"Rupert~!" They say, getting over to us in an instant, hugging their beloved nephew.

"You two know him?" We all look to see a small group of fan girls standing there, looking at Emerald and Amber.

"We're his aunts!" They say in unison, still smiling while Rupert has a 'help me' look on his face.

"..." The fan girls stand there for a moment.

"What was he like when he was little?!" One of them suddenly asks.

"Oh! He-"

"He wore a solid red welsh beret with the bill turned forward." Xavia says, cutting of Amber, making all of looks at her, Rupert having surprise on his face. "That was really the only difference. He wore the same style coat, pants and boots, his hair was the same, but like all little kids, his eyes were bigger and face a bit chubby. Other than that, the same."

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?!" One of the fan girls roars, all of them angry.

"His aunts and I went to the same collage." Xavia tells them plainly. "Mr. Regius and Rupert came to visit them at one point, and I saw glimpse of Rupert, but I never actually met him. And yet...he seemed so sad." A look of surprise appears on Rupert's face. "He was quiet and distant; a lonely look in his eyes. Not the look you forget, especially for a young child of Rupert's stature."

"..." Everyone is silent, looking at the flat look on Xavia's face.

A few hours later...

I fall onto my bed, it being almost ten at night.

_'Ah...I could sleep for an entire day.' _I think, pulling the covers to my chest.

_'It was still nice though, the dance and everything.' _Air Strike points out.

_'Yeah...' _I agree, allowing sleep to take me.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Okay, sorry this is late, I was working on <strong>_**A Red Christmas**_** these past days to get it done in time.**

**Red: That's alright!**

**Casey: That will be explained when the time comes.**

**Guest: I was working on **_**A Red Christmas**_**.**

**mysterydude123: One: Not sure. :/ Two: Not a bad idea! :D Three: Unfortuanly, no. Four: I can see them doing it XD As for 1000 reviews, THAT WOULD BE SO AWESOME!**

**Omniverse: Well, he actually doesn't get mad when people talk about who he really is, just that one time Elizabeth did, and his hair and eyes are both the same as well as his hair, but the reason why is because between the time he was leaving Vivosaur Island and meeting Todd, his looks became a lot more 'mature', so he doesn't look exactly the same.**

**SuperNoah95 & Guest: Amen to that my brothers! :D (or sisters)**

**sachel: Ah, more randomness.**

**Omniverse (again) : It's good to hear Ben hasn't' been pestering you. :) As for the villains...25?! I can't come up with dat many D: By the way, Red Rocker's name is Jess CAMO, not Gamo like how you left in the review.**

**DunalN2:...Just forget it.**

**Frostfire05: But it's long for me.**

**Gunsandgames: Ah.**

**Mew Girl: Your sister got hurt?! D: THAT'S TERRIBLE! Tell her I told her to get well soon! :*(**

**SuperNoah95 (again): Probably. XD**

**Greywing44: YUSH!**

**Chi-Chan: Get well soon my friend! :( Why did you have to get hurt?**

**1T1S1T: Indeed. :)**

**Guest: Actually, the only thing the guys remember from The Realm is who they were with.**

**Magma: PHEW! Y'all left a lotta reviews!**

**Red: But leave more! :D**

**Magma: OMNIVERSE! By the way, Jess enjoys a good practical joke, comical comment, and she's a bit mischievous. **


	74. Vacation

**AN-OKAY! Y'all know how the gang has been wanting to go on a vacation that involves no craziness, havoc, chaos, or anything else of the sort? Well, THEY'RE GONNA GET IT! :D**

**Red: We're going on a vacation a regular person would have?! :D ... :| ...WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING?!**

**Magma: -_- Really? Anytime something happens you think I'm planning something? Really?**

**Red:...Well...yeah. Kinda**

**Magma: *facepalm* Anywho, I don't own FF & FFC.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Seventy-Four-Vacation<p>

I wake up, finding myself half out of bed, the sheet and blanket tangled around one of my legs, my head pressed against my right shoulder due to my left arm being on top of my head, and it is HOT in the room.

_'Whew...' _I think, sitting up, and starting to work my leg out of the tangled bedding. _'Who turned up the AC?'_

_ 'Maybe Flamethrower burped?' _Air Strike jokes.

_'Very funny.' _Flamethrower says flatly, unamused. _'But if I did, wouldn't I have to be out of my medal or in my human form?'_

_ '...' _Air Strike says nothing.

_'He has a point.' _Cloud Cover says. I untangle myself, and stand up, tying my robe on, then opening the window.

A heat wave rushes over my face, making me shut the window immediately.

_...Heat wave. _I think. _That would explain it._

A few minutes later...

"Oh man..." Todd says, sitting down next to me on the sofa. We're both dressed, and sweating a bit.

"It's too hot to go outside." I say. "AND it's too hot inside, even if we turn down the AC."

"Then what do we do?" Todd asks.

"I dunno..." I say. "It's too hot to do anything."

"I wish we had a pool." Todd says.

"That would be nice..." I tell him. There's a knock at the door. "I'll get it." I tell Todd, standing up. Going into the foyer, I open the door, allowing Rupert to stumble forward into the house.

"It's dreadfully hot out there." He tells me, wiping an arm across his sweat covered forehead. He holds his coat in his hand, showing a sleeveless white shirt that he wears under it. I shut the door, lazily waving a hand for him to follow me, both of us going into the living room, plopping down on the sofa with Todd.

"Did you feel like you were gonna melt?" Todd asks Rupert, who just nods. We sit in silence, there being a knock at the door again. I get up and open the door, allowing Pauleen and Xavia to enter, Pauleen panting and hot, Xavia perfectly fine.

"How...does this heat not affect you?!" Todd asks Xavia ask she sits in one of the chairs.

"I know breathing techniques that allow to maintain my temperature." Xavia tells us.

"...IS THAT POSSIBLE?!" Pauleen asks, shocked.

"I'm doing it, aren't I?" Xavia asks, smiling some.

A few more minutes later...

Sarisa, Joe, Kaze, Lola, Cole, and Lester have now joined Todd, Rupert, Pauleen, Xavia and I in the living room, all of us just laying around. Xavia let Sarisa have the chair she was sitting in, Xavia now sitting with her head against Sarisa's knees, Xavia hugging her own while Sarisa's hand rests on Xavia's head.

"What are we gonna do in this heat?" Joe asks, sitting against the side of the sofa, his head lolled back on the arm.

"My hair gel won't last!" Cole whines. "And then my hair will be ruined!"

"Quit your griping..." Kaze mumbles, sitting against the other side of the sofa.

"You could fry and egg on the sidewalk..." Lester says, sitting against the wall. "Red?"

"No, I will not try it so you can eat them." I tell him.

"Awww..." He whines.

"Well, I think I know how we can escape this heat!" Xavia says, standing up.

"Hoooooow?" Lola asks.

"With...THESE!" Xavia says, pulling tickets out of her backpack. "I won an all-expense paid trip to _Paradis_ _de Trópico!"_

"SERIOUSLY?!" Kaze exclaims, jumping onto his feet. "I've heard of that place! It's the nicest resort in the world!"

"Correct elf hair!" Xavia says.

"..." None of us say anything.

"...Did you just call me 'elf hair'?" Kaze asks, obviously confused.

"Yes. Yes I did." Xavia tells him. "After all, your hair is silver, and people always imagine elves with silver hair, thus, I dub you 'elf hair'."

"...O...K...then." Kaze says, seeming a bit dazed.

"Anywho," Xavia continues. "there's eleven tickets and eleven of us, so why don't we all go?"

"That'd be nice." Sarisa says, smiling.

"Anythin' ta get outta this heat." Joe says.

"I have no objection." Rupert says, fanning himself with his hand.

"Sounds good." Todd agrees.

"So long as my hair will be alright." Cole says, running his hand along the big red, curved spike in his hair.

"Sounds like a plaaaaan, maaaaaan." Lola says.

"Let's diga-do it." Pauleen says, standing up.

"I bet they have nice room service..." Lester dreams aloud.

"Well, since we all agree, I have one more question..." Xavia says, putting the tickets back into her pack. "is it alright if we leave later today? I can have the trip rescheduled."

"Today's great!" I say, jumping off the sofa. "After all, ANYTHING to get outta this heat!"

"I'll go tell Father!" Rupert says, hurrying out.

An hour later...

"So how's this gonna work?" I ask. I have my duffle bag and a deep blue suit case, Todd has his duffle bag and a green suit case, Xavia has a black suit case, as well as a black and red duffle bag, everyone else have suit cases of their respective colors.

"We'll go one small, private plane to a port where we'll get on an overnight cruise ship," Xavia starts, reading a piece of paper. "then we'll get on another plane which'll take us to the island where the resort and town of shops is, and we'll stay at the private penthouse, which is a literal house on a tiny island off of the main one."

"WOW." Kaze says, amazed. "That all sounds really nice."

"It should." Xavia says, putting the paper into a pocket inside of her over shirt. "And the best part is that we actually have a LOT of spending money that comes with this trip, so we can buy stuff."

"Does that mean room service?" Lester asks, perking up.

"Yup." Xavia tells him.

"YES!" He says.

"The helicopter's here, digadig!" Pauleen says. We gather up our bags, walk out of the Fighter Station into the heat, climbing aboard the helicopter. It's a bit crowded, but not too bad. After the helicopter ride, we get our stuff and put on a conveyor belt that loads it into the small plane, which we then board to see we're the only passengers.

"Hello!" I look up as a person says the word to see a man wearing a pilot uniform, with brown hair and clay red eyes standing in a door way that leads to the cockpit, smiling. "I'll be your pilot today. Please, just take a seat where ever you wish and enjoy the flight!"

"..." I blink, then smile. "Thank you sir!" His smile widens some, he then disappearing into the cockpit, the door shutting behind him. I sit down at a window seat, being the only one by myself. Cole and Lester sit at two other seats, Todd and Pauleen sit at a pair, Rupert and Xavia sitting at another, Kaze and Lola another, then Joe and Sarisa at another. We sit for a bit before another person, also wearing a pilots uniform with dark brown hair and green eyes. He goes into the cockpit as well, shutting the door back behind him. The plane starts up, going down the runway, then taking off into the air. It flies smoothly, a bit of chatting from the others while I sit, looking out the window at the fluffy clouds as they pass.

"Attention passengers," The pilots voice says over to intercom, getting my attention. "I request that you remain seated for the rest of our flight. Thank you."

"Why?" Todd asks. "After all, we still have another hour and there's no bad weather..."

"I'll ask!" I say, since I'm closest to the door. Getting up, and walk to the door, knocking on it. "Excuse me, I was-"

"Sit down." Another voice, the co-pilot's no doubt, says.

"...I'm sorry, but why?" I ask. "After all, we sit have quite a bit of time, and-"

The door flies inward, the co-pilot standing there, pointing the barrel of a pistol in my face, making it drain of color, my breath quicken slightly, and my heart starts to race.

"SIT. DOWN." The co-pilot tells me, making me back up to my seat, and sit down.

"Hey! What's wrong with you?!" Kaze demands, standing up. "You can't just-"

"SIT DOWN!" The man yells, point the gun at Kaze, making him sit down. "...Now, no funny business, and no one gets hurt."

"Hijackers." Xavia says, making the man look at her.

"Oh no," The man says sarcastically. "we're just over glorified bus drivers."

"HA HA!" The pilot laughs from the cockpit.

"If you were a professional, you wouldn't joke." Xavia remarks, making the smirk on the man's face disappear.

"If you're so great, then how did you walk right into this?!" He says, getting mad.

"If I can walk into something," Xavia starts. "I can just as easily get out of it."

"...WELL-!" The man says, not having a remark. "...JUST STAY SEATED!"

"Calm down." Xavia tells him. "After all, hijackers are the ones that're supposed to stay calm."

"What are you doing?!" Rupert asks in a whisper. "If he gets mad he'll shoot you!"

"Listen to your little friend, girl!" The man tells Xavia.

"Pfffft." Xavia says, rolling her eyes. "Really. You people."

"WHAT ABOUT US?!" The man roars, stomping back to the pair of seats where Xavia and Rupert are sitting. He grabs Xavia by the collar of her over shirt, yanking her out into the aisle.

"Well," Xavia starts, smiling some. "YOU, are gullible."

She sidekicks him in the stomach, making him fly back as she grabs the gun, the man slamming into the door to the cockpit, and Xavia removing the ammo cartridge from the pistol. She tosses the gun aside, using her thumb to remove the bullets from the cartridge, tossing it aside when it's empty, walking towards the man, who gets to his feet, ready to fight.

He swings at her, only to have Xavia block, punch him in the stomach, making him stumble back, only to allow Xavia to round house his head, making him bang his head against the wall, knocking him unconscious. He's laying in front of me right now, while I sit with utter shock on my face, just like everyone else at what Xavia just did.

"Open up!" Xavia says, banging her fist on the door to the cockpit. "And tie him up!" Xavia says, looking at the knocked out man. I grab the man, putting him into an empty pair of seats, Kaze coming up to the seat, pulling out a bag those plastic strips that when you close them, the only way to get them open is to cut them. He uses them to tie the man's hands down to the arm rests, and his feet together.

"Unless you want me to crash this plane, untie my accomplice and SIT DOWN!" The pilot yells at us over the intercom.

"LOOK OUT!" Xavia looks, then jumps out of the way right as Lester smashes a serving cart into the door, breaking it down.

"WHAT THE-?!" The pilot yells, Xavia jumping into the cockpit, I run over and look through the door, to see him lying on the floor, Xavia now flying the plane.

"..." I sigh with relief. "It's over." Looking back at the seats, I see Cole actually _fainted,_Lola's calling the police, and the rest of my friends are ducked behind the seats in case a gun went off. _...They're smarter than me. _I think. _Xavia knew what she was doing, and I could've gotten myself shot again..._

Later...

"Mm-Hm." A police officer says, finishing his report. We're at the airport where we're supposed to be, the police waiting for us, due to Lola's phone call. "Well, you kids sure reacted fast. Good job."

"Thank you, officer." I tell him.

"Uh, chief?" Another officer asks, coming up to us.

"Anything to report?" The chief asks.

"We found this." The new officer says, holding up a silver chain necklace with two black koi fish circling each other, each one having a silver spot on the head.

"Hm." The chief hums, it sounding serious. "Well, take these two in for interrogation. I'd like to hear why they tried to kidnap civilians."

"Right away chief." The officer says, nodding, then heading off to the cop cars.

"Anyways, sorry you guys had to go through that. Enjoy the rest of your vacation." The chief tells me, smiling.

"Thank you sir." I tell him, smiling. "Stay safe, and thank you again for your service." The chief smiles a bit more, then heading off to the cop cars, I heading back over to the rest of my group.

"Well, so much for a vacation without incident, digadig." Pauleen says.

"We can't let that get us down!" Todd says, determined. "We'll enjoy this vacation!"

"I agree with Todd." Rupert says. "That was taken care of rather quickly. I'm sure we can handle anything else."

"Taxi's here." Joe says, pointing. We get our luggage, putting it into the 'taxi', which is actually a sleek, black limo.

"I've never been in one of these before." Sarisa says, looking around the inside as the vehicle starts up. It has seats lining all four sides of the extended back seat, so there's room for all of us.

"I feel like a world famous fashion designer on his way to a photo shoot and interview!" Cole says, happily dreaming aloud.

"Keep dreaming pretty boy." Xavia says dryly, making us laugh and Cole glare at her. We all chat as we ride, discussing what we should do while on vacation.

"I'd like to go out to eat." I say. "After all, you people are gonna want _me_ to cook everything."

"But everything you cook is so good!" Todd tells me, tugging at my sleeve, making me smile.

"I know, but it'd be nice to have someone cook for me for once." I tell him.

"I'd saaaaaay Lester's, like, a great cook, but he eats everythiiiiiiing he makes before letting anyone else near it, maaaaan." Lola says, chewing her gum.

"It's true." Lester says. We all chat as the vehicle drives along, it pulling into a port, where we board the small cruise ship, finding it's actually reserved for rich people, meaning there's not a lot of people on board, making it much more enjoyable.

"Ah! This is our room!" I say, pushing open a door into a nice room with a tropical theme, the port hole open, allowing the fresh air in, the walls are white, the carpet a light blue, the beds are clean and white with turquoise comfitures, the room is spacious with a reading chair in the corner with another port hole near it, and the bathroom is clean and white as well. There's a bunk bed set in the wall, while one large bed isn't, giving us a slight problem.

Todd, Rupert, Joe and I are sharing a room, Cole, Lester and Kaze are all sharing a room, while the gals are all sharing another.

"...Todd and I can share a bed." I say, putting my arm around Todd, who smiles.

"..." Joe and Rupert just look at us, Joe shrugging.

"Alright. I'll take th' bottom bunk." Joe says, Rupert nodding.

"Well, that was settled quite easily." Rupert says, smiling some as we start putting our things away.

"Imma gonna change into some vaca-wear." I say, heading into the bathroom with a bundle of clothes. I change, and the only real difference is that my suit is sleeveless and my shirt is short sleeved, but other than that, it's pretty much the same. As I come out, Rupert goes in, shutting the door, and I put my regular clothes away, then fall back on the big bed, the one Todd and I will share, while Joe sits in the chair, reading a book.

"I already like this place!" Todd says, falling back on the bed, his helmet covering his eyes. "These bed are divine..."

"Yeah..." I say, falling back as well, enjoying the plush comfiture.

"It'll be nice ta have'a regular vacation." Joe says, still reading his book. "It's been awhile now since I went ta th' beach last."

"Well, if we go swimming, I'm keeping my shirt on." I say, sitting up. "There's bound to be fan girls on this ship and at the resort, so there's no way I'm doing that."

"I know that feel, pard." Joe tells me, looking up from his book and smiling.

"You do?" I ask.

"Th' last time I went ta th' beach I made th' mistake of taken mah shirt off, and a few moments later I was having to outrun'a stampede of rouge women." Joe tells me.

"Wow..." I say.

"Hey, what's that book about anyways?" Todd asks, sitting up and pushing his helmet back.

"Ah, it's just 'bout th' fish that're 'round th' place we'll be stayin'." Joe tells Todd, stretching his legs some. "It'd be nice ta do some fishin', so I thought I'd brush up on th' kinds I might catch."

"Fishing would be nice." I say, smiling.

"Yeah..." Todd says, smiling in the same manor.

"Who's next?" Rupert asks, coming out of the bathroom. He's now wearing a short sleeved version of his coat, his pants stop at his knees but still puff out like his regular ones, and he's wearing his regular boots.

"I guess I am." Joe says, standing up and closing his book. He sets it down, gets a bundle of clothes, then heads into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

"This is rather nice." Rupert says, putting his regular clothes away. "These clothes are much more comfortable to wear in this environment than my regular apparel."

"Sooooo...What do you wanna do while we're on vacation?" I ask Rupert as he sits down on the bottom bunk.

"Well, I would like to sit back and enjoy a good book." He tells me. "It's been awhile since I've been able to do that."

"OOOOOOR..." Todd says, smiling. "Maybe you'd like to get some alone time with Xavia~?"

"THAT-! NO!" Rupert objects, his face turning red as Todd and I laugh.

"C'mon Rupert!" I tell him, smiling. "You told us you liked her!"

"I know, but-!" He scrabbles for the words, thinking. "It's just...I'm worried is all."

"Worried?" I ask, not joking around anymore.

"How so?" Todd questions.

"Well...It's just..." Rupert looks up, out the port hole at the azure sky. "I know she doesn't feel the same way, and I want her to know that I truly do love her. But...It's difficult to come up with a reason how since any boy who flirts with her gets hospitalized, and I want to protect her and help her." He looks down at the floor. "I want her to know that I think she's the most wonderful person in the world, and that I think she's thrice as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside, as well as I wish her the best in life."

"..." Todd and I sit silent.

_'...' _I look down at the floor. _'I wish there was some advice I could give him.'_

_ 'Well, you're in love so why don't ya?' _Air Strike asks.

_'Well, I have experience with not knowing a person is in love, which isn't what Rupert needs.' _I explain. _'My advice wouldn't be useful in his situation.'_

_ 'He has a point.' _Cloud Cover tells Air Strike. _'But...Rupert does seem to have a better chance that anyone else. After all, Sarisa did say that Xavia doesn't sleep unless she feels safe-which is almost impossible for her-and that Rupert makes her feel safe, so while other boys say they can make her feel safe, that's not true since only Rupert and Sarisa can.'_

_ '...BY JOVE!' _I think, perking up, which gets Todd's and Rupert's attention. _'I think you've got it!'_

"What is it Red?" Todd asks me.

"Cloud Cover just made a point!" I tell him, then looking at Rupert. "She said that you actually have a better chance than other boys since you make her feel safe! While we were camping, Sarisa said that Xavia can only sleep when she feels safe, and when you held her, she fell asleep because you made her feel safe!"

"Hey, yeah!" Todd says, understanding. "And think about it! She just went to you and Sarisa! She didn't go to Joe or any other person, even though Joe's a lot stronger and he's saved other people before, she still just went to you!"

"..." Rupert blinks, then looks back out the porthole. "...You two have a point...But I still think it's not a matter of protection."

"...What?" I ask, confused.

"Well, think of it." Rupert tells us, looking at us. "Todd, you said Joe was perfectly capable of protecting others, and most boys try that 'I'll always protect you' pick up line. Well, with the skills she's shown, I don't think it's that she wants someone to protect her, she wants to feel safe." He looks back at the floor. "After all, Sarisa did beat up those boys who knocked Xavia out, but otherwise Xavia's been the one doing the protecting. It's not that she wants to be protected and safe, I think it's that she wants to protect those who make her feel safe to repay them."

"CORRECT!" We all look to see Sarisa standing in the door way, smiling.

"How long were you standing there?" Rupert asks, worried.

"The whole time." Sarisa tells him, still smiling. "Pardon my intrusion like that and for eavesdropping, but I came over to see if y'all needed help with anything, and I heard Red and Todd teasing you, so I was unsure of what was going on, so then I heard you speaking of Xavia and I wanted to hear what you had to say."

"Ah..." Rupert says, then looking at his feet as his face gets red.

"But, you're right about her." Sarisa says, shutting the door then sitting down next to Rupert.

"...I am?" He asks, looking up at her with surprise.

"Yep!" Sarisa tell him. "She told me she wants to protect me because she loves me and I make her feel safe. She doesn't like others saying they'll protect her, because she can protect herself very well, and she beats herself up when someone gets hurt trying to protect her."

"..." Rupert blinks in understanding, then smiles. "I don't suppose you could tell me a way how to tell her, could you?"

"Ah...I'm afraid not." Sarisa tells him, patting his head. "But, I can tell you thing's that'll help you."

"Like what?" He asks.

"Well, she really likes roses." Sarisa tells him. "She likes them because she says 'they're a lot like life', is what she tells me. 'They're beautiful, but the thorns can cause you hurt, such is the way of life.'. That's what she told me."

"..." Rupert smiles. "She's very good with comparisons."

"She is, isn't she?" Sarisa asks.

"Alrighty," Joe says, coming out of the bathroom wearing his hat, a sleeveless version of his coat so we're able to see the sleeves of the brown shirt he wears under his vest, his pick is slung across his back and he still wears his bandana and boots while his pants are now black denim shorts. "ya can-" He stops when he sees Sarisa. "...H-howdy..."

"Hey Joe!" Sarisa says, smiling. She then stands up, stretching her arms above her head. "But, if you want any help or advise, just come talk to me, m'kay?" Sarisa asks Rupert.

"Yes ma'am." Rupert tells her, smiling some. "And thank you."

"You're welcome." Sarisa tells him. "I'll see you guys later!" She tells us, heading out the door which she shuts behind her.

"...Why..."

"She came to see if we needed help with anything." I explain to Joe.

"Ah." He says, understanding.

"Whelp, I gotta change!" Todd says, heading into the bathroom with a bundle of clothes while Joe puts his away, then sits back down in the chair, continuing to read his book.

"So, what else should we do while on vacation?" I ask.

"Swimming." Rupert says, smiling some. "I love swimming."

"I know dat feel." I say, smiling happily. "Oh! And we could get a bunch of shells!"

"A camp fire perhaps?" Rupert asks, smiling.

"It says here," Joe starts, making Rupert and I look at him to see him looking in a brochure to _Paradis_ _de Trópico._ "that th' beach actually has no jelly fish 'r sharks, and that th' guests are allowed to catch crabs an' shell fish like that to cook since there's so much 'round there."

"Sweet~!" I say, throwing my fists in the air. "I know how to make crab miso, crab legs, clam chowder, seafood salad, and all kinda stuff like that!"

"Well, is certainly sounds like we'll have a sea food themed meal." Rupert tells me.

"Alright!" Todd says, coming out of the bathroom, probably having over heard our conversation. His cloths are pretty much the same, except his shirt-coat is now sleeveless along with his shirt, so we're able to see his shoulders.

"By the way, are there any requests for meals?" I ask.

"T-bone steak!" Joe says, perking up.

"Spaghetti!" Todd says, throwing a fist in the air.

"Salmon." Rupert tells me.

"Alright!" I tell them, giving them a thumbs-up.

"Hello?" Kaze's voice asks, there being a knock on the door to accompany it.

"Come in~!" I say, making Kaze open the door to our room. He's wearing a short sleeved version of his leather jacket and camouflage cargo shorts that stop at his knees, while the rest of his attire is the same. "Hey Kaze!"

"Hey." He says, shutting the door behind him, then sitting on the big bed. "So, you guys have who sleeps where sorted out?"

"Yep!" I tell him. "Todd and I have this bed, then Rupert and Joe have the bunk bed. You?"

"Ah, Lester has the big bed then Cole has the bottom bunk while I have the top." Kaze tells me.

"Alright." I say.

"So what do you think of everything so far?" Todd asks, his arms folded onto top of my head, him up on his knees while I sit cross legged.

"Ah, the beginning had a bit too much suspense."

"Stick with us." Joe chuckles. "Ya'll get use' to it."

"Hm." Kaze hums.

"What do you want to do while we're on vacation?" Rupert asks Kaze.

"Surf, go diving, and play beach volley ball." Kaze tells him.

"You can surf?!" I ask, a big smile on my face. "That's amazing!"

"Thank you." Kaze tells me, smiling.

"Oh!" Todd says, extending his arms with his palms still on my head, making my forehead touch my legs. "Red says he's gonna take requests for meals! What might you want?"

"Chicken." Kaze tells him.

"...Chicken...?" I ask, straightening my back, causing Todd to fall back.

"Any chicken will do." He tells me.

"Ah...okay!" I say, smiling still.

"Hey! It's almost lunch time!" Cole says, sticking his head in the door. He's wearing a short sleeved version of his coat, pants just like his regular ones except these stop at his knees, while the rest of his clothes are the same. "You guys coming with us to the dining hall?"

"We'll be right there." Rupert says, standing up. We then follow Cole, shutting and locking the door to our room, and follow him through the ship to the dining room, tables everywhere. We get our food, then looking around for a table to sit at when Todd sees Pauleen waving at us from a table.

"Over here guys, digadig!" She says, all of us heading over. Xavia, Sarisa and Lola sit at the table as well, Sarisa and Pauleen wearing their usual clothes while Lola now has socks that just come to her knees while the rest of her clothes are normal, and Xavia's wearing cargo shorts that come to her knees, her over shirt is now a navy blue vest while she still wears a sleeveless red shirt and her thick, brown hiking boots.

"Hey guys!" Todd says as we sit down, I looking around for Lester.

"Ah...where's Lester?" I ask.

"He's getting seconds." Xavia tells me, already having eaten her lunch.

"How like him." Cole says. We eat, chatting about what we should do when Lest comes back over, his clothes the same only now his pants are shorts that come to his knees. He drops the mound of food he has on the table, then proceeds to devour it.

"It's not healthy to eat so much ya know." Xavia tells Lester, grabbing and apple from the pile of food and taking a bite out of it.

"I don't care. Must eat." Lester tells her, continuing to stuff his face, making Xavia roll her eyes.

"Hey, did anyone know Kaze can surf?" Todd asks, getting everyone's attention.

"That's amazing, diga!" Pauleen says, smiling with amazement.

"Then I challenge you to a surfing contest." Xavia says, pointing at Kaze.

"You can surf?!" I exclaim, somehow surprised.

"Oh yeah! Xavia's really good at it!" Sarisa says, perking up.

"Not as good as me I bet!" Kaze says, a determined smile on his face.

"Then I take it you accept the challenge." Xavia tells him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Alright, I'm just gonna stop here for now.<strong>

**Red: ALL WE WANTED WAS A NORMAL VACATION, BUT NOOOOOOOO...THERE HAD TO BE HIJACKERS!**

**Magma: Yep. :D**

**Red: -_- *slams head on desk***

**Magma: You seriously need to stop doing that.**

**SuperNoah95: It's okay. :D As for the best I got, I'd have to say a speaker system I can plug my iPod into.**

**Chi-Chan: I still wanna give that drunk driver a piece of my mind...Yup. They have human forms. :D Of course the hospital food is terrible! They don't put salt in it.**

**Omniverse: I know it's difficult to tell, but I've always imagined it that way with both of them liking Cloud Cover.**

**Frostfire05: YES! I wish to partake! :D**

**Guest: Ah...I'm not quite into **_**How To Train Your Dragon**_**. Sorry.**

**sniperjun899: Doomsday survivor? How can we be doomsday survivors when there was no doomsday to begin with? ?_?**

**Gunsandgames: It gets better. Trust me. XD**

**DunalN2: ...Why do you think it was the Dinaurians? **

**DigitalEmperor001: Thanks. :D Happy New Year! :D**

**mysterydude123: But it's also fun! :D**

**Mew girl: SHE'S IN A COMA?!**

**1T1S1T: Thanks. :)**

**Casey: That will be revealed in a later chapa. :) *laughs evilly***

**Magma: Anywho, let's face it, with Red and the gang, it's not gonna be a vacation regular people have.**

**Red: WHHHHHHY?**

**Magma: I do not own FF and FFC, and LEAVE A REVIEW!**


	75. Out at Sea

**AN-We're back. :D**

**Red: So, what'll happen to us today?**

**Magma:...I'll think about it.**

**Air Strike: Magma does not own FF & FFC!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Seventy-Five-Out on the Sea<p>

After eating lunch, we walk out onto the deck of the ship, enjoying the rays of sunlight as we lounge, Sarisa and Xavia playing chess at an outside chess board, Cole sits in a chair with one of those mirror things to help his tan, Joe sits in another chair, his ankles crossed and his hat tipped down while his arms are folded behind his head, Kaze sits against the wall, Lola sits in a chair looking through a magazine, Lester's sitting a chair, asleep, Rupert's watching the chess match, while Todd and I are stretched out on two very nice lawn chairs, enjoying the warm rays of the sun.

"So, what should we do while we're on the ship?" Cole asks.

"It says in this brochure that there's paragliding on the top deck of the ship." Kaze says, looking through a brochure for the ship.

"I've done that before." Xavia says, moving a knight.

"What was it like?" Rupert asks.

"Eh, not too bad I guess." She tells him.

"Sounds fun!" I say.

"Agreed." Todd tells me.

"It's on the top deck." Kaze tells us again.

"Let's go bro!" I say, carrying Todd over my shoulder as I speed down the deck, heading to the stairs. Todd slips out of my grip, allowing him to run alongside me as we pound up the stairs, to the top deck, and down it, only to skid to a stop suddenly.

"THAT'S RED BROKE!" A girl squeals, she being one of the small group in front of Todd and I.

"He's cute!" Another says, looking at Todd.

"Todd? Note to self: Paragliding," I say, both of us then looking at each other. "IT'S A TRAP."

"Agreed." Todd tells me. "RUUUUUN!" Todd and I then run as fast as we can, the girls running after us with their squealing voices as well.

"Why does this happen?!" I ask.

"Fan girls are like life: On Earth, it's everywhere!" Todd yells to me. "And one way or another, it's chasing you down!"

"That's a good comparison!" I say, nodding. "BUT WHAT THE WHAT DO WE DO?!"

"I dunno!" Todd says, us coming to the stairs, where Rupert appears.

"I heard-"

"RUN!" I yell, grabbing him as Todd and I dash down the stairs, Rupert in the crook of my elbow.

"What in the world is the meaning of this?!" Rupert demands as Todd and I turn off onto the next deck, running out on to the wooden aisle. He then sees the fan girls chasing us, some of them now squealing his name, causing Rupert to slip himself out of my grip, running with Todd and I.

A few minutes later...

We stand with our backs against a wall, panting. We lost them, thankfully, but this is a small ship, so they're gonna find us sooner or later.

"WHHHY...?" I ask, sliding to the ground.

"Like...I said..." Todd pants. "They're like life."

"...Good...comparison." Rupert tells him, who just nods.

"Fan girls." We all look up to see Xavia standing there, hands in her pockets. "The bane of life for guys like y'all."

"Help us!" I say, on my feet.

"I have an idea." Xavia tells us.

"What?" Todd asks. Xavia then whistles a high-pitched whistle.

"Stay right there." She tells us.

"...What's going to happen?" Rupert asks her.

"Just stay there. I got this." She tells him. The group of fan girls suddenly appears from around the corner, about ten yards behind Xavia.

"I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU WERE GONNA HELP US!" I yell, the fan girls charging towards us.

"I am. Just stay right there." She tells us, her face straight.

"But they're coming right for us!" Todd objects. Xavia then suddenly whirls around to face the fan girls, her hand coming out of her backpack, and pulling out a scimitar.

The fan girls all freeze at the sight of the weapon.

"Lay off my friends." Xavia tells them, her voice firm. The fan girls then proceed to run away, terrified.

"...You _planned_ that?!" I ask, shocked.

"It seems I did." She says, her voice smug as the weapon is returned into her backpack. "Anywho, y'all can go paragliding now." She walks off, probably going back to the rest of the group.

"...While I was not expecting that, it was much more helpful than her just hiding us." Rupert says, Todd and I just silently nodding in agreement.

An hour later...

"That was so awesome!" Todd says, throwing his fists in the air as we walk back to where the rest of the gang is.

"Was it fun, diga?" Pauleen asks when she sees us coming.

"It was amazing!" I tell her. "Like we were as light as feathers."

"It was an exhilarating experience." Rupert agrees, smiling some. We mainly lounge around, enjoying the sun on our faces and the cool, sea breeze in our hair. We eat supper around thirty minutes after six, then go for a walk on the deck, the setting sun an absolutely breath taking site.

"Wow..." Pauleen whispers, it being almost inaudible.

"Yeah..." Todd agrees, his voice just as quiet. We stand in silence, looking at the golden-red sun setting behind the bluish-purple sea, streaks of gold, orange, red painting the sky with the clouds royal purple crusted with pink and gold, midnight blue dominating the top of the sky above our heads from the sun receding away, taking light with it. I look at the bow of the ship, walk over, and stand there, the wind tugging my hair, the smell of the sea, the dazzling light and the sound of ocean waves...

Just like when I was on my way to Greenhorn Plains for the first time.

When I stood on the bow of Captain Trevor's ship, the excitement coursing through me, but unlike then, right now, I don't feel like the king of the world.

Yet I still smile, tilt my head back, and raise my arms out, as if to embrace the rays of gleaming sun.

Later...

Joe, Todd, Rupert and I are our room, in our pajamas and the black sky flecked with stars is seeable through the rooms portholes.

"So, what should we do while at the resort?" I ask, looking through a brochure. "It says in this that you can rent boats and head out to islands around the place, and wading areas."

"That sounds like fun." Todd tells me, smiling.

"There's also several restaurants in the town." Rupert tells us. "We can eat there for some meals, and it says there's shops where you can buy souvenirs-very nice ones-and some craft shops as well."

"We're defiantly gonna have a nice vacation." Joe says, then yawning. "But, it's late an' I'd like ta get some shut eye 'fore we get there tamorrow."

"Sounds good." Todd says, putting the brochures aside, he and I crawling under the covers, Rupert climbing up to the top bunk, and Joe getting in his bed.

"Night guys." I say, flipping the light switch next to the bed.

"Good night." Rupert says.

"G'night." Joe tells us, his hat covering his eyes.

"Sleep well guys!" Todd tells us. I stare into the darkness, which is a darker shade of midnight blue.

_Well, this vacation certainly has been eventful already. _I think, laying on my back, the covers pulled up to my chin. _...That necklace though..._ The one the officer found when the hijackers were searched, the two black koi fish with the silver spots. _...YIN-YANG! That's what it looked like! Only...Yin-Yang is black and white; not...wait..._ I sit up. _Yang is the black side with the white dot. The koi fish were both black with silver since that the closest thing to white, and Yang is the __**evil**__ side. Life and death; push and pull; good and evil. But the necklace only had Yang, does that mean that the people that have it only believe that there's evil in the world so they took Yin out?_

_ ...Wait..._

_ Hold...No, wait! YIN is the black side, not Yang!_

_ ...ZUH?!_

_ Yin is characterized to passive, slow and soft, while Yang is the aggressive, white side with the black dot! So...why would they have Yin, the peaceful side, instead of Yang, the aggressive side?_ I sit there a second, then lay back down, able to hear Todd's even breaths in his sleep, the sound peaceful and calming to me.

_ ...What if it's a trick?_

_ After all, if Yin is seen as the good one by people, so if they see the symbol they'll think it's showing they're a good person, or maybe the people who carry the symbols are in want of Earthly objects, like money and power, since Yin represents the Earth, and the dots on the koi fish are Yang, so when they can't get what they want from acting nice, they get "aggressive"._

_ ..._

_ ...Wow. Where did I get all this? _I wonder, then rolling on my side. I lay there a second, then push my covers off, pull on my shirt, suit and boots, then walking over to the door to get some air, allowing my hair to hang in a mop head style.

"Red?" I stop, then look to see Joe looking at me, he in his bed and sitting up. "Ya alright?"

"Yes sir." I tell him, my voice quiet. "I'm just gonna get some air."

"Alright." He tells me, then smiling some. "Don't jump over any railings."

"Just so long as the Staff Leaders don't come after me." I respond, smiling some as well. Opening the door silently, I step out onto the ship deck, the sea air gently blowing at my face. After shutting the door, I walk down the deck, the half moon shining down as silver. The ocean waves splash against the hull of the ship, making a soothing sound that could lull me to sleep. Stopping, I turn with my hand on the railing, looking out at the black, endless sea with streaks of silver bouncing and dancing on top of it, the sleek, shining backs of dolphins appearing as they come up for air, and glowing plankton floating in the water.

_...Rosie..._ I think, her image coming into my mind. _I wish you were here..._ I put my elbow on the railing, my chin in my palm as I look at the dancing silver on the black water. _It'd be kinda romantic...I'm not sure what I could do, but I'd make it worth remembering._ As I think, my staring at the dancing silver continues, the sound of the ocean waves brushing my ears, my eye lids growing heavy each time I blink. My head starts to tilt, my eyes barely open, watching the silver on black, the dancing...bouncing...

Swirling...

Two silver dots, the small, glowing plankton in the water around them shaped like koi fish.

I snap to attention, whirling around and punching a person.

They're wearing a brown fedora with a black stripe, a tan over coat and black pants with shoes, my fist hitting their chest due to the fact they stand right behind me, their arm lifted some. They stagger back, I roundhouse at them, but they grab my foot, stopping the blow and instead twisting my leg, causing my balance to be thrown off, I falling to the ground and saving myself by using my hands to stop myself, then using the motion to bend them, then straightening them, causing me to spring up, doing a flip and landing on my feet. The man comes at me, about to attack when I jump into the air, surprising myself at the height, which is above the man's head as he punches at the space where I was.

Landing behind him, I elbow him as hard as I can in the back, then making that fist fly up and strike the back of his head, both of the strikes forcing him to stumble forward, I then round housing him in the side, sending him into the wall, then sagging against it a bit. Standing ready with my knees bent and fists up, I watch him, then take a cautious step towards him. He suddenly jumps at me, his hands grabbing my neck, pain forming there as my hands latch to his wrists, my feet kicking his knees and stomping on his feet.

A figure appears from nowhere, side kicking the man in the face, his grip on my neck disappearing as he's sent flying, then hitting the floor only to slide a ways more. Before anything else can happen, the figure sprints at him, their hand grabbing the collar of the man's coat, yanking him to his feet, the person then stepping back, their legs in a firm stance, they pull their fist back, punch the man, knocking him right to the ground, unconscious.

_...Whoa..._ I think. The person straightens, then looks back at me, their eyes deep brown with gold flecks, their long, midnight black hair shining perfectly in the moonlight and their full lips dark from the lack of light. "Xavia?!"

"That is correct." She tells me. She's in her pajamas, long black pajama pants and a baggy red shirt with sleeves that come to her elbows and the end of the shirt coming to the mid-way point of her upper legs. "You are unharmed, yes?"

"...Yeah...what's..."

"With the irregular speech pattern?" She asks. "Well, that has to do with how I knew." She steps to the side, walking past me, the wind blowing in her face, making her hair trail behind her some.

"How you knew I was attacked?" I ask. Without stopping, Xavia nods. "...How _did_ you know I was attacked?" I ask, Xavia then stopping. She turns to look at me, the moonlight lighting her face, allowing me to see her lips curve into a small smile, almost amused in a sense.

"Well, that is my secret, and my secret alone." She tells me, then turning again, and walking off, leaving me standing alone, dumfounded.

_..._

_ "Well, that is my secret, and my secret alone."_

_ ..._ I turn, looking up at the half moon once again.

_...She..._

_ ...is as mysterious as the dark side of the moon._

I stand a bit longer, then go back to my room, removing my boots, shirt, and suit, then getting back in bed, Todd still fast asleep, his breaths coupled with the swaying of the ocean lulling me into sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Let's face it people, Red's right. <strong>

**Red: For some reason, I feel like you're trying to make **_**us**_** a couple.**

**Magma: Dude, **_**no. **_**Just...just **_**no.**_** She's like that towards everyone. Always acting all mysterious.**

**Red: WHY?!**

**Magma: 'Cause. It throws people off.**

**minecraft kid95: Well, things are gonna get interesting. Why? Well, we'll get to learn about Xavia's tormented past more.**

**the messed up pi: ENJOY THE AWESOMENESS! :D**

**SACHEL ROCKS/sachel: SIXTEEN INCHES?! ...WOW...You're lucky, ya know that? T-T**

**Supernoah95: HAPPY NEW YEAR! :D XD Let's face it, it really was the year that statement is true, eh? As for Xavia, I guess she is in a way. I gave her my lack of interest to socialize with people, and my rudeness towards people. I'm kinda like that, only with Xavia she's not rude towards Sarisa, while I'm not rude to all my friends.**

**DunalN2: ...What? ?_? They're personalities aren't all the same. Where'd you get that idea?**

**Casey: ...It's not that I don't like it, I just can't form a story that I could write for it.**

**Omniverse: The answer: "A Secret". Dude. I've known that riddle since I was in the fourth grade.**

**Mew Girl: Oh. *whew* That's good to hear...**

**DidgitalEmperor001: Well, what I'm pulling will be revealed soon, my friend...**

**sniperjun899: ...Okay then.**

**1T1S1T: Ah, well, I **_**was**_** on DA, but then my computer got a virus, compactly severing my connection to the internet, so my dad has banned me from ever going there again.**

**Greywing44: There's gonna be more suspense my friend...**

**...**_**much**_** more suspense.**

**Magma: Anywho, guess what today is! January ninth, 2013! **

**So, that means that this story is now exactly one year old! *pulls out Sierra Mist Natural* A toast that this story will continue to be successful!**


	76. The Resort

**AN-Alright! I have no idea what to put here!**

**Red: Magma does not own FF and FFC!**

**Magma: ONWARDS!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Seventy-Six-The Resort<p>

The sounds of the waves and sea gulls brings me out of my sleep, making me open my eyes to see the room has the rays of the ocean sun in it, one of the port holes open to allow the fresh air in. The blanket is pulled up to my bare chest, which I find Todd's head on, my arm around him as he continues to sleep.

_Mornin' Todd._ I think, fixing his helmet with my free hand, so that it's not half off his head, then laying my head back on my pillow, staring at the flat, white ceiling for a bit. After that time, Todd stirs, then sits up, rubbing his face. "Good morning." I tell him, sitting up.

"Ah...Sorry." He tells me. "Had a bad dream..."

"Ah, don't worry about it!" I tell him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You can always come to me if ya need anything."

"Thanks." Todd tells me, still half asleep. I smile, then push the covers off, stand up, and pull on my clothes while Todd changes in the bathroom. Joe and Rupert's beds are empty, so they've probably gone to breakfast already. After we're dressed, we head out, my hair in the usual spikes while my bangs hang down, my goggles on my head.

_Dino,_ I think, having to brush my bangs out of the way some. _I gotta get a haircut. My bangs are getting too long._ Arriving at the dining room, Todd and I get our breakfast, then spotting the rest of our group.

"Good morning!" Todd and I say in unison, they looking at us as we sit down. Cole's drinking some coffee, Lester's still eating, while the rest just sit.

"Mornin'." Joe tells us. "Ya get ta sleep alright, Red?"

"After I took that walk I did." I tell him.

"That's good." He tells me. I expect Xavia to mention the fact that that man tried to jump me, but she remains silent, blanking staring off into space, her feet on the table with her ankles crossed, her chair standing on the back two legs. We chat over what to do on at the resort, then head back to our rooms, get our stuff, then stand on the deck until the ship comes into port, allowing us to disembark. We get on another small plane, ride it without incident to a small island, it having an extravagant looking building, the resort.

"WOW!" Todd says as we enter the resort's main building, which is _very_ well made, with marble floors, gold and white walls, vaulted ceilings-they actually make the place feel roomy-and braided rugs with padded chairs and glass coffee tables on them. We check in, a man in a sit with brown hair and a small, pointy mustache coming over.

"Hello. Welcome to _Paradis_ _de Trópico, _how may I-" He then stops when he sees me. "RED BROKE?!" He exclaims, jumping back.

"Yes sir." I tell him, nodding.

"Ah! Welcome, welcome!" He says, a big smile on his face. "I had no idea you were coming here! How can I-"

"We're reserved on the private island under 'Adven'." Xavia tells him, placing a paper on the counter and cutting the man off. He looks over it, checks something on the computer, then nods.

"Yes, yes. The private island." He says nodding. He then hands her several card keys, which we distribute among ourselves. "Anyways, please follow me." We follow, walking past some people who are lounging, some not taking notice of us, some watching us, and a few taking pictures. After a bit of walking, we come outside and go down a stone path, coming to a dock where a small ship sits in the water.

"Ahoy!" A man calls from it. His hair is brown and his eyes are blue-green, he's wearing a captain's hat, sailor shirt with short sleeves and black pants and shoes. "You're the people who reserved the private island?"

"Yes sir." Kaze tells him as we step on board.

"Ah, it's a good place to stay." He tells us. "It's fairly big, has a private beach, tropical plants-some of them fruit trees-and very nice accommodations. It's rather fun to explore, and your group seems like the adventurous type."

"You have nooooooo idea." Lola tells him. We sit down, our luggage stored in dry compartments under our seats, and, those of us that have them, hold on to our hats at the ship starts up, speeding across the crystal ocean. The hair pulls at my hair, droplets on the spray landing on the lenses on my goggles, which are down over my eyes. After a few minutes of flying over the ocean, we pull up to a dock at the smallish island, which has a stone path leading through the tropical plants, up to the large vacation home. It's roof is made of black slates, and the walls are white, with several one-way windows all over it. It's architecture is modern-ish, and by the way it's built, there's a steep slope on the other side.

"Come, I'll give you a tour." He helps us with our bags some, carrying two suit cases. We head up the stone steps, coming to the door, which has several one-way windows. "This is the main hall way." The captain tells us as we walk in. the walls are white with a wooden floor covered with a light sand color rug. There's a paper sliding door on the right, a white arch way to the left, some beach themed pictures on the walls, and that's it. "To the left is the kitchen, and right in here we have the dining room." The captain pushes open the sliding door to show a room with a long, dark brown table low to the ground, a green rug under it and flat, blue cushions around it.

"This is where we're supposed to eat?" Cole asks, confused.

"You sit on the cushions around the table." Kaze tells him. "It's what some people still do in the Fire Islands."

"Ah, I've been there before." I say, looking around the sunlit room. "It was really nice."

"I hope you'll enjoy this then." The captain tells us. "Now, if you follow me, I'll show you to the living room." We follow him down the hall, and at the end we come into a split level room with a tropical theme, the far wall made completely of window with a sliding door going out onto a balcony, a desk and chair with a computer, a very nice TV on a stand with video games, a wood and glass coffee table, two sofas, bookshelves set into the walls, some bean bag chairs, two arch ways, one on the left and one on the right. Against the wall with the arch we just came through, is a juice bar with a dark brown counter and a marble top to it, with four stools and the selves and cabinets set into the wall with several colorful bottles of fruit juice.

"Each of the arch ways goes into a hallway with bed rooms." The captain tells us. "There's plenty to choose from, and the one on the left, it has a stair case going up into the hallway. Also, the juice bar doesn't have any alcoholic beverages just so you know. Anyways, enjoy your stay and thank you for coming!" He tells us smiling. Turning, he starts to leave, only to accidentally bump into Rupert. "Ah! I'm sorry."

"That's alright." Rupert tells him, stepping to the side. "That was my fault for not moving." The captain nods awkwardly some, then continues on.

"Well, let's find our rooms, digadig." Pauleen says. The girls head to the one with the staircase, us boys heading towards the one without, coming into a hallway with several doors, more paintings, and a tall window at the end. Looking around, I try to choose which one to take.

_'How about one at the end?' _Flame thrower suggests. _'There would be more sunlight.'_

_ 'Hm. Good point...' _I think, heading down the hallway with my stuff. Opening the door on the left, I come into a room with a circular bed with a black comfiture, white sheets and pillows, the top of the bed has a stand that's flat and pushed against the wall, wooden nightstands on both sides, the walls and carpet white, tall windows on the outside of the night stands and one above the bed, there's a sliding glass door that goes out onto the balcony which wraps around, There's a dresser and a desk with some books on the shelf, some paintings, a TV on the wall, and a door going into the bathroom. _'Not bad, not bad!'_ I think, dropping my stuff on the bed and unpacking.

_'Ah...I love this place already!'_ Air Strike thinks, I receiving a mental image of him in his human form wearing mahogany purple swim trunks with small, sea green crystals on the outside of the pants leg, a straw hat and a fruit smoothie in one hand while he lounges in a hammock tied up between two palm trees on a beach.

_'Hey, is it possible for you guys to do that?' _I ask. _'Go into your human forms to go swimming?'_

_ 'It should be.' _Flamethrower tells me.

_'I hope so.' _Cloud Cover says. _'Swimming seems like a lot of fun.'_

_ 'And it's good exercise!'_ I tell her, smiling some. After I finish unpacking, I put my suit case and duffle bag next to the dresser, then take a look in the bathroom, which is white with turquoise accents. There's a long window up high on the wall, so no one can see in due to it being one-way as well, there's a shower against the wall as well, a fancy vanity on the far wall with a mirror across the wall, then a tub with jets on a platform that has four stairs going up onto it, and next to the door is a shelf with towels, and next to that is the toilet. _'Again, not bad.' _

"How're doing with your room?" I heard Todd ask, making me look to see him in the door way.

"Good. You?"

"Same." He tells me, smiling. "I have to admit, I really like it here! It's pretty peaceful."

"Yup." I tell him, smiling. "Maybe, JUST maybe, we'll have a nice, relaxing vacation." I tells him as I fold my arms behind my head. We then leave the room, walk down the hall into the living room, sitting on one of the sofas. "So, what do you wanna do?"

"I dunno." Todd tells me. "What do you wanna do?"

"...I dunno." I tell him, shrugging. "Hey Rupert, what do you wanna do?" I ask.

"...How did you know I just came in here?!" Rupert's voice asks, making Todd shoot up and twist around while I just look, to see Rupert standing in the arch way from our hallway with utter confusion on his face.

"...I dunno." I tell him, sitting back. _'I smelled him. He smells clean.'_

_ '...ZUH?!' _My vivosaurs ask, mentally falling over cartoon style.

_'Well, Xavia said that extra nerve in my brain is what's giving me the ability to see in the dark and better hearing, so I just figured my sense of smell would get better as well.'_ I explain to them.

_'...That makes sense.' _Flamethrower tells me.

_'I knew it would.' _I respond, smiling.

"Well, you are able to do things some people can't." Rupert tells me, sitting on the sofa as well.

"Like survive a battle to the death with an ancient, evil skull that tried to capture me-like what?-eight times?" I ask.

"Precisely." He tells me, nodding.

"So, what do you wanna do?" Todd asks.

"OH! I know!" I say, sitting up and shooting my hand in the air. "He wants to do whatever Xavia wants to do!"

"THAT IS NOT TRUE!" Rupert yells, madly blushing while Todd and I laugh.

"You're sure?" Todd laughs.

"YES, I'm sure!" Rupert tells us, still blushing madly.

"Leave th' poor feller alone." Joe says, coming into the room. "After all, y'all oughtta know better than that."

"So we can't tease him about his crush on Xavia?" I ask.

"..." Joe gets a look of shock on his face, then looks at Rupert. "She's th' one yer in love wit'?!"

"...Yes..." Rupert says awkwardly, embarrassed.

"..." Joe just blinks, still surprised. After a few minutes, we've all assembled in the living room, Sarisa and Pauleen sitting at the juice bar watching Xavia make fruit smoothies, Cole, Kaze, Lester and Lola all sit in the bean bags, Todd, Rupert and I still sit on the same sofa while Joe lays stretched out on another one.

"So what should we do for lunch?" I ask. "We gotta head into town to get some groceries."

"We could have lunch here and go out to eat for supper." Kaze suggests.

"That's not a baaaaaaad idea." Lola agrees.

"I'm good for that." Cole says, Lester nodding in agreement.

"I've no objection." Xavia says, serving the two fruit smoothies.

"Sounds like a plan." Todd replies.

"Then I guess it's settled." Joe says, pushing his hat back.

"I'll go into town." I say, standing up and stretching my arms above my head.

"I'll come with." Kaze tells me, standing up.

"Me too!" Todd says, jumping to his feet.

"I can help." Xavia says, stepping out from behind the juice bar.

"Alright." I say, walking up the steps to the tops split level. "We'll be back in about an hour probably."

"Stay safe!" Sarisa tells us as we head out the door, and go down the stone path. We get to the dock, press a button that calls the captain to come get us. After a minute, his boat comes up to the dock, allowing us to board it, and ride it to the main island. After we arrive, we head into the town and to grocery store, which we head into, going through the aisles, picking up food and putting into the baskets in our hands.

"So, would you prefer if I made a whole chicken or a chicken in parts, like legs, wings and breasts?" I ask Kaze, while he, Todd and I stand looking at chicken while Xavia stands, leaning against the side of one of the aisle shelves, the grocery basket next to her feet.

"Ah, doesn't matter to me." He tells me, his voice casual.

"Hm..." I hum, looking at the selves of frozen chicken. "I could buy a whole one and make chicken salad with it, bake the chicken breasts, and grill the wings. Not sure what I could do with the legs aside from fry them, so I could do that to. Or...I could make some chicken stir fry, chicken ramen, or-"

"JUST HURRY UP AND CHOOSE!" Xavia suddenly yells, making me jump, and look at her with surprise.

"Okay! No need to yell!" I tell her, then looking back at the shelves. "I'll decide back at our hotel room." After putting the chicken into the basket, we buy the stuff and head back to the hotel room.

A few minutes later...

"So, what should I make for lunch?" I ask, everyone assembled in the kitchen, which has one-way window lining the right wall, white cabinets and white counters with black marble tops, and island that has the stove, and is spilt level, so the cooking area is at regular height while the higher part is to accommodate the wooden stools painted white with black cushions, the counters and cabinets cover the back and left wall, with the fridge and sink among them. There's a microwave and hot beverage maker as well, a small, square table close to the left wall with two chairs, making a little breakfast nook, and a vase of bright, canary yellow flowers on the table.

"Something with chicken." Kaze tells me, sitting on one of the stools along with Lola, Todd, Rupert, Pauleen, and Xavia, Joe and Lester sitting at the table chairs, and Cole just standing. Sarisa stands next to me, wearing a plain white apron like the one I wear, she having offered to help me cook, which I gladly accepted.

"Chicken salad would be the fastest thing to make." Todd tells us.

"Chicken salad it is then!" Sarisa says cheerfully. Lester, Todd and Xavia watch us, while the rest all go off, probably relaxing, reading a book, watching TV, or playing video games. We get the whole chicken out, put a pot of water on the stove, put some salt in it, wait for it to come to a boil, the put the chicken in, then chat with Lester, Todd and Xavia while it cooks. After that's done, Sarisa gets two plates, I putting the boiled chicken on one of them, allowing Sarisa to cut the back open to help it cool off. While it does that, we put the chicken broth away, to use to cook later, then clean up the kitchen. The chicken cools, allowing me to debone it, then handing the meat to Sarisa, who tears it into pieces, putting the pieces onto the other plate. After that, We wash out hands, then put the chicken into a bowl, mix in some mayo and salt, then making the chicken salad into sandwiches.

"LUNCH TIME!" I call, the five of us that were in the kitchen going into the dining room, I setting the platter of sandwiches on the table. Everyone else comes in, grabbing a sandwich and eating as we discuss what to do for the rest of the day.

"Let's go to the beach, diga!" Pauleen says.

"Which one?" Xavia asks. "There's the private beach here, then there's the main beach."

"We could go to the main one and see if it's nice." Kaze says. "If we don't like it, then we could go to the private one."

"I'm with Kaze." Lola says.

"Well, it is a good plan." Joe agrees.

Later...

I come into the living room, wearing my swim trunks, white shirt, goggles, black flip flops, and my deep blue towel over my shoulder. Everyone's in their swim wear, Xavia and Sarisa wearing their pullovers. Kaze wears black swim trunks with blue flames along the legs, his goggles, and he's holding his surf board, which is black with red tribal markings down the sides with a blue stripe down the middle. He wears no shirt, allowing the world to see his arm, chest, and abdomen muscles. Cole has on his glasses, his spike necklace and chain necklace that has the key on it, his swim trunks being white with black at the top and at the ends, and he wears no shirt, showing his scrawny figure. Lester has on white swim trunks with black bars on the front middle of the legs, and a white shirt. Lola's wearing a one piece with the straps connecting in the back, the top half of it being black. We head out, board the boat, and ride to the main island, then Todd and I running ahead of everyone down the wooden walkway over the dunes to the beach.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-MEEEEEEEEEH...Not enough action...Must get next chapa up...FRIGGIN' MOTIVATION!<strong>

**Red: What Magma is trying to say is that they have hit a complete motivation block...so...yeah.**

**Gunsandgames: There'll be more fighting next chapa! :D**

**ilovedogs12: Thanks! :D**

**DunalN2: SWEET! :D :D :D**

**DigitalEmperor001: Yep! :D And you have a 3DS XL? Cool! I just got an iPad! :D**

**Omniverse: Just say you don't own RR. :) As for the riddle, I dunno. As for the weapons...hmmm...AH! A tuner that can send messages, (kinda like a secret radio transmitter) a metronome that can unlock any door, and...hmmm...that's all I got right now... :/**

**Supernoah95: Ah...I'm not sure. I lost motivation for it, and we didn't have a lot of truths or dares for the contestants.**

**Chi-Chan: He really does. This boy learns nothing... -.-'**

**Red: I TAKE THAT AS AN INSULT!**

**mysterydude123: ...Wow, that's a bad hotel...and congratulations on getting the 500th review! :D**

**Frostfire05: YUSH! :D And I will try to get next chapa up much faster!**

**SACHEL ROCKS: A three-way race for who will get the 500th review... cool. :)**

**Mew girl: That's good to hear. :D Tell her to get well soon! :D**

**Guest: Again, I'm sorry this took me so long. I hit a complete wall of motivation block, so I started slacking off and playing **_**The Sims 3**_**. Sorry. I promise y'all, I will get next chapa (which has action in it) up as soon as I can! **


	77. New Troubles Arise

**AN-OKAY! Going to get this chapa up fast!**

**Red: Magma does not own FF/FFC!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Seventy-Seven-More Troubles Arise<p>

"Wait up Red!" Todd calls, a few yards behind me, making stop so he can catch up, then running alongside him while the others are far behind us.

"Oh dino, I can't wait to see the beach!" I say, Todd and I running up the steps that allow us over the dunes, then stopping at the top where we can see the crystal blue sea and white sand with people enjoying themselves.

"It's beautiful!" Todd says, both of us admiring it.

"Yeah..." I sigh, looking at the ocean which the sun reflects off of.

"Last on in the water's a rotten egg!" Todd says, about to take off when I raise my arm and put my hand over his forehead, keeping him from jumping down the steps.

"Wait till the rest of the groups gets here." I tell him. "For now, let's enjoy the view." Todd sighs, then perks up as we stand there, looking out at the sea with the sweet wind in our hair and the sun on our face.

Until the group catches up. Then we jump down the steps and speed down the rest of the wooden walk way till our feet hit the powder sand.

"Ocean, here I come!" I say, dropping my towel and kicking off my shoes at one of the double lawn chairs. They're made of wood, have a wooden table connecting them with a blue umbrella in the table, and the padding on the chairs is blue. Running, I pull down my goggles and jump right into the crystal water, which gulps me into its waves. Under the water past my goggles, the sand is ruffled from the waves, colorful fish swim through the water, and others swim or play. "I love this place!" I yell, splashing above the water, the crystal droplets flying from my hair. Todd jumps into the water as well, splashing water onto me. When he bobs above the surface, I splash him back, causing us to get into a splash war. After a bit, I tackle Todd, both of us splashing down into the water. He wriggles out of my grip, getting onto my back, allowing me to jump to my feet then backwards, both of us splashing into the water again. I then get my arms hooked around his legs, and stand up, so I'm giving him a piggy back ride.

"You two having fun?" I look up to see Kaze sitting there, laying on his stomach on his surf board.

"You going to go warm up for that competition you and Xavia are having?" I ask, Kaze nodding in response.

"Good luck!" Todd tells him.

"Thanks." He replies, then continuing to paddle out to the bigger waves.

"Hello." I turn, allowing us to see Rupert and Pauleen wading out to Todd and I, the two of us being waist high in the water.

"Having fun, diga?" Pauleen asks, Todd sliding off my back into the water.

"Yep!" I say, smiling. "The water's beautiful! I'd love to see what it looks like at sun set!"

"Maybe we could stay that long." Rupert tells me, causing Todd, Pauleen and I to jump in the air with glee.

"HOORAY!" We all cheer in unison, making Rupert smile.

"Where's Xavia, Joe, Sarisa and the BB Brigade?" Todd asks, Rupert turning and point ashore.

"Sarisa's reading a book, Lola's sun tanning, Cole's burying Lester in the sand, Joe's relaxing, and Xavia's sitting next to Sarisa, watching the water."

"Why is Cole...?"

"He said he diga-didn't want to ruin his hair, digadig." Pauleen tells me.

"Ah." I say, that making sense. "So, what should we do?"

"Chicken fight!" Todd says.

"How do we pair up?" Rupert asks.

"..." We stand in silence.

"...Uhm...Er..." I think. "Ah! Pauleen could be on Todd's shoulders and Rupert could be on mine!"

"Fine with me, diga." Pauleen says.

"Well, let's do it then." Rupert says. Todd and I dunk ourselves underwater, allowing Rupert to get on my shoulders and Pauleen on Todd's, then standing up. Rupert and Pauleen push at each other, Todd and I trying to keep our footing, only to have all of us fall down when an especially big wave washes over us, and have us get close to shore.

"...That was fast, diga." Pauleen says, the four of us sitting up in the knee-high water. I look, and see that Sarisa's sitting in one of the lounge chairs, still wearing the white shirt, red vest and blue shorts, her hair in a braid, reading a book while Xavia sits on the outside side of the chair, wearing the short sleeved, black pull over and red shorts, her hair pulled into a pony tail. Joe sits on the other, his hat over his eyes, arms behind his head, and relaxed. An idea pops into my mind.

"Hey Rupert, what do you think Xavia's swim suit looks like?" I say, making him go red, causing the three of us to laugh.

"Stop it!" He says, angry. "How childish are you?! I mean really! I-" A sphere made of sand suddenly hits my head, making Todd and Pauleen stop laughing and Rupert get a look of surprise, and I fall sideways into the water, the splashing above the surface, to see Xavia standing on her feet, looking at me, a sphere of sand in her hand, ready to throw.

"KEEP ASKING STUFF LIKE THAT! SEE WHAT HAPPENS!" She yells, then sitting down with her legs and arms crossed, her shoulders hunched.

_She seems like she's not happy to be here. _I think, then saying the thought aloud.

"You're right." Todd says. "But I have no idea she could hear us all the way out here, AND with all the noise!"

"Maybe she diga-doesn't like crowds, digadig?" Pauleen asks.

"I don't think that's quite it." Rupert says, making us look at him with confusion. "She's been in crowds before, right? She doesn't seem like she's not happy to be here, or she doesn't want to be here, more like...she's restless, like she wants to yell something out."

"..." Todd, Pauleen and I say nothing, but look at Xavia to see that is indeed what it looks like. Her ands grip the fabric of her sleeves, and she stares intensely and the sand in front of her.

"Hm. Good point." I say.

"Maybe she'll relax if we talk with her, digadig!" Pauleen says, standing up and running ashore, us trio of boys walking after her. "Xavia! Diga-do you want to help us build a sandcastle or collect shells or something, digadig?"

"...Crabs." She says. "We could collect crabs for supper or something."

"We're going out to eat tonight, remember?" Rupert asks.

"Well, think about it." Xavia tells him. "When we get back, we're going to have to shower and stuff, so after that everyone's going to be tired, and I don't exactly think they'll wanna go out to eat then."

"...She has a point." I say, squinting up at the sky.

"Indeed she does." Todd says, doing the same.

"Well, what will we keep the crustaceans in?" I ask, looking at Todd.

"I'm not sure, what should we keep them in?" He asks, looking at me.

"I brought buckets." Xavia says, opening her backpack and pulling out five buckets.

"Great!" Todd and I say in unison, each of us taking one. she gives us some small shovels as well, so we walk down to the shore line, and start digging away the sand.

A few minutes later...

"Look at the size of these things!" I say, my bucket full of big crabs, oysters, clams, stuff like that. "We're gonna have an entire sea food buffet tonight if this keeps up!" We've already filled up three buckets, I setting aside the full on I have and grabbing an empty one.

"Well, this resort is known partially for the crustaceans the visitors are allowed to catch." Xavia tells us as we dig through the sand. Todd taps Pauleen on the shoulder, making her look up at him.

"Yes, diga?" She asks.

"Th-this is for you." Todd tells her, holding up a bluish-purple pearl that reflects the sunlight beautifully, and makes Pauleen gasp.

"This is beautiful! I love it!" She says, taking it from his hands and admiring it, then looking back at Todd with a big smile on her face. "Thank you so much Todd!" She says, then kissing his cheek.

"..." Todd says nothing, but he stares off with wide eyes, his face turning red, then allowing a big, foolish smile to spread across his face. I can practically see the hearts for his eyes, right before he falls back.

"...Why did-"

"COME WITH ME BRO!" I yell, grabbing Todd and running into the water, cutting off Pauleen's question. When I get to the waist deep water, I throw Todd into the air, allowing him to land in the water with a splash.

"GAH!" He exclaims, splashing above the water, then looking up at me, the water dripping from his chin and wet hair, which his helmet sits crooked on top of. "What was that for?"

"You passed out in front of her!" I tell him, shaking his shoulders.

"...I DID WHAT?!" He yells, distraught covering his face. "NO! I messed up! I MESSED UP _BIG_ TIME!" He starts to go into panic, only to have me jump on him, causing him to fall back into the water, then have me stand up, my hands under his arms so his feet aren't touching the ocean floor, and the water comes to the middle of his upper legs instead.

"GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF MAN!" I tell him, then setting him down, my hands on his shoulders firmly. "This is no time to panic!"

"You're right!" Todd tells me, raising a fist. "I must stay calm!"

"..." We stand there for a second.

"...You know, I seriously think that we could make a great comedy duo." I tell him.

"I think we could." He says, nodding. "But, for now, let's get back to finding supper!"

"Alright!" I say, giving him a thumbs-up before we wade back to everyone. We keep digging, finding more shellfish to cook, when Kaze suddenly runs by us, anger on his face.

"What's with him?" Todd asks, the five of us watching him. We watch him as he runs up to a fourteen-year-old boy, who's flirting with Lola, taps his shoulder, making the boy look at him, then attacks him, both of them getting into a fight.

"WHOA!" I exclaim, jumping to my feet and running over, followed by the rest of the team. Joe comes running over with Cole, Lester trying to get out of the sand he's buried in.

"Calm down pard!" Joe says, holding Kaze back while he fights like a wildcat, the other boy hiding behind Todd and I, terrified of Kaze.

"Alright, Kaze, why ya trying to kill th' guy?" Xavia asks.

"He was flirting with Lola!" Kaze tells her, not taking his eyes off the other boy, who stays behind me.

"S-so...she's your girlfriend?" The boy asks.

"..." There's an awkward silence, Kaze's face turning red.

"SHE IS NOT!" He yells, trying to attack the guy again, only to have Joe hold him back.

"Well, then why did you attack him?" Xavia asks. I honestly expected her to make some remark that would make Kaze get mad, but this surprises me.

"...He was annoying her?" Kaze asks.

"Lola?" Xavia asks, looking over her shoulder at Lola, who stands looking at Kaze, then at Xavia, then back at Kaze.

"Yeeeeeah..." She tells Xavia.

"Alright, Kaze had every right to do that, so you," She points at the boy who hides behind me. "get lost." Without looking back, the boy runs off.

"Whelp, that's settled." Joe says, releasing Kaze.

"So Kaze, ya ready for me to kick your rear at surfing?" Xavia asks, looking at him.

"Bring it on." He tells her, determined. He grabs his surf board, Xavia runs over to her back pack, pulls out a surf board that's red with a large, black star at the front point with a red 'X' in the middle. They run to the water, then paddle out to the waves.

Later...

"That was amazing!" Todd says as Kaze and Xavia walk onto the shore, carrying their boards.

"Thank you." Kaze tells him.

"So...I guess that was tie?" Xavia asks, Kaze shrugging in response.

"Well, it was still impressive." Joe tells them. Kaze goes to put his surf board away, Lola goes back to her relaxing, Lester takes his turn burying Cole in the sand, Joe goes back to the shaded lounge chair, while Todd, Rupert, Pauleen Xavia and I all head back to finding some shellfish. After a bit, Sarisa walks over to us to see how we're doing.

"Wow, you guys have a lot..." She says, looking at the buckets we've filled up, a faint smile on her face.

"Supper's gonna be great Sarisa!" I tell her, smiling to show my white teeth.

"That's good." She tells me, kneeling down next to Xavia. "I can help you if you like."

"Ah! Thank you." I tell her, still smiling.

"You're welcome." She tells me, smiling as well, then looking at Xavia. "Are you going to go swimming?"

"Ah...I don't like swimming unless I'm alone." Xavia tells her, putting a clam into her bucket.

"But you look so cute!" Sarisa tells her, making Rupert's eyes dart up from where he was digging.

"What diga-_does_ your swimsuit look like, digadig?" Pauleen asks. Sarisa starts to says something, when Xavia puts her hand on her shoulder.

"Sarisa, there's no need to give them unneeded information." Xavia tells her.

"Ah...okay." Sarisa says, making Xavia smile and continue digging. "Why don't you show them?"

"..." Xavia says nothing, but freezes, ridged.

"Yeah, diga!" Pauleen says, approving. "I bet you look super cute, digadig."

"_NO._" Xavia says, her voice solid and hard.

"Aw, come on!" I object. "You gotta! After all, I'm sure it'd make Sarisa happy!"

"Yeah!" Todd agrees.

"Please?" Sarisa asks, making Xavia sigh, her weight supported by her arms and her head hanging as she does.

"...Alright." She says, her voice sounding like it came from between grit teeth. Standing up, she stomps off to a changing booth.

A minute later...

We're all assembled outside the changing booth.

"Well?" Rupert asks.

"I don't have the pull over and shorts on any more!" Xavia says from inside, still sounding mad.

"Then come out!" Cole tells her.

"I don't have to." She resorts.

"What?" He asks.

"I just had to take my hoodie off." She explains, her voice flat. "Y'all said nothing about me actually having to come out of the booth."

"Sarisa?" Todd and I ask in unison.

"Xavia." Sarisa says kindly, still smiling.

"..." We hear her sigh. "IF ANYONE LAUGHS..." She then says, her voice mad and, again, sounding like it came from between grit teeth. The door opens, and she steps out, wearing her swim suit.

It's a red one piece, the collar stopping at her collar bones, allowing us to see her necklace, it has a mini skirt, and has a sailor suit style to it, so there's a part that looks like a handkerchief tied sailor style, so part of the swim suit is red and white striped, while the kerchief is red with a white line, the part of the swim suit over **(OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS SO HARD TO DESCRIBE!) **the red and white striped is solid red, there being white at the edge of the miniskirt, and we're able to see her shoulders, and there's even a red sailor hat on her head with white lines.

So looks _adorable._

"..." Silence, but I feel myself fighting back a smile, and shoving down a laugh, knowing she'll break my nose if I show any sign of amusement. My eyes roll over to Rupert, to see him stiff and blushing, then making me look back at Xavia to see she looks ready to tear something apart.

"Would it kill you to smile?" Kaze asks.

"_YES._" Xavia hisses.

"...I ain't gonna regret this." Joe says, then bursting out into laughter.

"C'MERE COWBOY!" Xavia roars at him, jumping at the man only to have him run away, having to hold his hat on his head as Xavia runs after him, yelling and shaking her fist. Amused by the sight of a twenty-four year old man running from an adorable eleven year old, we laugh and smile, then return to what we were doing, Lester and Cole burying each other in the sand, Lola sun tanning, Sarisa reading, and Kaze goes to surf some more.

A minute later...

"Well, well, well." I say, smiling down at Joe, who's buried up to his neck in the sand, Xavia standing over him with triumph.

"Isn't _this_ familiar?" Todd asks, smiling down at Joe as well, while Rupert has a faint smile and Pauleen is laughing.

"Jus' git me outta here!" Joe says, grumpy.

"Alright, alright." Xavia says, grabbing Joe by the collar of his shirt, and yanking him right out of the ground like a farmer pulls a carrot from the ground. "There ya go!"

"Thanks..." Joe grumbles, shaking his shirt to get the sand out.

"Hey there!" We look to see some guy, about twelve, standing there, smiling at Xavia. "What's your name?"

"Sorry, but we're rather busy at the moment and we have no time for idle conversation!" Rupert half says half hisses as he turns the guy around, grabs his shoulders, and leads him off a few yards away, then releases him and starts walking back towards us.

"...What's...with him?" Xavia asks, nodding at Rupert then looking at us.

"..." I facepalm, shaking my head. _She can hear us talking while we're sitting in the ocean twenty feet away with waves crashing, but she can't pick up the fact that Rupert's in love with her?!_

"So, what should we do now, digadig?" Pauleen asks as Rupert gets back to us and Joe walks back to relax.

"We could take a break from getting sea food." Todd says. "Maybe build a sandcastle?"

"Oh! Then we could get some sea shells!" Pauleen says gleefully.

"She sells sea shells by the sea shore." Xavia says quickly, not messing up at all with the tongue twister, making us look at her with surprise. "So, let's get started on that sand castle!" She says, throwing her fist in the air and walking past us. We look at each other, Rupert immediately following her, Todd and I shrugging, then following her alongside Pauleen. We find a spot, get some buckets of wet sand, making a plateau with the wet sand, which we then begin to build the castle on, it having towers, battlement-topped walls, even a moat, which we fill with water.

"Not bad." Kaze says, making me look up from the wall I'm working on.

"Thanks man!" I tell him, smiling.

"Duck." Xavia says, not looking up from the tower she's working on, and the one word making us look at her.

"...We're on a-" Before Kaze can finish the sentence, a volley ball come from out of nowhere, hitting him in the side of the head, making him jump, surprise on his face.

"Hey!" Someone yells, making us look to see six teenagers at the volleyball court. "Throw that back of here!" A girl commands, her voice rude.

"That was rude, diga." Pauleen says. Xavia stands, picks up the volley ball, tosses it in the air, then hits it, sending it flying with such force it hits one of the boy teens in the stomach, knocking him to the ground, shocking the other five.

"Happy?" Xavia calls, another one of the teens glaring at her.

"You brat!" They yell. "Get over here an apologize!"

"I don't own him an apology!" Xavia resorts. "It's his fault for not getting out of the way!" The teenage boy stomps over to us, right up to Xavia.

"_Who_ do you think you are?!" He demands.

"I think I'm me, who do you think you are?" Xavia asks, her voice and facial expression flat, making the teen more infuriated with her.

"My dad owns a _huge_ business corporation!" He tells Xavia. "So, I'm filthy rich, _and_ older than you, so don't play smart with me!"

"Oh, so you think just 'cause you're older than me, that automatically makes you my superior?" Xavia asks, raising an eyebrow. "You think that age has an effect on how mature and responsible a person is? You think that you're better than me 'cause you're older? That you're more mature? That you're more responsible? I bet you haven't earned a dollar in your life." Then smiles smugly. "'Sides, I know 'bout your father's big business industry, and about the huge expansion it had about a year ago. You do you think invested a half a million on it?" The boy gawks down at her.

"That was _you?!_" He exclaims.

"Half a million?!" Todd exclaims, almost falling over.

"You guys would be surprised at how much money I make off the stock market." Xavia tells us, glancing over her shoulder at our surprised or shocked expressions, then looking back up at the teen. "So if your father found out that you acted rudely towards the person who supplied half the money for the expansion, exactly what do you think would happen?"

"..." The guy says nothing, but then get mad again. "Fine, tell you what. You and your little friends be my friends and I at volley ball, then I'll give you five hundred dollars, and if we beat you guys, you have to apologize." Xavia sighs, amused.

"Money means nothing to me." Xavia tells him. "I've got plenty as it is. So, when we win..." She thinks for a second. "Y'all have to bury both of them in the sand." She says, pointing over her shoulder at Cole and Lester, Lester now burying Cole.

"...O...K...then." He says, not entirely understanding.

A few minutes later...

"Do you guys think it was a bit harsh that we creamed them twenty-seven to nothing?" I ask, picking up a white shell for the sand castle we made.

"Not really." Kaze says, helping us. A lot of the shells we're actually keeping as souvenirs due to how beautiful and colorful they are. After getting a few handfuls, we walk back to the sad castle, putting the shells onto it.

"You know, I'm surprised that no fangirls have mauled us yet." Todd tells me.

"I think Xavia pulling that sword out on the ship had something to do with it." I tell him. "After all, some of them did come here, so they undoubtedly told other girls, so they're probably staying away, fearing for their heads to stay on."

"...Hm." Todd hums. "Good point!" After a few minutes, we step back, having completed the sand castle.

"Castle Caliosteo!" Rupert says, smiling.

"Yeah!" Todd and I say in unison, throwing our fists in the air.

"It turned out pretty good." Xavia says, arms crossed and smiling.

"Diga!" Pauleen says happily. "And we also found a lot of pretty shells to keep, digadig!"

"Now what?" Kaze asks.

"More clams for chowder?" I ask, holding up an empty bucket.

"I love clam chowder, digadig!" Pauleen says, brightening even more.

"There's a spot over here!" Todd says, running off, I running after him, the rest following. Todd and I jump, then land down on our knees in the sand, and we start digging, everyone catching up to us and starting to dig as well. We find a few clams, enough to make one pot of my clam chowder.

"Xavia," Rupert says, making me look sideways to see him holding a crab in his hands, Xavia looking at him. "would you say this crab is CRABtastic?"

_PLEASE TELL ME HE DID __**NOT**__ JUST SAY THAT! _I mentally yell, grabbing my head and leaning back, me expression relaying my thought, Todd's grabbing his head as well, but he's doubled over so his forehead's against the sand, Pauleen hangs her head and face palms, shaking her head, and Kaze has his face in hands, shaking his head, and Xavia has a blank look on her face.

She then bursts out into laughter.

Rupert blinks with surprise, while Todd, Pauleen, Kaze and I look at her with utter confusion as she sits there, holding her sides while her laughs rings through the air like a bell. It's a nice laugh, actually.

"Crabtastic! HA HA HA!" She laughs, calming down some. "Heh heh! Good one, Rupert!" She tells him, smiling.

"..." Rupert sits there, looking at her smiling face, a blush starting to surface on his as he stiffens.

"..." We sit in silence, while Xavia finishes laughing, still amused.

"...Soooo...Yeah. That happened." I say, taking the crab from Rupert and dropping it in a bucket.

"So, diga-do we have enough-"

"Up there!" Kaze suddenly says, on his feet and pointing up at a small plateau with a rocky, uneven top. Between the rocks, I can see a person being pushed around by others.

"Come on!" I yell, on my feet and running towards it. Their footsteps follow mine as we run, then heading up a path to the top to see six tall, muscled men with sleeveless white shirt with hoods on their heads, dark blue pants, and thick, dark brown boots, black fingerless gloves, and a smaller, scrawny man surrounded by them, wearing navy swim trunks with red on the sides terror on his face while the men with the hoods stand ready to attack.

"HEY!" Xavia yells, making the men look at our group. "Leave him alone!"

"HA! Lookie here fellas!" One of the hooded men laughs. "A bunch'a kids think they can take us!" The other four laugh, then stop as the one that mocked us falls to the ground, a clam having been thrown at his head by Pauleen.

"We'll show you not to hurt people!" She yells, the man who's surrounded taking his chance to escape by running past us.

"Stupid kids!" One of them yells, charging straight at us, only to have Kaze suddenly ram his shoulder into his stomach, causing the man to fall to the ground, Kaze pinning him and punching his jaw. Another comes at us, Only to have us jump aside, Todd jumping on him and yanking his hood back, then grabbing and tearing at his hair. Pauleen then kicks them man on the back of his leg, making him fall down, Todd jumping off of him, then he and Pauleen jumping on him again. The next runs right at Rupert, only to have him jump the side, making them man's fist miss him, allowing me to grab his wrist and sling him around, then trip him, causing him to crash to the ground, Rupert then kicking his head, I body slamming, then rolling over, my arms pinning his arms back while the top of his back is against my chest, my feet on his knees so he's pinned, allowing Rupert to punch the man. My eyes flicker over to Xavia, who's fighting two men at the same time, one of them already having a black eye and the other has a cut on his cheek from where Xavia clawed him. She fights with highly skill martial arts so well perfected, it would put Sensei Ivy, the teacher of self defence back in my home town, abilities to shame. She jumps, making arches so that she lands behind them, allowing her to strike her palms against their spines, hitting them with such force that they stumble forward, Xavia then front kicking one so that he falls right on his face, the other having regained his footing and straightened, only to have Xavia jump into the air and front kick him in the face, making the man stumble back again, blood flying from his nose.

She punches him across the face, making his head fly to one side, he then using the attack to his advantage so that he rolls around, coming up right behind Xavia, grabbing her so that her arms are pinned, only able to kick her feet furiously. Rupert takes notice, running over and kicking the man at the small of his back, making him release Xavia as he falls, Xavia rolling so that she comes up on her feet. The man rolls on his side to avoid her kicking his head, then gets to his feet as her whirls around, punching Rupert in the chest, I catching him as he falls back. Whirling back around, the man attempts to punch Xavia, only to have her jump back out of his reach, him taking a long stride forward and swinging his fist again, only to have Xavia block is with her forearms, forcing her back a bit so that she's stuck right on the edge above the fifty foot drop to the sea. Right as she gets ready to strike, the man front kicks her, the blow hitting her four inches below her collar bones.

She falls back, right off the edge.

By the expression on her face, the blow knocked the air from her lungs, meaning she has no air, and she can't breathe at the moment.

Everything, it's in slow motion.

The man suddenly lunging forward, trying to grab her hand only to miss by a mere inch.

"_XAVIA!_" Everything speeds up as Rupert yells her name, jumping forward from my arms, then diving right off the edge after her, making all of us-even the white-hooded guys- run forward, looking over the edge, only able to see the ocean, tinted with brilliant colors due to the sunset.

"Where are they?!" Pauleen yells, about to go into panic.

"There!" Todd yells, pointing. We look to see Rupert carrying Xavia, walking towards the shore.

"Oh..." One of the men with white hoods sighs. "They're okay...They're-" He stops when he sees the looks on our faces, which have expressions of such anger that it looks like we're ready to tear something apart.

"NO ONE," I start, the men's faces covering with fear. "DOES THAT TO OUR FRIENDS."

* * *

><p>Rupert walks towards the shore, Xavia in his arms and unconscious.<p>

_She's breathing, so that's a good sign... _He thinks, Xavia's chest rising and falling evenly as she breathed. He looks down at her face, her head lolled to the side so that her head was against her shoulder, and he faintly smiles some. Looking up at where the fight had occurred, he could see that the men with white hoods were being pummeled by his friends, which made him smile more.

_Serves them right._ He thinks, looking back at the shore. _That man could've killed Xavia. Hopefully they'll teach them a thing or two about manners. _He holds Xavia a bit closer, quickening his pace as the water began to get lower. "Joe!" The man raises his head, thumbing his hat back, Sarisa looking up as well, her eyes getting wide.

"Xavia!" She yells, dropping her book and running towards Rupert with Joe right behind her.

"What 'n tarnation happened?!" Joe asks as Sarisa takes Xavia's head in her hands, looking at her.

"A fight broke out. Some men were about to attack a smaller man when we intervened. They're up there." Rupert tells him, nodding up at the area where his friends were currently attacking the hooded men.

"Lola!" Joe yells, the said person sitting up and pushing her sunglasses-which were black with a white skull on the right, one of the eyes being red-up. "Call th' police! Cole! Lester! Y'all come with me!" The two BB Brigade members, who had stopped when they heard Joe yell for Lola to call the cops, run with their boss, heading towards where the fight had transpired.

"She's alright, Sarisa." Rupert says, setting Xavia down on the shaded lounger, Sarisa crouched next to her. "She's breathing and has a heartbeat, so all she needs right now is a rest."

"Did...did you save her?" Rupert looks up to see a group of girls all standing there.

"Well, I suppose I did, but-"

"That's so sweet!" One of them squeals, all of them starting to go off with squeals, making Rupert suddenly stand up.

"I DIDN'T DO IT TO BE 'SWEET'!" He roars, making them go silent. "I did because she was in danger! She's my friend, and there was a high chance of her drowning since the air was knocked from her lungs and she couldn't breathe! I acted purely on instinct, and to save her, not to win her favor! Now, she's unconscious and needs rest, so will all of you just KINDLY LEAVE?!"

The girls run away, terrified from Rupert's yelling.

"Oh..." Sarisa half says half sighs, making Rupert cool off and look down at her. "Why does she do this?!"

"Madam?" Rupert asks.

"She...well, during our first year at college, she just completely disappeared for three days!" Sarisa tells him, upset with the memory.

"What?! Why?!" Rupert asks, a bit of shock on his face while more shock and worry surged through his frame.

"..." Sarisa just shakes her head. "She never told me, never told the police, never told anyone! She always said 'I had to go see a friend'!"

"Well, then, why exactly do you not like the memory so much?"

"Because when she reappeared three days later, she was half beaten to death!"

"WHAT?!" Rupert yells, a roaring, burning anger erupting in him. "Who did it?! Who was this 'friend' she went to see?!"

"I..." Sarisa again shakes her head. "She never told anyone."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, with Joe, Cole, and Lester...<p>

The trio runs up the path, making in to the top, only to come to halt as they saw what was going on.

Todd currently had a man pinned down and was yanking his hair from his head, his helmet absent from his head due to the fact Pauleen was hitting a man on the head with it, knocking the man out, then proceeding to attack another man who had been trying to drag himself away, Kaze bashed two men's head's together, knocking them out then jumping at the one Pauleen was attacking, while Red actually had one man being swung around like a rag doll, only to have Red let go then body slam him, grab the man's arm and pin it back, it so high up on the man's back it looked incredibly painful.

"..." The three just stand there, surprised at the fury in the fighting. Er, beating.

"...Should...we try to stop them?" Cole asks.

"...Uh..." Joe just stares at the fighting, then sighs. "We might end up in th' hospital too, but we gotta."

They then-somehow-manage to pry the Patrol Team and Kaze off the white hooded men, who were all either knocked out or half unconscious, but all of them practically beaten bloody, haven been given black eyes, nose bleeds, possibly a few broken bones, and their clothes torn and the white having crimson blood smudged on them.

A few minutes later...

The men with white hoods all stand there with terror, looking at Rupert who's been yelling at them for a bit now, enraged at the one who knocked Xavia off the ledge.

"...W-w-would i-it ma-make you f-feel better if w-we ah...apologized?" One of them asks, scared out of their wits.

"No, it wouldn't." Rupert tells him.

"Alright, we'll get these guys out of here." One of the police officers tells us, they starting to lead the men away.

"And don't every think about doing this again!" Rupert yells, making one of the men quickly look.

A flash of light from the setting sun catches my eye.

There, around his neck, is a silver chain with two black koi fish with silver dots, done to look like the Yin-Yang symbol.

_...This isn't good. _I think, watching as the men are lead away.

"...Why?" Todd asks, tired all of a sudden. "Can't we just have a _normal_ vacation that doesn't involve all this chaos and stuff?"

"I'd like that too, digadig." Pauleen tells him, tired as well. I feel it too, my limbs suddenly feel heavy, I slouch, my eye lips droop, and I yawn.

"Let's get back to the room." Sarisa says, Xavia standing next to her with a blank look on her face. She came to a little bit ago, and she's fine as far as we can tell. Sleepily, we get our stuff, then heading back. When we get to the dock at the private island, the captain suddenly stops Rupert.

"I've been meaning to get this to you." He tells Rupert, handing him Rupert's cell phone.

"Oh! Thank you." Rupert tells him, accepting it. "I couldn't find it when I was unpacking."

"You're welcome." He tells Rupert, allowing him off. The rest of us follow, and as I pass the man, my eyes glance at his face.

"Do I know you?"

"What?" The man asks, blinking confusion. I then realize I've stopped, and am looking up at him.

"Do I know you?" I ask again. "You...seem familiar."

"..." The man blinks, dumbstruck. "No...I don't think so...Have we?"

"...I don't know." I tell him, then shrugging. "You just seem familiar somehow. I can't put my finger on it."

"...Hm." He hums, confused as well. "...Oh! It must be one of those dream things."

"...OH!" I say, understanding. "Yeah, where you think you've met someone but it just happened in a dream! Ah...Yeah, that'd make sense. Sorry." I tell him, the stepping off the boat.

"That's alright." He tells me, smiling. "Alright, have a good one!" He then backs out the boat, taking back to the main land.

Later...

We're all in the dining room, having changed into out vacation clothes and having finished off lunch for supper, due to the fact we're too tired to do anything else.

"Herbal Tea anyone?" I ask, holding up at pot. It's one of those small ones with the one handle coming of the side of it, and it's made of white marble.

"I'll have some, thank you." Xavia says, holding up the small cup, which is made of white marble with black designs on it. I pour her some, which she quickly drinks. Rupert sits next to her, refusing to leave her side since we've gotten back.

"I still can't understand why them fellas were gonna attack that smaller feller y'all talked 'bout." Joe says, drinking some of the tea as well.

"Well, if they were low enough to harm Xavia like that, then they're low enough to do anything." Rupert says bitterly. Xavia's remained unusually silent, refused to eat anything, and has just sat there, looking down at her knees. Sarisa and the BB's have already gone to bed, so Todd, Rupert, Pauleen, Joe, Xavia, Kaze and I are the only ones in here.

"I honestly think you shouldn't have exploded at them like that." Kaze tells Rupert.

"I'm starting to think we shouldn't have beaten them half to death." Todd says, half asleep.

"No argument with that..." Pauleen says sleepily.

"It _was_ a bit harsh..." I admit, pouring myself a cup of tea. "But, we were angry and let fury get the best of us. We've learned from this, so the best thing we can do is move on, and remember this should another, similar incident pop up."

"That's th' sprit!" Joe tells me with a smile, making me smile in return.

There's a knock at the door.

"...Eh?" I ask, all of us having turned our heads.

"I'll get it." Kaze says, standing up, then going through the arch way into the hallway, us then hearing the door open. "Can I help you?"

"...Miss Adven, is she here?" It's a man's voice, voice of ambition and authority.

"Uh...Yes sir, but we've just gotten-"

"Kaze." Xavia says, making him go silent from the hallway. She stands up, walks out of the room with us following, looking out the door to see the man. He's roughly thirty years old, wears a black suit with a bluish shirt and yellow tie, his hands behind his back. His dark brown hair is neatly barbed into a business man style, his cold, piercing eyes the same dark color. Oddly, his left eye is light brown rather than dark brown, and the white of his eye is a light grey color.

"Ms. Adven." He says again, Xavia making no response. Walking forward, she exits the hallway, stepping outside, making the man step back.

"Side beach. Now." She tells him, then looking at Rupert, who stands left and back of her. "And you, stay here."

"..." Rupert says nothing, but watches as they walk down the path. After a second of all of us watching, he pulls his phone out, dials a number, and waits while it rings, my phone going off as well. I take it out of my chest pocket, answering it.

"Keep it on speaker phone." Rupert tells me, looking at me before he heads down the path as well.

I do as he says, allowing us to hear his footsteps.

* * *

><p>With Rupert...<p>

Situated up in a tree, Rupert looks out at the small beach Xavia and the man stood on. On the island, on the half where the front of the house was, the shore has large, black rocks that ran along the coast while the other half of the island, the side that the balcony faced, had smooth, white beaches. Here, this beach, was a bit of a mixture of the two, having a bowl of the white sand surrounded by the black rocks, but still to where Rupert could see, especially with where he was.

The two just stood, looking each other dead in the eyes.

"...So, you've made friends?" The man asks.

"So, you're unable to grasp the concept I've moved forward?" Xavia resorts, the man unamused.

"I really don't understand you." He sighs. "After all, you were very good."

"At _being_ good." Xavia tells him, her brow creased with anger and her scowl bigger. "Then _you_ came along and made the group a bunch'a thieves and liars. Made their minds turn towards money, not kindness."

"And?" He asks, Xavia sighing.

"I quit because of _you_." She tells him. "I have no interest in what you do, especially since you just want the formula for the substance, which, by the way, _doesn't have one._"

_What? _Rupert wonders.

_'Wait, didn't she mention something about throwing up a substance?' _Mapo asks.

_'Yes...when Sarisa found her, she mentioned that she was in a pool of some black substance.' _Rupert replies.

"Lies." The man says, a wave of slight anger appearing on his face. "You refuse to tell the formula."

"Listen, even if there _was_ a formula, you couldn't make it." Xavia tells him. "The ingredients would either be non-existent or having to have aged so long that you'd be _long_ dead for them to be the correct age! Besides, even if I _did_ make it, it _doesn't do ANYTHING_. All it does is sit in your stomach until you vomit it up with excruciating pain, so all you're really doing is hurting yourself."

"..." The man sighs, exasperated. "Look, child. It'd be best for everyone if you just left." He slightly tilts his head. "After all, you're just a burden to them. Do you _really _ think they care about you?"

"..." Xavia remains silent, but a faint smile touches her lips. "One of them cares enough to stay by my side for five years, despite my problems, one cares enough to jump off a cliff, and others care enough to pummel the men responsible for knocking me off the cliff...What was that all about anyways? Sending them to teach us a lesson? If you want that non-existent formula, why send men that nearly let me drown?"

"..." The man's face draws more anger. "But that still doesn't change the fact that you're a burden."

"Love and friendship means that you will stay by a person, no matter what is wrong with them." Xavia resorts, still faintly smiling. The man draws a breath, his nostrils flaring.

"But still, what do these people mean? Why bother them if you know you have problems?"

"Five years ago, when Sarisa found me, do you really think I wanted to become friends? I resisted the idea, I ran away several times, I did everything I could, but either way, she still became my friend, and the joy it has brought me is worth any pain you can even imagine putting me through. Besides, anything you put me through is nothing compared to what I've already been through. I've gone mad before, did you ever realize that? Mentally tortured wipes away physical pain, since is it temporary...Mental pain will last."

"..." The man's neck is strained and his hands, still behind his back, are holding tight, only to have the man suddenly smack Xavia, her head turning as the blow lands.

_THAT CRETIN! _Rupert mentally roars, right about to dash down to the beach and give the man a piece of his mind, when Xavia smiles, amused.

"And you haven't changed." She says. "No strength at all."

"I'LL SHOW YOU-"

"Strength isn't how hard you can hit or how much you can lift," Xavia continues, cutting the man off. "it's how well you can control yourself, and you obviously have none."

"..." The man stands there, looking down at Xavia with a fury-filled intensity in his eyes, before yelling at jumping at Xavia, who punches him in the stomach, causing him to stumble back.

"You think money is everything." Xavia tells him, then side kicking his head, making the man fall on his side. "That you'll be happier with the more you have." She says, yanking him to his feet, only to then flip him over her, making an arch, the man hitting the sandy ground with a dull _thud_. "But the more money, the more you worry." She tells him, pulling him right on his feet only to then slam her elbow into his side, making him stumble that direction, falling down again. "So, you're evil." Xavia says, grabbing the back of his collar, spinning around, making the man have to run doubled over then Xavia almost throwing him through the air, the man falling then rolling several times, Xavia then approaching him, he pushing himself up to look at her. "The root of evil isn't money, it's the love of money, which you have too much of."

"..." The man sits there, looking up at her. "...Your friends are nothing, don't you know that?"

"You opinion is not fact." Xavia says simply, turning away from him, and beginning to walk back towards the path.

"...Aren't you going to hit me?"

"Sometimes it hurts worst not to."

"..." The man's breath quickens, and he suddenly jumps to his feet, running right at Xavia, his fist pulled back and right as it shoots forward, Xavia slides sideways, making it go past her, she pivots on one foot and round houses the man in the stomach as her hand latches around his wrist, her other arm getting around his shoulder in a strange fashion. A very sickening noise goes through the air, the man releasing a cry of pain, Xavia letting go of him, his arm falling limp and useless, Xavia having dislocated it.

"And sometimes, it hurts even worse to strike your enemy down when he thinks he has an upper hand." She bends down next to the man. "If you come after my friends, I'll see to it that you're in unbearable pain." She stands again, turns, then continues walking.

"...What...could you do...that'd be that painful to me?" The man forces out, using his useable arm to get to his feet. Xavia stops, then looking over her shoulder at him.

"Would you like me to give you another scar?" She asks, the man's face paling and his eyes getting wide.

"...You wouldn't." He whispers, terrified.

"..." Xavia's lips curl into a smile. "Then I guess you'll just have to find out." She again turns, leaving the man.

Fighting back the urge to strike the man down, Rupert climbs down from the tree, running back to the house.

* * *

><p>We hear the door shut, making us look up to see Xavia stopping outside the archway, her head turning to look at all of us, her eyes stopping at Rupert.<p>

"..." She says nothing, but then looks back forward. "I expected better than for all of you to spy." She then keeps walking.

* * *

><p>Xavia shuts her door behind her, then stands there, blankly staring. Her room had a squared bed with white sheets and a royal purple comfiture, one way windows lining the right wall with a sliding door that lead out to the balcony, a dresser in the lower left corner that was painted lavender, a padded sitting chair in the upper right corner, and a lavender desk in the upper left corner with a rolling chair at it, a door leading into the bathroom at the middle of the left wall. The room was dark due to the fact the lights were off, the room only illuminated by the moonlight that came through the windows and sliding door.<p>

_Stupid man, stupid man..._ She thinks, walking forward to her bed, pulling off her navy vest, then sitting down and unlacing her boots, setting them down then pulling off her socks. _He's asking for it...All of them...They're just asking to be condemned to pain... _She rests her elbows on her knees, her forehead against her palms. _I wish I could curse them. To curse them until there wasn't anything else to say, but that's what they'd do. I can't be like them._

_ 'Are you okay?' _Xavia looks up to see her Teffla, Flying Arrow, in her vivosaur form, shrunken down to the size of a pup.

_'I dunno...' _She sighs, looking at the floor between her feet. _'He wanted us to come here. How else could I win a contest I never signed up for?'_

_ 'YOU KNEW?!' _Flying Arrow yells, protective instincts kicking in. _'Then why did you come?!'_

_ '...' _Xavia says nothing, but reach up, untying her hair, allowing it to fall in the dark, ebony ripples against her back. _'Because there'd be more danger if I didn't. He'd know that I had knowledge that he was coming after me, so if I came, it'd seem like I was oblivious to his plans. He wanted me to bring my friends so that they'd be easier to get to, when really that backfired. Since they're here and I have knowledge of his plans, I can defend them. He would've expected me to make them stay back at the islands if I knew of his planning, so, to him, it looked like I was unaware.'_

_ 'Ah, you played along.' _The vivosaur says, understanding. _'But why didn't you tell us?!'_

_ 'You would have objected.' _Xavia answers, standing up, then putting her vest into the dresser. _'I keep secrets because the knowledge would cause problems.'_

_ 'But not all should be buried to the core of a person's being.' _Flying Arrow resorts.

"..." Her hand goes to her throat, where her necklace sat, Xavia's fingers rubbing the onyx star. _'Not all secrets should be brought up.'_

_ 'The only person who has even the slightest part of the story is Sarisa!' _Flying Arrow tells her. _'Should they remain in the dark as well?!'_

_ 'DON'T PRESSURE ME!' _Xavia yells, whirling her head around to look at the vivosaur. _'Remember when you convinced me to become a Fighter?! Being in that...that PLACE nearly triggered a Mental Attack!'_

_ '...Fine.' _The vivosaur sighs in defeat, nestling down into the bed. _'But that still doesn't change what I think.'_

_ 'The secret is mine. End of discussion.' _Xavia tells her, then turning her head to look out the window. _'...I hate this.' _She thinks, sitting on the bed again.

_'The resort?' _Flying Arrow questions.

_'No. Why we're really here...and that beach.' _Remembering it, Xavia brings her knees up to her collar bones, hugging her legs. _'How could they STAND that? All those people...Too much skin. Just wanted to yell at them to put some clothes on. Too much skin...Just makes me want to scrub myself.' _She shivers some, then sits still for a bit, her limbs getting sore from hugging herself so tightly. Releasing her arms from around her legs, her feet sliding to the ground, Xavia then looking at her hands.

Blood dripping from them, a man's cry of utter terror and pain, glass shattering and then running like a mad animal.

_..._ Xavia stares at her hands with a horror filled intensity. Rubbing them against her cargo shorts, then stands, suddenly getting light headed. _That memory..._ She thinks, her hands over her face, feeling sick.

"Xavia?" Rupert's voice asks, a knock on her door accompany it.

"Ru...pert..." Xavia says, stepping towards the door, only to start falling, slipping into darkness.

* * *

><p>Rupert catches Xavia as she falls, he sitting there awkwardly while her head rested on his chest. After a moment, he stands, carries her over to her bed, and sits down on it, her Teffla then walking over.<p>

_"Don't worry, she just fainted is all." _The super evolver tells him. _"This has happened before."_

"What?" Rupert asks, looking at Flying Arrow. "Why?"

_"Emotions can physically affect a person, and her memories are full of emotion. The one that did this is one of the more...ah, dangerous ones, so it affects her faster. She's a lot more delicate than one may think, which is why she's put herself through mental training and meditation, so she's a bit more in control. It's not as bad as it used to be, so that's good." _

"..." Rupert says nothing, but looks at Xavia, who he held close. True, in her sleep she did seem to look much more fragile, feeling her build in his arms, and- _STOP IT! _Rupert yells at himself. _Just...just put her down. _He then stands, turns around and sets her on her bed, her head on the pillow.

_"She's asleep, good." _Flying Arrow says. _"She only sleeps in front of people she trusts, aka, you and Sarisa...It's strange, though." _The vivosaur looks at Xavia. _"She trusts you, and she's observant, but she can't pick up the fact you're in love with her."_

_ Even her vivosaurs know... _Rupert thinks, blushing.

_"Anyways, I doubt she'll mind if you sit in the desk chair. She's a good judge of character, and if you meet anyone she trusts, then you know they're trustworthy." _Flying Arrow continues, then curling back up on the bed. _"But you should probably get the blanket over her. It'd make her feel safer."_

_Right...That makes sense. _Rupert thinks, getting the covers over Xavia, who doesn't stir the slightest. Pulling up the desk chair, Rupert sits beside the bed, looking at Xavia. Again, in her sleep, she seemed much more fragile. Her scowl was absent, her brow wasn't slightly creased, she looked much more beautiful. Her head was turned so that the moonlight fell on her face, making her fair skin look a beautiful, swan white, the silver reflecting off her darker than midnight hair, her full, red lips a burgundy red from the light, and her freckles looking like moon dust. She was lovely, he would never doubt that. Reaching out, Rupert gently brushes her bangs back, her hair softer than a cloud and smoother than silk.

_...If only I could help you. _Rupert thinks, stroking her hair. _Lessen your burden of hurt..._ He sits a second longer, then takes her in his arms again, holding her. It made him blush, but he ignored it. It felt good to hold her, her head tucked against his jaw, her slender figure in his arms, and her hair brushing against his arm. His heart swells, it jumping to his throat, and he suddenly found himself holding her closer and tears streaming from his eyes.

_That man who killed her parents..._

_ How could anyone hate a human as smart, lovely and as wonderful as this?_

_ ..._

He holds her closer.

_If I ever meet that man, he will pay._

"...Mm..." Xavia hums, pressing her head against Rupert slightly, making him blush more, then put his hand on the side of her face.

_I want to protect you, help you..._

_ And see you happier than anyone else._

Holding her close, his head on top of her's, from where he sat in the desk chair, Rupert looks out the window at the moon, wishing time would stop so he could keep holding her.

* * *

><p><em>...<em>

_ 'So do you really think you've seen the captain before?' _Air Strike asks me.

_'...I dunno.' _I tell him, shrugging, my arms behind my head, my covers pulled up to my waist. _'But, I have a feeling that a storm is on it's way...'_

* * *

><p><strong>AN-YES! Ah...got this done!<strong>

**Guest: True dat. :3**

**Gunsandgames: If only the fangirls weren't terrified of Xavia. XD**

**Guest: Don't worry. I HAZ MOTIVATION :D**

**SuperNoah95: I'm not sure...:\**

**DunalN2: CORRECT! :D**

**DigitalEmpepor001: YES! :D**

**Casey: It may be awhile, but I'm developing ideas.**

**mysterydude123: I got a Minecraft shirt for my birthday! :D**

**Someone: I SO WISH THIS COULD BE AN ANIME! If I was better a drawing and had a YouTube account, I could post manga-style comics. T-T As for how Red knew that guy was there, when a person gets so close to another, you can just sense their presence.**

**blaze534master: Thanks! :D**

**Frostfire005: ...Well then.**

**Anywho, if y'all liked this chapa, leave a review!**

**Red: And if you guys like the XaviaXRupert moment, put 'NOW BE A COUPLE' in your review! :D**


	78. A Kidnapping

**AN-Okay, sorry it's taken me so long to get started on this. I've been hit with a sudden case of procrastination, which has seriously affected how I work on my stories and homework. (I still need to get started on my Freedom Rider's project, which is due in four days. -.-') So, I promise I will try to work on this, even if updates are slow.**

**Red: Magma does not own FF/FFC!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Seventy-Eight - A Kidnapping<p>

I like Stegos! Doo doo doo, doo doo doo, dooooo! I like Stegos! Doo doo, doo doo doooo. Hey, have you heard of the 'I like Stegos' kid? He's pretty cool, but there might be something wrong with-

I slap my hand down on my cell phone, drag it off the night stand and answer it.

_Why is Todd calling me in the middle of the night? _I think, still half asleep. "Hello...?" Sitting up, I rub my eye.

"Red?" Todd's voice asks. "Yeah...Sorry about waking you up, but..."

"You had a nightmare?" I ask.

"...Yes..." His voice is small and quite.

"Dude, you know you can always come to me." I tell him, sleepily smiling.

"Well, that's the thing." He tells me. "I had a dream that when I opened my door, a mix between Zongazonga's zombiesaur form and a Giga Allo ate me whole."

"Alright. I'm on my way." I tell him, then hanging up. I push the covers off, get out of bed and tie on the robe Todd gave me, then exit my room and head to the room next to mine where Todd's staying. Opening the door, I walk in, shut the door behind me, then look forward. Todd's room has a square bed with white sheets and a blue-green blanket, a square rug the same color over the white carpet, a dresser in the lower right corner, windows next to his night stands, a small table in the middle of the floor - like the ones we have in our rooms back at The Base - and the doorway to the bathroom on the right wall. Going over to the bed, I can see where Todd's curled up, making me pull back the covers to see him laying there in his pajamas, his helmet crooked and hugging Stanly tightly. I untie my robe, fold it, put it on the night stand, and get under the covers, Todd hugging me tightly. After awhile, he falls back asleep, I doing the same.

"Hey! Breakfast!" Joe's voice says, someone shaking my shoulder. Drowsy, I open my eyes to see I'm lying on my side, Todd's sitting up and rubbing his eyes, and Joe's the one waking me up.

"Mornin' Joe." I tell him, sitting up.

"Mornin' pards." He tells us, he already dressed for the day. "Sorry ta wake y'all, but it's gettin' late inta th' mornin'."

"That's alright." I tell him, pushing the covers off. "I'm hungry."

"Well, Sarisa made breakfast." He tells me as I tie on my robe. "It's purdy good."

"That's good to hear." I tell him, smiling. After going to my room and getting dressed, I walk into the dining room to see breakfast still on the table, the rest of the gang there, only Xavia being absent. "Thanks Sarisa!" I tell her, sitting down and getting some food to eat.

"You're welcome!" She tells me, smiling.

"So, what should we do today?" Kaze asks, Lester still eating, Cole looking through a magazine, and Lola filing her nails, while Todd eats his breakfast, Pauleen and Joe are sitting there, not doing anything, and Rupert sitting there with a bitter look on his face, probably still mad about that man that showed up here last night.

"What all can we diga-do, digadig?" Pauleen asks.

"Well, I read th' island's got itself a lil' aquarium." Joe says.

"Um...Rupert?" Sarisa asks, looking at Rupert, who looks up at her.

"Yes madam?" He asks.

"Are you alright? You've been quiet all morning." She tells him.

"Oh...Yes madam, I'm alright. Just a little angry is all."

"Why?"

"She hasn't been told?" I ask, the room falling silent and Lola, Lester, Cole and Sarisa all look at me while I sit there, holding a buttermilk biscuit in one hand while the other is spreading jam on it with a knife.

"Told what?" Cole asks.

"..." Silence.

"...Well..." Todd says, everyone then looking at him. "...a man showed up here last night asking to talk to Xavia, and-"

"He had very dark brown hair and eyes, and voice of ambition and authority, didn't he?" Todd falls silent and we all look at Sarisa, who sits there looking at the table, her face blank.

"...Yeah..." Joe tells her. "You know 'em?"

"..." Sarisa lowers her head some. "...I hate that man."

"Madam?" Pauleen asks, surprised.

"...Well..." Sarisa looks back up at all of us. "You see..."

* * *

><p>Five years earlier...<p>

"So, how do you think you'll do on the test?" A nineteen-year-old Sarisa asked a six-year-old Xavia, who looked up at her with those sweet brown eyes full of knowledge.

"I dunno." She tells her. They walked along side each other, Xavia holding Sarisa's hand and both of them carrying books, on their way to class.

"Hmmm...Me neither." Sarisa told her. "But we sure did study long and hard for this test, didn't we?"

"Yep!" Xavia said, smiling, making Sarisa smile as well. "And Prof. Scatterly said we could have time to look over our notes for five minutes before we took the test."

"That's true, I-" Sarisa stopped. "Agh! I forgot my notes!"

"I'll get 'em!" Xavia said, handing her books to Sarisa. "I'm fast! I'll be there in a minute." She then dashed off before Sarisa could stop her.

_My goodness, she's a speedy one. _Sarisa thought, watching Xavia disappear back towards the dorms, then heading to the classroom.

"Where's Xavia?" Prof. Scatterly asked, seeing Sarisa come in alone.

"I forgot my notes, and she ran off to get them before I could stop her." She answered.

"Well, she really is a good egg, eh wot?" The professor said, smiling.

"That's true." Sarisa agreed, smiling as well. She then sat down in her seat, putting Xavia's things under her chair. Minutes passed, but she didn't show, which caused worry to fill Sarisa. "Professor?" She asked, raising her hand.

"Yes?"

"May I go find Xavia? She's been gone for a bit now."

"Oh, yes. That's quite alright."

"Thank you." She stood up, and exited the classroom, then returning to the dorm they shared, only to find Xavia nowhere in sight. "Xavia? Where are you sweetheart?" She searched the dorm only to be met with no success, causing more worry. _Where did she go? It's not like her to disappear like that. She usually waits until it's dark or there's a bad storm so people don't go looking for her. _She thought, walking down a hallway slowly, thinking. She looks out the window at one of the courtyards, only to see Xavia standing in it, looking up at a man, the sight having made Sarisa stop. _What? Who's he? Xavia's never mentioned him before or anything..._

She had then hurried down into the courtyard to see what was happening.

"Why do you stay here?" The man asked, Sarisa hiding in some bushes a few yards off.

"Why shouldn't I?" Xavia asked the man. "Sarisa's here. I love her, I'm happy here, and I have nowhere else to go."

"Then come work for me." The man told her.

"You and your band of thugs? No, I will not work with a low-life." Xavia said, her voice bitter. "Everything was good and well when Master was in charge. Then you came along and toppled him, making the organization turn corrupt. Master is a very kind man, and you have no right to treat him like he's useless. Give me a reason why I should even consider your offer."

"..." The man was silent for a second, undoubtedly smiling. It was hard to tell since his back was to Sarisa. He knelt down to eye level with Xavia, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Well, you wouldn't want anything to happen to Sarisa, would you?"

"..." Xavia's eye's grew wide.

"After all, such horrible things can happen to people like her." The man continues.

_What's wrong with him?! _Sarisa thought, appalled and enraged at the fact he was using her against Xavia. _He can't do that! I don't care what happens to me, she can't go do evil things!_

Xavia grabbed the man wrists, pulling his hands off her shoulders while her brow creased with anger and a scowl appeared on her face.

"Don't bring her into this." Shetold him. "If you ever give any signs of coming after her, I swear by the blood in my veins, the marrow of my bones, and the flesh on my person that I will put you in so much pain, you will wish yourself dead."

"...My, my. You're rather serious." The man said simply, a hint of anger in his voice. "But, I _know_ you can't hurt me. You're just a tiny girl."

Xavia then front kicked the man, still holding firmly to his wrists, her kick so powerful that a sickening noise came from his arms.

_Ow. _Sarisa thought, cringing. _She probably took them right out of the sockets. _Xavia then does something to the man's shoulders, two more sickening noise vibrating the air, the man able to use his arms.

He jumped to his feet, punching Xavia right in the stomach.

_Xavia!_ Sarisa thought, protective instincts kicking in.

"You think you can so easily defeat me?!" The man yelled, looking down at Xavia and ready to strike again, only to have Sarisa break a board of wood over his head, knocking him to the ground.

"DON'T GO NEAR HER!" She yelled, anger in her voice, then rushing over to Xavia, who was pushing herself up. "Are you alright?"

"Yes ma'am..." Xavia told her, nodding.

"Who do you think you are interfering like that?!" The man roared, making Sarisa look at him, his eyes were dark, dark brown, but as cold as ice.

"Who do YOU think YOU are striking Xavia like that?!" Sarisa demanded. "I don't care who you are, how much money you have, or how many times you threaten my safety, I won't let you hurt my little sister!"

"You little-" Forgetting Sarisa still had one half of the broken board in her hand, she successfully struck him on the head, making him stumble back.

"Don't ever come back here." Sarisa told him. The man looked at her, his dark eyes colder that the bottom of the ocean.

"..." He said nothing, but turned and left after a minute, Sarisa then relaxing and dropping the broken board.

"That's done." She said, then looking down at Xavia to see she was crying. "What's wrong?! He didn't hurt you too bad, right? The spot where he hit you doesn't hurt, right?" She knelt down, taking Xavia head in her hands, Xavia looking at her, her eyes full of joy and sweetest smile on her face.

"...Do...do you...do you really see me like that?" She asked. "A little sister?"

"..." Sarisa smiles. "Of course." The answer made Xavia smile widen.

"I'm so happy..." She says, tears of joy still coming from her eyes. "I'm so happy. I'm so happy! I'm so, so, so, happy Sarisa!" Her voice squealed with glee, making Sarisa smile even more and hug her close, Xavia hugging her tightly, still overwhelmed with joy.

Later that night, they sat on Sarisa's bed, both of them in their pajamas and Sarisa brushing Xavia's hair.

"You have such lovely hair." Sarisa said, feeling the thick, long, smooth, and soft locks in her hand.

"Thank you." Xavia told her. "I have my Mother's hair, but her's wasn't as dark."

"She sounds like she was a beautiful woman."

"Uh-huh." Xavia says, then giggling. "Father always said he was so lucky to get such a pretty woman!"

"Well, I heard a statement that'd go well with him then."

"What's that?"

"Your father's lucky, your mother's beautiful," Sarisa started, then hugging Xavia. "and you're adorable!"

"Ha ha!" Xavia laughed, Sarisa snuggling her. They laid on the bed, Xavia curled up against Sarisa, who held her, Xavia's head on her chest and Sarisa slightly curled, so that her head was against the top of Xavia's head and her knees bent. "...Sarisa?"

"Yes Xavia?" Sarisa asked, Xavia cuddling closer to her. "You'll always love me, right?"

"Mm-hm." Sarisa says, nodding.

"No matter what?"

"No matter what." And with that, Sarisa pressed Xavia's head against her collar bones, nestling closer.

"...Your heart beat reminds me of my mother's."

"Really?"

"Yes ma'am...Soft, kind and caring...a gentle, soothing beat..."

"I'm glad." Sarisa said. She switched off the lights, and they both fell asleep, Sarisa still holding Xavia who listened to her soothing heart beat.

The next morning, Xavia was gone.

Sarisa didn't think much of it, Xavia was an early riser after all. She got up and dressed for the day, then headed for the library, knowing Xavia would be there since she read so much.

She wasn't there.

After getting a bit worried, Sarisa headed to Prof. Scatterly's classroom to ask him if he had seen her, only to get a shake of his head and a frown.

Later that day, they were forced to conclude she had somehow been kidnapped.

"I'm sorry, but we haven't found anything." A police officer told Sarisa three days later. "Is there any information you can give us?"

"N-no sir..." Sarisa told him, shaking her head. She stood hugging herself, shaking, and tears streaming down her face.

"We'll keep looking, but-"

"S...Sa...Sarisa..." The officer, his partner, Sarisa, and two teachers - one of them being Prof. Scatterly - all look to see Xavia standing a few yards away under a tree. The sun was setting, so the shadow of it was dark.

"XAVIA!" Sarisa cried with joy, running over to her, and tightly hugging her.

"That hurts..." Xavia said, making Sarisa look at her, and freeze.

She could see them now.

The torn cloths, the scabs that blood dripped from, the ugly blue and black bruises, horrible second degree burns, a black eye, and her hair was lackluster from blood and dirt that matted it down.

"..." Sarisa said nothing, but cried and went with them as they took Xavia to the hospital.

* * *

><p>"..." None of us say anything, while Sarisa sits there, looking at the table top.<p>

"...Wait." I say, everyone looking at me. "You said his eyes were dark brown, almost black. Right?"

"That's correct." Sarisa tells me, nodding.

"..." I blink, my brow creased with confusion. "I'm confused now."

"Why?" Todd asks.

"The man who showed up here last night had one dark brown eye, and the other one was light brown and the white of his eye was tinted grey." I explain. "However, Sarisa said his eyes were very dark brown. I don't understand how his eye changed like that unless the man has a twin."

"He's right." Joe says. "Either way, I don't like this. Somethin; don't sit right in m' bones."

"You can say that again." Cole tells him.

"..." I notice Rupert's hand tightens into a fist, he then standing up. "Is there anything we need from town?"

"Uh...some miso for a crab dish, but-"

"I'll be back later." He says, cutting me off as he leaves the room. We hear the front door open, then shut a bit loudly as he leaves.

"He seems mad, diga." Pauleen says.

"He's upset because that guy hit Xavia last night and when she was only six." Kaze tells her.

"Should one of us go with him?" Lester asks.

"Nah, let him cooooooool off." Lola tells him.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later...<p>

Rupert walks down the street, his hands in his coat pockets and his brows slightly creased with anger.

_I don't even know his name, but I hate him. _Rupert thinks, the image of the man with the odd colored eye at the front of his mind. _How could he do that to Xavia?! How would he like it if everything that has happened to her happened to him? _His fists tighten more. _When I get the chance, he'll-_

Someone grabs him from behind, their hand right over his mouth, yanking him into the alley he passed.

* * *

><p>Back at the island...<p>

"Where's Rupert?!" Xavia yells, appearing in the doorway to the dining room suddenly, all of us looking at her.

"Oh...Uh, he went into town a little bit ago." Sarisa tells her, Xavia then disappearing again, the sound of the front door being thrown open rushing into my ears.

_...OH dino. _I think, knowing that Rupert's gotten himself into trouble.

* * *

><p>"I got 'em!" The man who grabbed Rupert calls, dragging Rupert down the alley, the silver-hair boy trying to get the man to release him, only to no avail.<p>

_The one day I leave without my vivosaurs! _He thinks, mentally kicking himself. The man turns around, allowing Rupert to see an armored van with more men. They wore black outfits, styled like a martial artist's apparel, the tops having no sleeves and the ends of the pants tucked into boots that were tightly laced, black masks covered their head with a rectangle cut out so they could see, and around their necks were silver chains with black koi fish that had silver dots, the fish swimming to where it looked like a Yin-Yang symbol.

"Quickly, get him in!" One of the men says, a katana at his hip, the other had numb chucks sticking out of his belt.

_I can't let that happen..._ Rupert thinks, then grabbing the hood of a trash can and hitting the man that held him with it on the head, making him release Rupert, allowing him to grab the man, yank him in front of him and then release, making the man fly forward.

"Stop him!" One of the kidnappers in the van yells, the two standing outside of it jumping at Rupert, who turns and runs, only to have the man with numb chucks knock his feet out from under him, and the man with the katana point the tip of the blade right at Rupert's heart.

"Foolish child." He says, his eyes narrowing. "Never turn your back to an opponent." The other man ties Rupert's hands, then gets him to his feet and leads him over to the van.

_What do I do?! _They get him into the vehicle.

"RUPERT!"

They look, only to see Xavia sprinting right at them.

"XAVIA!" Rupert yells.

"I'll handle her!" The man with the katana yells, jumping from the van and running at Xavia.

_Wait..._ Looking at her forearms, Rupert notices two black objects were pulled over them, red at the edges of them. _What are those?_

"Take THIS!" The man yells, the sword descending, only to have Xavia raise her arm, the blow being stopped, and the sword not even cutting through the black objects.

_What are those made of?! _

"Get the kid outta here!" The man yells, only to have Xavia knock his feet out from under him, knee him in the jaw before he hits the ground, then hit her elbow down on his head, slamming him into the ground.

"If y'all wanna take Rupert, come out here and beat me first!" Xavia yells, continuing her dash.

"Your call, kid!" The man with nunchaku **(the correct name for numb chucks)** says, jumping out of the back and right at Xavia, the handle descending right at her head, only to allow her to grab it, then using it to her advantage by swinging him over her head into the ground, then yanking the weapon from his grip, and throwing it right at the remaining man in the van, who ducks down.

_I have to help! _Rupert thinks, kicking the man in the head, then getting to his feet, which weren't bound, and jumping out of the van. A fourth man suddenly bursts out from a door, Xavia looking at him right as the man hits her on the head with the end of his machine gun, knocking Xavia out. He was dressed like the white hooded men they had fought yesterday.

"XAVIA!" Rupert yells.

"Quiet!" The man yells, the one who had been kicked by Rupert then grabbing him, gagging him and tying his feet. The armed man in the white hood picks up the two men Xavia had fought, putting the unconscious duo in the van.

"What should we do about her?" The white-hooded one asks, looking at Xavia.

"Don't know." The one in black says. "Boss said we were just supposed to grab this kid here."

_Brutes! Savages! Barbaric, nitwitted dunces! _Rupert mentally yells, angry at the man who struck Xavia.

"He'll want her too. After all, he's been ranting about getting some formula or something." The white-hooded one says.

"Don't think it's about that formula anymore." The one in black resorts. "It's about some other information she has stored in that twisted mind of hers."

"Hm." The white-hood says. "Well, I know what to do then." He walks over to her, putting the barrel of the gun against her back. "No more nightmares."

_**NO!**_

The gun fires.

_...No..._

She was dead.

_...No...No..._

Tears stream from his eyes, his heart sinking.

_No..._

"Let's get outta here." The man in black says, the white-hood getting in the van, Xavia's corpse laying on the ground.

The doors shut, the vans starts up, and drives off.

_...No..._

_ ..._

_ ...This is all my fault._

* * *

><p>I shiver.<p>

"What's wrong?" Todd asks.

"...I have a bad feeling." I tell him, my expression getting a bit serious.

"I have it too." Kaze agrees.

"I'm calling her." Sarisa says, pulling out her cell phone.

"Like, what could've happened?" Lola asks.

"..." We sit in silence.

"...THAT DIGA-DIDN'T HELP MY NERVES!" Pauleen yells, scared and worried, about to go into panic.

"What's going on?" Cole asks Sarisa. "Is she picking up?"

"...No..." Sarisa says, getting scared. "Pick up...Please pick up...

* * *

><p><em>Half static, half image of Johnson.<em>

_ A giant, blood stained saber falling from the sky, falling on Xavia and crushing her._

_ The ground parting beneath her, swallowing her into a cold grave._

_ Her hand shoots from the ground, pulling herself out._

_ "No...no..." She whispers. "I'm not dead, I'm not going to be put in a grave..."_

_ "BUT YOU ARE DEAD..." A voice with the cackle of a madman says, Xavia looking to see Johnson standing there, his eyes white and blood coming from them, a wide, eerie, insane smile on his face. He raises the bloodstained saber above his head. "I'LL SCAR YOU THIS TIME, MY PARTNER IN CRIME."_

_ "No!" Xavia shrieks, raising her arms to defend herself. "I didn't do anything!"_

_ "EH HEH HEH!" The man cackles, his head turning upside down. "Did you? Well, no can undo!" _

_ Blood drips down onto Xavia's face, making her look at her hands to see them covered with blood._

_ "What? Who..."_

_ She lowers her hands, to see Rupert laying there, his heart torn from his chest._

_ His eyes open, they being pure white, and he looks at her._

_ "You did this..."_

_ "__**NO!**__" Xavia screams, jumping back only to tumble into darkness that wrapped around her like a dark blanket. She tears through it, stumbling over uneven ground that rocked violently beneath her feet, her unbound hair falling in her face and blinding her. "HELP ME!"_

_ "Xavia..." She looks up to see Sarisa standing there, her skin an ugly white, her eyes solid black with blood streaming from them and blood coming from her mouth as well. "Why did you do this?"_

_ "I didn't do it!" Xavia yells. "I didn't do anything!"_

_ "Oh really?" Xavia whirls around to see the man who killed her parents standing there, the knife in his back and the bloody tip in the center of his chest, his eyes colder than Frigi's attacks. "What about me?"_

_ "You killed my parents!" She screams at him. _

_ "EH HEH HEH..." He cackles, then shriveling up till he was dust that blew away, the knife laying on the black ground. Xavia turns and runs, the knife suddenly flying up into the air, implanting itself in her side, making her fall._

It shouldn't have done that!_ She thinks, trying to pull into out, to no avail. _I'm wearing my IUS! It can't get through that!

_"This is a dream, child..." A cold voice says, making Xavia shiver and hug herself._

_ "Go away...This is just a dream..." She says, her voice starting to shake._

_ "Dream?" The voice asks. "No, no...this is madness."_

_ Hands and arms shoot from the ground, grabbing her._

_ "_**NO!**_" She screams, thrashing about, trying to get free. Shrieks of terror, the wails of death and faces whose eyes had the sunken, hollow looks of death swirled around her in horrible whirlwinds, an ocean of blood beginning to cover the floor, the hands holding Xavia down, and then ripping into her flesh. "__**HELP ME!**__"_

_ "...Why did you hurt us?" Xavia opens her eyes to see Rupert and Sarisa looking down at her, then turning their backs and walking away into the darkness._

_ "__**DON'T LEAVE ME!**__" She screams, the blood washing over her head. _

Xavia opens her eyes, drawing in a quick breath.

_Dang it...What happened? _She thinks, rolling on her back. A small 'clink' like noise enter her ears, making her look to see a bullet right behind her. _That's from a 7.62x51mm UKM-2000...Oh. Right. _She looks forward, feeling her back. _The same kind that they use. Ugh..._ She stands. _I hate this. I should've seen this coming..._

She stamps her foot, angry.

_Dang it! Freakin' dreams! If it hadn't kept me asleep I could've stopped him, but know he's been dragged off by them! _She grabs her head. _I hate that man...Give him another scar. See how he likes that. _

After another second, she pulls out her phone, answers it, and mentally kicks herself for worrying Sarisa by not picking up.

"Hey Sarisa." She says, getting a breath of relief.

"You're okay...Why didn't you pick?"

"I was unconscious. I'll explain later, but right now we've got bigger problems."

"What?! What happened?!"

"Well, Rupert's been kidnapped by the Koi Klan organization. It used to be a group of people who help others who were oppressed by the rich and powerful, or tracking down people who were suspected of illegal activates, and getting legitimate evidence of their crimes so they could be charged. Unfortunately, the man with the bi-color eyes showed up and toppled the organization, reducing it to a bunch of money-grabbing thieves and liars. The man's name is Thomas Johnson, and he's hated my guts ever since he met me." Xavia tells her.

"..." Sarisa says nothing.

"Now, I'm on my way back to the hotel. Don't go outside, lock the doors, and make sure everyone has something to defend themselves with. I'll be back as soon as possible." She hangs up, and returns her phone to her pocket. _Jets, on._ She suddenly flies up into the air, the bottom of her boots glowing light blue.

_You'll pay for this, Johnson._

* * *

><p>"..." Sarisa hangs up her phone, staring at the table top.<p>

"What's wrong?!" Joe asks.

"Yeah!" Cole says, all of us worried.

_Something's REALLY gone wrong here. _I think, looking at Sarisa as well. _Xavia wouldn't purposely make Sarisa worry like that, and she got a frightened look on her face a bit after Xavia picked up._

"..." Sarisa looks at all of us. "...Rupert's been kidnapped."

* * *

><p><strong>AN-So, we skipped around a lot in this chapa, and we got a view of what Xavia's nightmare are like.<strong>

**Red:...*horrified* **

**Magma:...You didn't take this too well...**

**Red: I MISSED ALL THE ACTION!**

**Magma: -_- THAT'S what you're worried about?!**

**Gunsandgames: No, the captain is not Capt. Travors. This guy has honestly never met Red before.**

**DigitalEmperor001: Yeah, I know there's not many Fossil Battles anymore, it's just that I'm not too good with them. -.-'**

**DunalN2: Of course Xavia is! The next few chapters kinda focus on her, and some more of her painful past id revealed.**

**mysterydude123: What exactly is the Aether mod? ?_?**

**Guest21: Yep. Xavia's pretty much that person who's impossible to beat, even if you've got a major advantage, which will be revealed later. I'm not sure about the battle though. She'd most likely win, but I've never really heard of those guys. And thank you! :D You can expect more of those in the coming chapters.**

**Casey: Not quite. But, things will get interesting.**

**SuperNoah95: If only it was that easy...Red and Todd would push them together.**

**Someone: Oh yes. Xavia's one of those people who can barely feel pain.**

**Guest: YAY! All of you seem to support XaviaxRupert! :D**

**Chi-Chan: Rupert wishes they could so bad. XD**

**Omniverse: It's okay! :D **

**Guest: Whoa, really?! o.O Weird. but in a good way! :D**

**Magma: Anyways, sorry for the delay, I had motivation block, had to update other stories, and my grandparents are moving so my dad's been dragging me off to help with that. Today, it was fun through. There was this box full of old, used checks, so I got to burn them. :D **


	79. Rescue and a Night Out

**AN-...Sorry for not starting this right away?**

**Red: Magma does not own FF/FFC.**

**Magma: OH! By the way, there's a pole on my profile, so I'd really appreciate it if y'all took it. Thanks! :D**

**Red: Anyways, Magma said that this chapter, we'd learn some more about Xavia. They apologize if I don't show up much, but sometimes ya just gotta give the character with the tormented past sometime in the spot light.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Seventy-Nine - Rescue and a Night Out<p>

"What do we do?" I ask Xavia, who sits across from me. We're all assembled in the dining room, discussing how to get Rupert back.

"Do you know where they've taken him?" Kaze asks.

"What do they want? Why'd they kidnap Rupert?" Todd asks.

"Is there any way we can get th' feller back?" Joe asks. We keep asking question after question, while Xavia sits silently, staring at the table top, her eyes deep in thought, staring past the material world. She raises her hand, silencing us, then looks around at our faces before looking back at the table top.

"I know where they've taken him and what they want." She tells us.

"What do they want?!" Cole questions, Xavia not looking up.

"They want knowledge that I've stored away in my mind." She answers.

"Then give it to them, digadig!" Pauleen tells her.

"It's not that simple." Xavia tells her, looking up. "All of you have to understand. This is the Koi Klan, a group of corrupted, evil people who want money and power. The information they want from me isn't the formula, I know that, but something else that if they were to get their hands on it, could cause disastrous problems."

"What's the knowledge?" I ask, serious. Xavia looks at me, her face hard with the same seriousness.

"That is a secret left better unsaid." She tells me.

"How do we know?" I ask. "How do we know it's knowledge worth keeping? Would you rather them hurt Rupert than get there greedy hands on some knowledge that you claim will cause disaster?!"

"I don't _claim_, I _know_ it-"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" I yell, getting on my feet in an instant. "The point is that our friend is out there at the mercy of a band of thugs, and we can't do anything because of some knowledge that you can't give to them and we can't even know what it is?!"

"..." The room is silent, Xavia and I staring each other in the eye.

_'...Red?' _Air Strike asks, worried. _'Uh...It's...not quite like you to explode like that.'_

_ '...What?' _I think, blinking with surprise.

_'You got mad surprisingly fast.' _Flamethrower tells me. _'We understand that you'll get angry when someone harms ones close to you due to your protective instincts, but this was much faster.'_

_ '...Oh...' _I tell him, sitting back down. _'...Well, I messed up.'_

_ 'Don't worry.' _Cloud Cover tells me, wrapping a mental blanket around me, which makes me feel better. _'It's understandable. You just need some training is all.'_

_ 'Maybe after this.' _I tell her. _'But for now, we need to get Rupert back.' _I think take a breath through my nose, exhale and look at Xavia. "I'm sorry for my outburst. My vivosaurs tell me that it was caused from protective instincts."

"That's alright." Xavia tells me, her fingers laced together and pressed right under her bottom lip. "It's no different from how I would react if one that I'm close to was injured by another human purposely. As for the knowledge I'm withholding, all of you do have a right to know what it is." She puts her hands down on the table, fingers still laced together.

"What they want is a different formula, this one something that you treat clothes with." She starts, Cole raising an eyebrow.

"So, they just want something that'll make their clothes nicer?" He asks. "Personally, I'd see why they want it, but to _kidnap_ someone? That's a bit extreme."

"Not exactly make them nicer," Xavia tells him, continuing with her explanation. "but to make them virtually indestructible. When the clothes are treated with the formula correctly, it makes it to where they're fire proof, water proof, bullet proof, blast proof, and sharp objects are unable to cut through them."

"Amazing." Sarisa says, wide eyed.

"Waaaaaaait..." Lola says. "so, something as, like, complicated as that haaaaaaas to be hard to remember."

"She's right." Kaze agrees, nodding.

"How do we know they're not going to steal whatever it's written on?" Lester asks.

"They can't." Xavia tells them. "It's not written down. I remember everything that happens to me, no matter what sense it affects, or if it affects me mentally, physically or emotionally. The only things I can't remember are when I went mad. Besides, I've created the formula so many times that I'd still remember it. Due to my paranoia, I've treated all my clothes with it, as well as a special suit called an IUS, meaning Indestructible Under Suit."

"Special suit?" Joe asks.

"That's correct." Xavia tells him. "It's specially made to where only I can remove it, and it grows as I grow so that it always fits." She grabs the collar of her shirt, and pulls it to where it's over her right shoulder, allowing us to see the suit, which where it goes over the part between her neck and shoulder is as wide as the first three fingers on my hand. From that, we can see it's made of black cloth, which is then hidden as Xavia fixes the collar-bone cut collar.

"Interesting, diga." Pauleen tells her.

"Mm-hm." Xavia hums, nodding. "So, all of you must understand the gravity of the situation. If we give them the knowledge for Rupert, millions of dollars could be stolen and thousands of people could be hurt, while if we don't give it to them, they'll threaten Rupert's life or torment him."

"And we can't just bust in there." I say. "After all, those guys we fought yesterday obviously had some extent of training and they no doubt have dangerous weapons, not to mention there's little doubt you don't have clothes we could wear that's been treated with the formula."

"That's correct, unfortunately." Xavia tells me, nodding. "Coupling with the regretted facts, I don't have any of the formula with me, it takes 48 hours to make, I don't have the required components or equipment, and the formula that's actually made and ready to undergo the treatment process is thousands of miles away on the other side of the world."

"Wait, what?" Joe asks. "Th' Caliosteo Island's ain't that far away."

"I don't keep things of that importance there." Xavia tells him. "I have another home that has a high security vault in it. It's impossible to open unless you're me, and I'm the only one who knows where to find it."

"So, giving them the substance is out of the question." I say.

"Correct." Xavia agrees. "But there's still a matter of the knowledge for the formula. There's two parts: the first is the actual making of it, then the second is treating the clothes, which takes another 24 hours."

"But we can't do either since havoc would be sown like seeds."

"That's right."

"Then what do you propose we do?"

"..." She sits silent for a second. "...I know someone who can help..."

"Well, give them a call!" Todd tells her.

"It's not that simple." Xavia tells him. "You see, he has issues with Johnson, and Johnson has issues with him. Their last meeting - five years ago - had a rather..._bad_ outcome."

"'Bad' how?" I ask.

"My friend was nearly killed." Xavia tells me. "He was shot, and barely survived. It's a miracle he can still function like it never occurred."

"But will he be able to get Rupert?"

"With slight difficulty, but yes, he'll be able to get him."

"Then will you call him?"

"I need to think about it."

"What?! But-"

She raises her hand, making me go silent.

She stands, goes over to the wall made of the one-way window, and leans against it, half against the window half against regular wall. Next to her is an end table with a vase full of flowers, one of which she moves the petals aside to show some black object, which she then clamps her hand down around.

"Listen," She tells us, her voice quiet. "the entire house is bugged. Why do you think there's one-way windows? They have special equipment they can use so they'll be able to watch us."

_That explains why she's standing like that. _I think, understanding why if you looked in from the window, it'd look like she was stand there, looking at the ceiling and thinking.

"Not to mention they have microphones in the rooms." She continues. "They want to know who's where, what's happening, everything. They even had Rupert's cell phone bugged. The captain got it off of him when he bumped into him when we first came here. Now, I'm going to go outside and down to the private beach to call my friend. No one give the slightest hint of what I'm doing or what I've told you about knowing that they're watching us. If you understand, blink."

We blink.

"Good." She says, then releasing the flower. "...No, I can't call him."

"What?!" I yell, on my feet and playing along. "But we can't just leave Rupert!"

"We'll figure something else out." Xavia tells me, then leaving, the sound of the front door opening and shutting reaching our ears.

_I hope her friend knows what he's doing. _I think, sitting down at the table.

* * *

><p><em> She's dead...and it's all my fault...<em> Rupert thinks. He sat on what he believed to be a crate, his hands tied, gagged, and a blindfold across his eyes, the image of Xavia being shot by the man sitting in his mind, unwavering.

"Well, my young guest," He hears the man with bi-colored eyes say in that voice of ambition and authority say. "I see you're upset. I don't blame you either. She had information that I wanted."

_Is that all she is to you? _

"Anyhow, I still might be able to use you for something." The man says, Rupert then feeling a hand comb through his hair, which he shirks away from. "Exactly how much would your father pay for your safe return?"

"BOSS!" A man yells, rapid, heavy footsteps echoing into Rupert's ears. "Boss, that girl, Xavia, she's alive!"

_What?!_

"WHAT?!" The man yells, anger burning in his voice. "...Yes...Yes, how could I be _so stupid?_ She's treated her clothes..."

_She's alive?! How?!_ He thought about it. _...She must have been wearing a bullet proof vest._ Still, relief fills him at the news.

"Did you get anything else?" The man asks.

"Uh...well...They're not sure what to do, so they've been planning, but..."

"WELL?!"

"Well, Adven did mention calling a friend you almost killed..."

_What?!_

"...No...Not him! Mathew?! Not that old geezer!"

_Who in the world are they talking about?!_

"I think so, but-"

**CRASH!**

Rupert jumps some at the sound of shattering glass, men shouting in surprise, and then the _SCREEEE_ of tires, the rumble of a motorcycle humming in the air.

_What was that?! What's going on?! _

"...What?" Rupert hears the man ask in a quiet voice of confusion.

"The door was locked, so I let myself in." Another voice says, this one rich and kind, but strong. "I hope you don't mind Johnson."

"What are you doing here?!" Johnson yells, mad.

"I'm the escort for your guest. I'll be taking him home now, thanks."

"You shouldn't be here!" Johnson yells, infuriated. "You should be dead! I _KILLED_ YOU!"

_**WHAT?!**_

"Well, here I am. By the way, how's your scar? Has it faded any?"

"...How do you know about it?"

"Hmph. You think my Young Master wouldn't tell me? You're such an idiot."

"Oh really?! How?!"

"Because, whether it's admitting defeat or looking at your scar, you just refuse to face the ugly truth."

"..." Silence. "...You mention my scar so much, why don't I give you one?!"

After that, a gunshot rings out with a metal screech right after it, then an _OOF_, machine guns going off, more metallic screeches, the sounds of a hand gun firing, then the sounds of a fist fight, men falling down with defeat, then total silence.

"..." Rupert begins to shake from fear.

_Who is this? Why is he here? Is he Xavia's friend?_

"It's okay." The man tells Rupert, the sound of glass crunching filling Rupert's ears. "Xavia sent me. There's no need for worry." He then feels his gag being untied, then falling, allowing him speech, but he remains silent, unsure of what to do or say. The man then unties his hands, then removes the blindfold.

They were in a large room that resembled an old factory, one of the windows was shattered with the broken glass in front of it. Men in the white hoods and black uniforms laid on the floor, unconscious, their weapons strewn about the floor, and a nice, sleek, motorcycle stood ready for a getaway. **(Like the motorcycle things from Tron) **The man who stood in front of Rupert, his rescuer, was a tall, well-built man thick with muscles, dark brown eyes, rich brown skin, and short black hair that went down the sides of his face, jaw, and chin, then came up to his bottom lip. He wore a coat with black fur on the collar, the ends of the sleeves and the edge of the coat had the same fur as well. The end came to the middle of his lower legs, he wore a black turtle neck, black gloves, black pants and black boots tightly laced up.

"Come on." He tells Rupert, standing him up. "Let's get you back where you belong."

Still unable to speak, Rupert follows the man, he handing him a helmet, which Rupert puts on his head. The man had his own, which was solid black with a one-way eye piece. He gets on the motorcycle, Rupert getting on behind him and hugging him, slightly out of fear, the man then starting up the vehicle. It surges forward, making Rupert hug him tighter, the room and a long hallway flying by, then two doors smashing to pieces as the motorcycle breaks through them, the sunlight pouring down onto them, the tail of Rupert's short-sleeved coat flapping in the wind.

"...What is your name, sir?" Rupert asks after a few moments.

"Brad Jones, but everyone calls me BJ." The man, BJ, answers.

"Thank you for saving me Mr. Jones." Rupert tells him.

"You can thank me by calling me BJ Rupert." He answers, his voice still kind though, making Rupert smile.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later...<p>

We all sit around the dining table, silence stilling the air, only to be disrupted by a knock at the door.

"I got it." I say, already on my feet and walking to the door. Opening it, there stands Rupert, perfectly fine. "RUPERT!" I yell with glee, give him a tackle hug, making us fall back on the sand that makes up the path, and the air be forced out of his lungs.

"I'm...glad to see you...too, Red...ow..." He says, out of breath and everyone else pouring outside. Their faces light up, I stand up, help Rupert up, only to have everyone else hug him, clap him on the shoulder, and sincerely express their worry.

_ Wow...Whoever Xavia got to save him is fast..._ I look around, not seeing anyone else. _And not here...Dino. I was hoping to meet him. _I shrug. _Oh well._ Looking back at Rupert, I see that he's looking around at everyone.

"Where's Xavia?" He asks, she not being among us.

"She went down to the beach a few minutes ago." Sarisa tells him, Rupert then hurrying off in that direction.

* * *

><p>Rupert hurries along the path, then coming out onto the white, sandy beach, the crystal water lapping at the shore. Xavia stood there, her back to him, the wind tugging at her bangs.<p>

"Xavia?" Rupert asks, still walking towards her.

_SMACK!_

The next thing he knew, his head was turned to the side, his face stung slightly, and Xavia was standing in front of him, her bangs covering her eyes and scowling.

"...What's wrong with you?!" She asks, looking him in the eye, the question surprising Rupert. "You went and got yourself kidnapped, and we weren't able to do squat about it! Do you have any idea how worried everyone else was?!"

"...'Everyone else'?" Rupert asks, his expression blank.

"Yes, everyone else!" Xavia tells him. "I don't sit around and worry, I get mad and _do_ something about it!"

"..." Rupert says nothing, but stands there, looking her straight in the eye. "...You were scared." He says, frowning. He then steps forward, hugging her, being able to feel her starting to shake some. "You were scared I was going to be badly injured, weren't you?"

"..." Xavia hugs him back, nodding. "Yeah...These people..." She shakes her head. "Consider yourself lucky they didn't get the chance to hurt you."

"...Don't worry." He says, hugging her a bit tighter, her head under his chin. "I'm sorry I scared you...but thank you for worrying about me." He hugs her closer. "It's alright. There's no need to be scared."

"..." Xavia says nothing, but just stands there, her head tucked under Rupert's chin.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later...<p>

"So what exactly happened?" I ask. Todd, Rupert, Xavia, Pauleen and I are all in the living room, while Joe's out on the deck, lounging on a lawn chair with his hat over his eyes. Pauleen's sitting in a chair, Rupert's sitting on one of the sofa's with Xavia next to him, while Todd and I sit on another.

"Well, I was walking when one of them grabbed me from behind." Rupert starts. "He took me into an alley where his accomplices were, waiting with their getaway vehicle: an armored van. He forced me towards it, but I used the lid of a trash can to get him to release me, only to have two of his accomplices recapture me. They tied my hands and got me into the vehicle, which is when Xavia showed up and defeated two of them with ease. Another, one wearing the white hood like one the men we fought yesterday, jumped out from a building and knocked her unconscious, while the last one in the van tied me up and gagged me. They had an exchange of words, then the one with the white hood went over to Xavia and shot her in the back, making me believe she had been killed."

"But I wasn't." Xavia says, hugging her knees. "Instead, I had a horrible nightmare."

"Yikes, diga." Pauleen says.

"You can say that again." Xavia tells her.

"Tea anyone?" Sarisa asks, coming in with a tray that has cups of herbal tea on it.

"Ah! Thank you!" I tell her, accepting one. We all get one, thanking her, she then sitting down next to Xavia.

"Well, they'll defiantly be coming after us again." Xavia tells us. "Though I'm sure Johnson was shocked to see BJ."

"...Xavia?" Rupert asks after a second of silence.

"Yeah?" She asks.

"Well, Johnson did mention say that he had killed BJ, and someone named 'Mathew' was injured." Rupert tells her.

"Ooh..." Xavia says. "Well, BJ didn't die, but it was made to look like he did so that he could do some undercover work for an investigation organization. As for Mathew, he's my Master and the ex-leader of the Koi Klan. He's a very nice man, he treats me like I'm his granddaughter."

"Does he give you stuff?" I ask.

"Oh, yeah." Xavia sighs, sitting back. "One year for my birthday he sent me a deed to some land."

"Land?" Todd asks.

"One hundred acres to be exact."

"What're you gonna diga-do with all that land, digadig?" Pauleen asks.

"Well, it's on a beach, so Parker had a private vacation home built there."

"How many houses does Parker own?" I ask. "You got the one on Caliosteo, you mentioned another house, and now this one."

"Well, there's the one back at the islands, Star Estate, the cabin on the mountain, the beach house, and a house that's actually built in a giant tree."

"...A literal 'Tree House'?" Rupert asks, all of us shocked.

"Yep." Xavia tells him. "It's a nice house too. All the land added up together is around...oh... seven million acres."

"**WHAT?!**" Pauleen yells, jumping out of her chair.

"Why wasn't I informed of this?!" Sarisa asks.

"Well, you never asked and didn't seem important." Xavia tells her.

"How big is the estate's plot?" I ask.

"6.5 million." Xavia tells me.

"...Rupert, I'm sorry, but Xavia's now the rich one." Todd tells him.

"Eh, don't worry 'bout it." Xavia says, shrugging. "I don't really spend a lot of money or dress fancy."

"She's right ya know!" Joe calls from the deck.

That night...

"FULL HOUSE!" I say, dropping three kings and two tens on the table, allowing me to take the pile of sweets we're using in place of money. The rest of the day has been uneventful, which hasn't been so bad I guess. Right now, I'm playing cards with Cole, Lester, and Todd, while Rupert and Sarisa are reading, Xavia's playing on her HGS, Kaze is napping on a sofa, Pauleen is doing a word search, and Lola is filing her nails.

"Aw, MAN!" Lester says, sad to see me take the candy.

"You're SURE you've never played before?" Cole asks, suspicious.

"Beginners luck." I tell him, handing Todd and candy bar, making his face light up.

"Why does he get one?!" Lester asks.

"Because I didn't complain." Todd tells him, sticking his tongue out, making Lester do the same.

"Hey, we got any root beer? Joe asks, coming into the room.

"'Fraid not cowboy." Xavia says.

"Aw, well, I'll go get me some."

"You want me to come with you?" I ask.

"Naw, it's alright. I won't be gone long." Joe tells me with a smile.

"If you get kidnapped, don't expect BJ to come after you." Xavia says, Joe leaving the room.

"..." Silence.

"...Who's BJ?" Lola asks.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later...<p>

Joe sat in the hotel's restaurant, sitting at juice bar.

"Here you are sir." The man working at it says, handing Joe a tall glass of the fizzy beverage.

"Thank ya." Joe tells him, giving him the money to pay for it. The man nods, then walks off to the next person. Turning his attention back to his glass, Joe raises it up to drink it.

The next thing he knew, someone had knocked it right out of his hands, making it fly through the air, the glass shattering and root beer splashing onto the floor, people jumping, releasing exclaimed shocks, and wondering what happened.

"Hey!" Joe exclaims, looking at the person who did it. Stand there was a young man, around twenty, with reddish-brown hair, and eyes that were a blue jay blue color. He wore a black one suit that had long pants legs and short sleeves, a burgundy red vest, tightly laced black and grey boots, and his face wore an expressionless - but attentive - stare.

"Please forgive me for that." He says, stepping back with his hands at his sides, then walking off.

_...That was different._ Joe thinks, blinking. He looks over at where the glass landed the see a worker cleaning it up, and a sleepy expression surfacing on his face the more he wiped up the root beer, until he was practically half asleep. _It was drugged. The worker at this here juice bar is wit' the Koi Klan. _Joe realizes, standing up and leaving the restaurant, going out onto a balcony that faced a large wooded area of the island. He walks over to the railing, putting his hands in his pockets.

_Alrighty, leavin' was a bad idea and I knew that, yet I decided ta come out here anyways. _He thinks, scolding himself only to feel eyes boring into him with an unwavering, unblinking stare, causing Joe to turn and look to see the young man from earlier, the one with the periwinkle-blue eyes like a Bluejay's feathers, standing there, watching him. "...Howdy?" Joe asks, turning around completely. "Uh, look. Thank's fer stoppin' me from drinkin' that beverage that worker gave me, but ya could'a jus' told me."

"And how was I to be sure you would believe me?" The man asks. "If you had not seen the worker cleaning it up starting to fall asleep, would you have believed me?" This man's voice was smooth and expressionless.

"...Ya gotta point there." Joe admits, unable to argue.

"Thank you." The man says.

"What's yer name exactly?"

"My real name I am unable to tell you until my Young Master permits, due to information that does not belong to you, so I go by my nickname: Bluejay."

"Bluejay. That's understandable." Joe tells him.

"Thank you." Bluejay tells him. "Now, please forgive me."

"...Fer wha-"

The next thing Joe knew, he was looking at his feet which the railing stood behind them, he was falling, Bluejay had his arm across Joe's chest due to the fact he had tackled him, then finally, he had a tight grip on his hat with one hand, and tighter grip on Bluejay's shoulder with the other, and they were no longer falling.

"...WHAT IN TARNATION IS WRONG WITH YA?!" Joe yells, angry and shocked at what just happened.

"My apologies." Bluejay tells him, unfazed by what had just occurred. Joe then becomes aware of the fact he was being held up off the ground, Bluejay having of caught him.

"Put me down." Joe tells him, Bluejay quickly doing so.

"Again, my apologies." He tells Joe, who stood three inches shorter. "It was the only thing I could do to stop you from injury."

"Well why'd ya knock us off there in the first place?!" Joe demands. Bluejay then reaches past Joe head, then pulls his arm back, a dart in his hand, which had been stuck in the handle of Joe's pick.

"They had snipers waiting."

"Why didn't ya tell me?"

"Then they would know I knew of them, and would create a different - possibly more dangerous - strategy."

"...Who are you exactly?"

"I am Comet-17." Bluejay tells the confused cowboy. "I am a part of a group called 'The Comets' that serve our Young Master."

"...'The Comets'?"

"That's correct."

"...Why y'all call yerselves 'The Comets'?"

"Our Young Master, her signature symbol is a star." Bluejay says, starting to walk, Joe following. "A comet is made when an asteroid comes close enough to a star that it is then caught in its gravitational pull, making it orbit the star. Another reason for our choice was because an asteroid can become a meteor, which crashes to earth an does severe damage, something which we are capable of, so, 'The Comets' seemed fitting."

"...Wait, _Xavia_ is yer 'Young Master'?" Joe asks, it clicking in his mind.

"Do you know anyone else who has a star as a signature symbol?" Blue asks in return.

"...No."

"Precisely."

"...How many 'Comets' are there in yer lil' group?"

"Twenty." Bluejay tells him. "Comet-01 was the very first to become one. Each one of us met Xavia sometime after the death of her parents, and we grew close to her."

"Which one is that BJ feller? What number is he?"

"My Young Master would strike you if she heard that." Bluejay says, instantly stopping and looking at Joe. "We are not 'numbers' we are people."

"...Oh..." Joe says, realizing that the question had been taken as an insult.

"The worst insult one human can give the other is to call them 'it' and 'thing'. Doing so is downgrading them, saying they are like a rock or a tree; something that has no emotions, that cannot feel." Bluejay looks back forward, and continues walking. "What sets humans apart from objects is that we feel. If you could not feel, then why live?"

"...Sorry." Joe says, unable to come up with anything else. "Which comet is BJ?"

"He is Comet-19." Bluejay answers.

"...Could I ask ya somethin'?"

"Of course."

"Why...why is Xavia so evil?"

The next thing he knew, he was on his back, the wind knocked out of his lungs.

"You will not call my Young Master any such thing." Bluejay tells him, standing over Joe, his hands at his sides. "Her mind is different. She thinks, comprehends, deciphers, and judges differently. Her mind reflects her actions, and since her thinking is out of the ordinary, she has odd ways of acting." He pulls Joe to his feet. "Has she ever taken you hat?"

"Yeah..." Joe tells him, still trying to regain his breath.

"She merely wanted to play. It's like a wolf cub pouncing on another."

"Alright...but..."

"You still have questions?" Bluejay asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Why'd ya hit me?"

"You described my Young Master poorly. 'Evil' describes the man that killed her parents, so when you called her evil, you instantly lowered her."

"...Y'all got strict ways'a talkin'."

"Well, we choose to speak this way." Bluejay tells him. "No one commanded or asked us."

"How exactly did that feller kill Xavia's parents if they died of grief?" Joe asks him.

"He caused their grief." He answers. "Besides that, he injured them when they tried to stop him."

"Well, why'd that guy try ta hurt Xavia in th' first place?!"

"She acted different, and was her father's child."

"...What'd her pa do?!"

"The man who killed them, he wanted to marry Xavia mother, but when she married differently, he hated Xavia's father, thinking him evil, thus thinking Xavia evil. He married differently and had a son, and anything he accomplished, he boasted over again and again, no matter how small. Even if he caught a rabbit that was a little bigger than Xavia's, or finished something faster than her."

"...Why in tarnation were they catchin' rabbits?" Joe asks, dumbfounded.

"Xavia grew up in a village. It's called that since it had a population of roughly thirty people, twenty adults and ten children. They were removed from the world around them." He starts to explain, continuing to walk and Joe following. "They had their own economy, their own way of life. They had no paper money or coins, they traded goods and services, so they were hunters, builders, and had small gardens. They made practically everything they had, all the way from their homes, to the clothes on their backs. Xavia's father was a hunter, and very good at it, while her mother kept the house."

"Then how'd Xavia get inta collage at such a young age?" Joe asks. "She had ta be busy, and that meant she had no time ta learn 'n' stuff, right?"

"On the contrary." Bluejay continues. "True, there was no school, they learned trades, but, she learned a different way."

"How's that?"

"Haven't you ever wondered how she made all the things she did?" Bluejay asks. "How she was able to make a wire for containers that would enable them to hold so much, yet be so light? How she could makes masks that allowed people no danger underwater? How she could make the shield generators for dig sites?"

"...Well...yeah, actually."

"She experimented. One day when she was looking for new hunting areas, she stumbled across something that she kept as her own secret."

"..." Silence.

"...What was it?!" Joe blurts.

"You are aware of how Doctor Diggins survived the travel through time by going to a Dinaurian spaceship, correct?"

"...Yeah..."

"Well, you are aware that the Dinaurians reported two of their ships crashing, but only the one near Vivosaur being found, correct?"

Joe stops in his tracks.

"She found th' other?!" He exclaims, utterly shocked.

"Correct." Bluejay tells him, stopping as well. "She kept it as a clubhouse. No one else knew of it, so she was free to do whatever with it. She found all sort of fascinating things with in it, and so she began to tinker with them. When she had finished everything she needed done for the day, she would go and experiment more and more. She loved it so much, being able to take things apart, see how they work, how they are put together, the gathering of knowledge made her feel so elated, so gleeful, she wanted nothing more than to do just that: gather every bit of knowledge the world had to offer. She would even bring animals she had caught and dissect them, see how the insides work, she took plants and put them under various circumstances, seeing how it would affect their growing. She became aware of one thing, and that one thing is what fueled her for a long time: true power is gained through knowledge. Power was not how hard a person could throw, how hard they could strike, it was not physical, it was mental. A man is only as good as how much knowledge he chooses to acquire, meaning if you chose to learn very little when you could have learned more, then you're not a very good person. Xavia sees knowledge as one key factor in being a good person, the other being kindness. Power built on fear and oppression does not last. It's like building a house on sand, then expecting it to stand against a tsunami."

"...Wow..." Joe says, unable to come up with more.

"Yes. She loves knowledge." Bluejay says simply. "She says that when Red tells everyone, she plans to teach him everything that can be taught, such as fighting and science. Like a highly advanced school."

"...Tell everyone what?" Joe asks.

"A secret."

"What secret?!"

"I don't know. Only Xavia knows. She won't tell us, so we do not press the matter." Bluejay tells him, making Joe sigh.

"Well, how she know? Red tell 'er or somethin'?" Joe asks.

"No. She said she saw it in a Dream."

"...A dream?" Joe asks, about to laugh. "What kinda dream?"

"Her Dream!" Bluejay says, suddenly excited and smiling. "The Dreams, how she describes them! She mentions crystals containing fires and angels with wings made of golden rays of sun and robes of silver moonlight and hair long and flowing and shining like the ripples of a clear lake! Fabric made of gold, silver and ivory, jewels woven into it by the angels! And the light! The beautiful, divine, heavenly glorious, glorious, _glorious_ light! She says it refracts through the crystals in the vast multitude of colors from reds and blues and greens and purples and even more colors of royal divines! She says the angels sing as they weave and the music! It is _pure life!_ She says she can hear the beat of the heart, the tears of sadness, the laughter of joy, the energy of a person's limbs, everything! The Dream! How can you know of the Dream? The heavenly, divine Dream?!"

"..." Joe stands there, unsure of how to react. "...Ya got purdy passionate about that, don't ya think?"

"...Well...I suppose." Bluejay says, reverting back to the expressionless, but attentive, man. "But, it got yours and their attention."

"...'Their'?" Joe asks. Suddenly, ten men wearing black and armed with katanas and nunchaku.

"Well, now it's them." Bluejay says. Two men charge him, only to have Bluejay grab the handle of the nuchaku, tear it from the man's hand, jump aside and strike the man, making him crash right into his companion, and then throwing the nuchaku at another man, striking his forehead and knocking him unconscious, then jumping back as a man attempts to slice his flank, only to allow Bluejay to front kick the man, seizing the katana from his hands and hit the end of the handle against another man's head, knocking him out and taking his sword, then throwing both of them at yet another, the swords catching the fabric of his clothes and pinning him to a tree, his head banging against the hard wood, knocking him out. Two others jump at him, Bluejay doubling over backwards, their nuchakus missing, allowing him to grab the handles, standing and spinning in a circle, then releasing the two weapons, sending their owners to crash into trees, knocking them out.

"..." Silence, while Joe stands there, dazed at how fast it had happened, and at the man's fighting capability.

"You are unharmed?" Bluejay asks, turning to look at Joe.

"...THAT WAS AMAZING!" Joe suddenly says, amazed. "Ya took down nine guys in 'bout thirty seconds! An' they were armed!"

"Nine?" Bluejay asks, raising an eyebrow. "I thought something was wrong."

The tenth man jumps from the tree limbs, his katanas blade slicing right into, and deeply, Bluejay's shoulder.

"..." A deathly silence falls over the clearing.

No blood.

No bone.

No cry of pain.

Bluejay stood there, severed wires with lighting blue colored electricity crackling between them.

"..." He stands there, looking at his shoulder as if nothing had happened, then looks at the man, who stands stiff with shock. "You should know better than to attack one who can control electricity. Especially if you have a metal weapon."

And with that, the electricity runs down the weapons blade, electrocuting the man unconscious, making him fall, blade hitting the ground.

"Now then." Bluejay says, looking at the opening in his shoulder, able to see the inner workings. "BEGIN AUTO-REPAIR." He says, his face going completely blank, but his eyes wide and glowing white. The wires and other damaged components glow white, and begin to fuse back together, the entire thing becoming whole again, leaving a grey color where the attack had hit. "AUTO-REPAIR COMPLETE. HOLOGRAPHIC COVER RESTABLIZING."

And with that, the grey was covered with the red blood veins, blue arteries, pink muscles and tanned flesh, the cloth stitching back together, no trace left.

"That's much better." Bluejay says, his eyes the normal Bluejay blue color.

"...WHAT...?" Joe asks, his voice high-pitched from the shock of what had just happened.

"Hm?" Bluejay asks, looking at him. "Oh, right. Don't worry, my Young Master will explain sometime."

"No! I need answers!" Joe suddenly says, wanting to know what he had just witnessed. "Why ya tellin' me all this stuff?!"

"You asked about it." Bluejay tells him simply.

"Won't Xavia get mad at ya?!"

"..." Silence.

"Why, Joe," Bluejay says, his lips curling into a smile.

"Whatever made you think I would allow you to remember all this?"

"...Whaddaya mean by that?" Joe asks, taking a step back.

A bright flash of light blinds him, Bluejay's thumb against Joe's forehead.

He then slips into darkness.

* * *

><p>"That's the twenty sixth time in a row!" Cole yells, I pulling all of the sweets towards me, smiling.<p>

"Like I said, beginners luck." I tell him, then hearing a knock on the front door. "I got it."

"I wanna see who it is!" Todd says, jumping up and hurrying to my side. We walk down the hallway, and I open the door to see Joe laying there, fast asleep.

"..." We say nothing.

"...Well." I say simply. "There's something you don't see every day."

So, I pick him up, getting him over my shoulders, then carry him back down the hallway, then start towards the boy's rooms when Cole and Lester rush over to help me, while everyone aside from Xavia gets a confused look, and we put him in his bed in his room, removing his coat, vest, boots and socks, his hat over his eyes and covers pulled to his chin. After that, the rest of the guys head back to the living room while I go to my room, shower, then go to bed, slipping in a good dream.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-FINALLY!<strong>

**Red: Ditto.**

**SuperNoah95: Yep! My dad forbid me from getting on DA due to the fact he thinks that where my computer got the virus. D:**

**Omniverse: OH DEAR GOODNESS! D: Is your brother okay?!**

**I LIKE PACHYS: Vivos are awesome. :D**

**Casey:...Erm...Funny story actually.**

**You see, in my original idea for RTKOA, it only took place on Vivosaur Island and with the characters from the first game, including another girl who was like Xavia, only had a different past and looked and acted different, and she and Red were cousins. But, I'm sorry but, there's really no possible way Red and Xavia could be related in anyway.**

**Chi-Chan: 0.0 Wow. You really panicked.**

**Gunsandgames: She was shot in the back, not head.**

**Mysterydude123: Ah. Sounds cool. :D**

**Guest21: YAAAAAAAAAAAYZ~! Thank you so much! :D**

**DigitalEmperor001: Yes. Yes I do know. :D But just wait. Y'all will see how twisted my mind is. And yes. ASDF MOVIES ROCK! That guy who failed standing up school? HE CREATED THA FLOP.**

**DunalN2: Nope. :3**

**Magma: Okay, I'm really sorry for not updating this, I got addicted to Fable III, and I've been helping my grandparents pack for when they move, and I got lazy. -.-' I'm sorry!**

**Red: Magma does not own FF and FFC! If they did, they'd make it an anime.**


	80. Battles

**AN-I don't own FF and FFC! And, I'm sorry for updates being so slow. I've hit a complete motivation block, and I've been playing Fable III a lot. **

**Red: On to the chapa! :D**

* * *

><p>Chapter Eighty - Battles<p>

"Woo! Lunch time!" Lester says with zeal, all of us going into a restaurant in the town, having just come from the aquarium. The morning has been uneventful, which has been nice. The restaurant we're in is a seafood one, so the smell of roasting fish and fried shrimp fills my nostrils, making my mouth water and stomach growl.

"Hello, how may I help you?" A woman asks, wearing a worker uniform.

"Table for eleven please." Kaze tells her, the woman then checking a clipboard.

"I'm sorry, we don't have a table for eleven open right now, but we do have a table for nine and table for two open." She tells us.

"I'll sit at the two person table." Sarisa volunteers.

"So'll I." Joe says, stepping forward, a confused and surprised look on his face.

"Great!" The woman says. "Follow me please." She says, leading us off, and Joe looking behind him at Xavia, who smiles.

"Sorry I pushed ya pard." She tells Joe, imitating his voice perfectly.

Joe hangs his head, walking along with us.

A minute later...

We're at our table, which is one of those circular booths, and has a window looking outside to where we can see Joe and Sarisa's table. Our appetizer comes, Xavia, Lester, Rupert, Todd and I starting to eat.

"What is that?" Cole asks, confused.

"Fried squid." Xavia tells him, much to his, Lola's and Pauleen's disgust, while Kaze starts eating some as well.

"It's good! Try it!" I urge. Cole politely refuses, Lola shakes her head, and Pauleen tries some, her face brightening. **(Fried squid is actually very good. I've eaten it.)** We finish it, the waiter then taking our orders, leaving us alone to chat.

"So why'd you push Joe forward?" I ask, making everyone look at Xavia, who grins deviously.

"Well, look at 'em." Xavia says, nodding at the window. "He can't realize it, so I just gave 'em a push." We look out the window, to see Joe and Sarisa sitting at their table, Sarisa just smiling and Joe looking nervous. Their waiter then comes up to their table, ready to take their orders.

"What will you and your girlfriend have today?" He asks.

"SHE AIN'T MY GIRLFRIEND!" Joe roars, his face flushing red and all of us bursting into laughter.

A few minutes later...

"So, what shall we do tonight?" Rupert asks while we eat.

"Well, we could have a campfire and clam bake." I suggest.

"Ooh, that sounds good." Todd says, perking up. "Could you make some clam chowder or something?"

"Yep!" I tell him, smiling.

That night... (Time skipping much?)

The air and sky are dark, a cool breeze blows, stirring the flames of the fire, which lick the underside of the pot I'm using to make to chowder, stirring it with a ladle. Xavia sits staring into the fire, Rupert next to her, Sarisa on her other side reading a book, while Joe sits with his back against a rock, hat over his eyes, arms and ankles crosses, dozing, Lola's looking through a magazine, Kaze sits like Joe with his goggles over his eyes, only fast asleep, while Pauleen, Todd and Lester run around on the silver sand, the black water lapping against it. It's very peaceful actually.

"Who wants clam chowder?!" I call, waking Joe up.

"I do!" Todd calls.

"Ditto!" Lester yells.

"Then come get it!" I tell them, they and Pauleen running towards us, making me smile. The wind shifts, so it blows against their backs and towards the fire, allowing my enhanced smell to pick up their scent, as well as the tropical air.

And another unfamiliar scent.

_'What?' _I think, standing.

_'I don't like this...' _Air Strike growls, Cloud Cover and Flamethrower getting uneasy as well. I suddenly spy a black figure detach itself from the trees, heading straight towards Todd, making me break into a run towards him, only to have Xavia suddenly speed past me, jump in the air, and tackle the figure, flying over Todd's head, then using the figure to break her fall, then jump back ready to attack them should they become hostile.

"Why are you here?" Xavia asks, her voice sharp and aggressive, everyone on their feet and attentively watching her, while I stand with my hands on Todd's shoulders protectively.

"Is it really that difficult to comprehend?" A familiar, unfriendly voice asks, the man with the bi-color eyes, Johnson, stepping out of the cover of the trees, and walking out to the middle of the sand.

"What do you want?!" Xavia yells.

"Information stored within the folds of your mind." He tells her.

"If a person does not yield, then why attack?" Xavia asks him.

"To break them down inch by inch!" Johnson yells back. "You're not human, can't you understand that?! Normal people would become weary, breakdown, give up, or end it all together! You hold back! You just don't end it when you have the opportunity! Why do YOU wait for me to attack, rather than advancing on your own?!"

"Because I have my ways of gaining knowledge." Xavia tells him, her voice even. "How do you think I knew Rupert was going to be kidnapped? That Red was going to be attacked when we were aboard the ship? There's a squadron of men hidden in the trees, waiting for you to give them the orders to attack. Don't you understand? I don't need to spy on you to know your plans. I don't need to infiltrate your files, to eavesdrop on your conversations, to capture people and force information out of them. You say I'm not human? Well, I'm aware of that. You say I'm not normal? There is no normal. I wait until you decide to advance so that I know how to counter attack."

"..." Johnson says nothing, but a storm of fury burns in his eyes. "GET HER!" He roars, about twenty men running onto the sand, half of them white hoods and the other half wearing black. Xavia throws something on the ground behind her, causing a transparent, sea green wall to appear, which we're unable to get past.

"This is my fight!" She tells us. "I don't want any of y'all getting hurt!" Looking back forward, she charges at the attackers.

We all stand there, unsure of how to react as we watch her mercilessly defeat the them, twenty huge men armed with lethal weapons, in about a minute.

_'She's been holding back.' _Flamethrower tells me, realization pulsing through him. _'With both mind and body. I doubt many people knew she could make a contraption that made a wall like this, and could have defeated those men with such ease in a mere minute.'_

_ 'Yeah...' _I tell him, shocked.

"I'll show you!" Johnson yells, pulling a pistol from his coat, and four more men in black clothing suddenly jumping from the tree line, tackling Xavia from behind. She swings her arms together knocking two heads together, then fiercely kicking her legs, causing the sand to fly everywhere, obscuring our vision, only to hear her yelp with pain, the sand settling, and the four men having her pinned down.

"Prepare to die." Johnson hisses, then pulling the trigger.

Xavia then disappears into thin air.

"...What?" He asks.

_'ZUH?' _I wonder.

_'HOW DOES THAT EVEN WORK?!' _Air Strike roars, confused.

_'It doesn't make sense!' _Flamethrower tells us.

_'She Xavia, it's not supposed to make sense.' _Cloud Cover resorts.

"...Where are you?!" Johnson yells, looking around, ready to fire his gun, and the four conscious men ready to fight.

Suddenly, Xavia shoots from the sand under Johnson, punching him right in the jaw.

"Under your nose, that's where!" She tells him, then whirling around and side kicking one of the men in black, then grabbing his shirt and whirling around in a circle before releasing him, making him crash into his accomplices.

"...You underestimate me, ya know?" Xavia says, looking at Johnson. "After all, you think I didn't know they were there? I was ready to use Sand Burrow. Anyone else would learn not to mess with me, but you don't quit. In your situation, it's good to quit. After all, last time you got that scar."

"Scar, scar, scar..." He grunts, pushing himself up, shaky. "You keep bringing that up. Anyone could have given a person a horrible scar."

"Whey they were six?" Xavia asks.

"..." Johnson says nothing, but grits his teeth, then looking past her at us. "All of you think she's so innocent, don't you?! That she's just some sweet little girl that would harm anyone like she did me! Well, she isn't! SHE THE CHILD OF EVIL!"

"What gives you the right to talk like that?!" Rupert demands, mad. "What did she ever do to you?!"

"WHAT DID SHE DO TO ME?! _WHAT DID SHE DO TO ME?!" _He roars back. _**"THIS!"**_

His hand flies up to the left side of his jaw, the side of his face where the strange color eye is.

He then tears off _fake skin,_ and an object that covered his eye.

My jaw drops, horror filling me.

_...How is he alive?_

Half his face is _gone._

The skin that covered his jaw, lower lip and upper lip are gone, scrapped clean down to the bone, half his nose is mauled off, and ugly, burnt red-pink muscle is above that, surrounding his eye, which the white of the eye is black and the cornea white, then second degree burn scars stretch onto his forehead.

...

The only sound is the lapping of the waves.

"_THIS _IS WHAT SHE DID TO ME!" Johnson roars.

"...How...?" Kaze asks, horrified.

"A saber fell in a fire." Xavia says, not looking at us.

"Which you used to do this." Johnson continues, putting the fake skin back in place. "That pain should've killed me. Do you know what it feels like to have your face _carved off from the bone_ with a white-hot saber? Do you?!" He points the gun back at her. "But I guess you never-"

A man suddenly shoots out of the sand, grabbing Johnson's arm, kneeing him in the back and taking the gun as he falls.

"...He looks familiar..." Joe says, the man looking at us, his eyes the same color as a Bluejay.

"Hello." He says, then returning his attention to Johnson, who attempts to punch him, only to have the man with Bluejay eyes step out of the way. As he does, he removes the ammo cartridge from the pistol, which he drops to the ground, then falling back into the sand, disappearing into it with the ammo. The distraction then allows Xavia to attack Johnson, knocking him out.

"..." Silence.

"...I know I've seen that fella before." Joe says.

Later...

We sit in the living room, the captain of the boat that takes us to and from the island sitting in a chair, terrified out of his wits, while we stand around him. Johnson somehow got away, but we knew he had help from the captain here.

"Why did you help that man?" Rupert demands, the captain shirking away in terror, Xavia putting a hand on Rupert's shoulder.

"Easy there rich boy." She tells him, her voice calm and even. "Let me ask the questions." Sitting in a chair in front of the captain, she looks at him. "Now, what's your name?"

"...K-K-Kirk..." He tells her, stammering. "Tom Kirk."

"Alright." Xavia says nodding. "Now, Mr. Tom, is there any reason the Koi Klan would bribe you?"

He nods.

"Why?"

"...M-m-m-my f-father..." He starts, trying to calm down. "H-he's had a bad sickness for a few years, and my family doesn't have the money to pay for the procedure. M-my older brother, Erik, h-he tried to get us some money to pay for it, but he got put in jail. I've been trying to earn the money to pay for it, and they offered me a lot of G if I did what they told me too. My dad, you have to understand, he's a great person, and I want to see him well, so, what could I do?"

"...How much does the procedure cost?" I ask.

"A lot." Mr. Tom tells me. "It's a rare sickness, so the treatment isn't done too often, and the things required for it are more expensive."

I take out my wallet, and scoop out three handfuls of G on the coffee table in front of him.

"Is this enough?" I ask, shock on his face.

"..." The next thing I know, he's giving me a hug of death and thanking me from the bottom of his heart. After a few minutes, Joe and Kaze manage to pry him off of me, he again sincerely thanks me, taking the G and some clam chowder I offer him, thanks me again, and leaves.

"Well, he was nice." Todd says.

"I kinda wish he hadn't hugged me so tight." I say, rubbing my arm which still hurts slightly.

"Well, this evening has been more eventful that we wanted it to be." Cole says, getting out a deck of cards.

"That's how it is with us." Rupert tells him, while Lester, Todd and I join Cole to play poker, putting candy on the table.

"G'night." Xavia says, leaving the room, Sarisa and Rupert both telling her goodnight. Joe retires to his room, Sarisa and Rupert both read, while Lola and Pauleen head to their rooms for the night. After the first game, which I win, Cole gets mad and leaves, allowing Lester, Todd and I to head to our rooms.

_'So when do you guys think they'll strike next?' _I ask my vivosaurs, having showered, put on a clean pair of boxers, and gotten in bed.

_'There's no day like tomorrow.' _Flamethrower tells me.

_'I can't believe that scar...'_ Air Strike says. _'How could someone survive that? AND be able to see out of that eye?'_

_ '...Air Strike, I'm going to tell you exactly what you guys tell me: this world no longer makes sense.'_

And with that, I roll on my side, falling asleep.

I wake up the next morning, the sunlight pouring through the windows, and feeling very well rested. Rising, I get dressed, comb my hair into the now trademark spikes, put on my goggles, and exit my room head for the kitchen. Arriving, I get out some ingredients, make some Flapjack McSmacks, and put the pancakes onto a platter, which I then take to the dining room, set on the table, and start to eat a stack of my own. Time passes, and people start to come in, enjoying the pancakes.

"So when you y'all reckon they'll strike?" Joe asks.

"Well, they haven't been consistent and their defeat was pretty bad last night and it seems to me like Johnson's the kinda guy that just attacks rather than doing any planning or thinking, so I'm guessing not too soon." I tell him.

"It makes sense, digadig." Pauleen agrees.

"Good morning." Rupert says, coming in.

"Mornin'." Joe tells him.

"Sleep well?" Cole asks, Lester sitting next to him, eating his fifth stack of pancakes.

"Alright, I suppose." Rupert answers, sitting down and making himself a small stack of flapjacks.

"How do you think they'll attack, Red?" Todd asks me.

"Well, I'm guessing they'll have more guys and undoubtedly full force attack this place, but they'll have to find another way here. Captain Tom won't drive them here anymore."

"True." Todd says. We keep talking, trying to plan for anything that may happen, when Rupert gets another platter, putting a stack of pancakes on it, as well as a glass of milk and some fruit.

"Whatcha doing with that?" Kaze asks.

"Well, I figured after the stress of last night Xavia's getting some extra sleep, so I just thought I'd bring her breakfast." He explains, then standing and leaving.

"He soooooooo likes her." Lola says.

"He makes it a bit obvious." Cole agrees. "It only Xavia wasn't so oblivious."

"Ya know, she can tell what's going to happen before it happens, but she can't see Rupert's in love with her." I say.

"About that, diga," Pauleen starts. "Last night, Xavia said she knew you were going to be attacked while we were aboard the boat, digadig. What was that all about?"

"Well, I wasn't able to sleep, so I got up and went for a walk on the deck, and I started watching the water, then a guy tried to ambush me, so I fought back then Xavia showed up outta nowhere, beat the guy up and left." I explain, everyone looking at me, silence stilling the air for a few moments.

"When did you get up?" Todd asks.

"'Round ten." Joe says. "I woke up right when he was headin' out th' door."

"Ah." Todd says, understanding.

"I'm going out to town." Rupert says, suddenly appearing in the archway. "Xavia's gotten sick, so I'm going to get some medicine."

"Sick? With what, digadig?" Pauleen asks, all of us sharing confusion.

"A fever." Rupert tells us. "She said it was caused by lack of sleep since she hasn't slept the past few nights. All she requires is some rest and the medicine, and she'll be alright. I'll be back soon."

"Be careful!" I tell him as he heads out the door.

"Xavia? Sick?!" Todd asks.

"Even she's human." Kaze tells him.

"But still." Cole agrees. "You'd expect that it'd have to be some mutated black death virus in order to just get her to have a small fever."

"No need to exaggerate, maaaaaaaaaan." Lola tells him.

"But he's still right." Lester says, then eating a mango.

"Well, let's not argue, digadig." Pauleen says. "What should we diga-do in case the Koi Klan doesn't attack, digadig?"

"...Not sure." Joe tells her. We chat for a bit before Sarisa comes in, dressed and bright eyed.

"Good morning!" She says, enthusiastic.

"Good morning!" Todd and I say in unison, both smiling.

"We got pancakes for breakfast!" Pauleen tells her, Sarisa sitting at the table.

"Thank you for cooking, Red!" Sarisa tells me, fixing herself a stack.

"You're welcome!" I tell her.

"Where's Rupert and Xavia?" Sarisa asks.

"Rupert went into town to get some medicine for Xavia." Kaze tells her. "He said she was in bed with a fever."

"Do you know what she could have?" Cole asks.

"..." Sarisa says nothing, her face having gone blank. Looking up, she looks at all of us. "...He said she was sick?"

"Yep." Joe says, nodding.

"..." Sarisa says nothing, but bolts out of the room.

"Sarisa!" Joe says, dashing after her, the rest of us doing the same. We come to Xavia's room, to see Sarisa in it, a sheet of paper in her hand an panicking, Xavia nowhere in sight and the bed neatly made with her back pack sitting on top of it.

"Wha-?! Where's?!" Kaze asks, unable to form the sentences.

"'Dear Friends,'" Sarisa says, reading the sheet of paper aloud. "'The Koi Klan has been getting more and more dangerous, and if Bluejay hadn't of attacked when he did, Johnson could have wounded me. If he had done that, they would strike twice as hard the next time, and I don't want any of you to get hurt because of me. I have what they want, so I'm going to go make a bargain with them. I know they won't back down because Johnson fears me due to the scar I gave him. Don't try to find me. Sincerely, Xavia. P.S. Sarisa, I'm sorry if I'm making you panic. There's no need to worry, I've done this before.'"

"..." We stand silent.

"...She's going there to protect us." Lester says, his deep voice strangely quiet.

"WAIT!" I yell, everyone looking at me. "Rupert said he went to get some medicine for her, so he's read that letter and he's really trying to find her!"

"What do we do?!" Todd asks, starting to panic.

"Well, we can't panic!" Joe says. "That won't help!"

"Joe's right." Kaze says. "We have to do something."

"Like what? We don't know where Xavia is and, Rupert probably knows where their base is since he was kidnapped, so where in the world are we supposed to look?!" Cole asks.

"Wait a minute! Hold the phone!" Sarisa exclaims, getting our attention.

"What's wrong?" Lola asks.

"This letter..." Sarisa stands there a second, then rushes over to the desk, pulls out a red, white, and blue pocket knife - undoubtedly made by Xavia - and clicks something on it, making a UV Ray come on, revealing more letters written on the paper with invisible ink.

**Do NOT leave the house.**

"..." We say nothing, but stand, staring at the paper.

"...Dino!" I yell, getting mad. "I don't like this! We're backed in a corner, having no idea what's going on or what to do aside from what Xavia's telling us to do, which stay here!"

"Do we really have a choice?" Todd asks. "Here, we can defend ourselves better than if we went looking for Xavia and Rupert."

"But still." I tell him. "I'm not used to sitting back and doing nothing."

"He's right, diga." Pauleen says. "He's more of a take charge and handle the situation kind of person."

"But being a good leader also means knowing where to take advice." Sarisa points out, looking at me.

"..." I look away at the floor. _What bargain is she making anyways?_

* * *

><p>Rupert looks around the corner, not seeing anyone.<p>

_Alright, everything's going smoothly right now. _He thinks, proceeding on, searching his brain as he tried to remember the way BJ had come from the place Rupert had been taken to when the Koi Klan kidnapped him. _She's got to be there. I can't let them hurt her. _After continuing on for a few minutes, he turns another corner, only to have a man in the black clothing jump down from the building, katana in hand, which he then puts right under Rupert's jaw. Before he could grab one of his Dino Medals, another man in black appears, grabbing them from his pocket and putting them into a velvet lined case, cutting of Rupert's metal link with them as well.

"You know, you're really bad at this sort of thing." One of them tells him mockingly.

A few minutes later...

One man held Rupert hand's tightly bound behind his back, while more men walked with them down a hallway, they having taken Rupert to where he was trying to get to, and back into the room where they had held him captive. The broken glass was swept up, but the window still had jagged pieces sticking out from it.

"Well, well, well..." Looking up, Rupert spots Johnson coming out from around a pile of crates. "what do we have here? Prince Charming coming to rescue a damsel in distress?" Rupert's face flushes as the men all burst out with laughter.

"Let her go!" He yells instead of objecting.

"What? Why?" Johnson asks with fake ignorance.

"Because you captured her!" Rupert yells. "She merely wanted to come and make a deal with you and your dung-minded yokels, but you captured her instead!"

"Captured? Captured?!" Johnson laughs. "AH HA! Is THAT how you interpret it? Why, you've got it ALL wrong!"

"...What do you mean?" Rupert questions.

"She came to us _willingly._" Johnson tells him. "She came to us, and we surrounded her, but she got down on her knees, hung her head and raised her hands, showing she _wanted_ us to take her prisoner. The deal was that, so long as we didn't raise a finger against any of you, she would allow herself to be our prisoner while we tried to get the information we want from her. But, since you left the vacation home, we're now allowed to take you."

"That's absurd!" Rupert yells at him.

"Yes, she didn't say how it applied, so we figured none of you could leave the island." He replies, smug.

"Let her go!" Rupert yells again, louder this time.

"Ah, I'm afraid we can't do that." Johnson tells him. "But, I can allow you to see her." He snaps his fingers, to men with white hoods walking out. "Though, I'm afraid she won't be what you're expecting. She been rather...stubborn, with giving us the requested information, so we've been trying to get it out of her.

_Torture. _Rupert realizes, anger boiling inside him.

"Her she is, boss." One of the white hooded men says, they entering the room again.

Rupert's eyes widen with horror.

They held Xavia by her arms, dragging her.

Her clothes were torn, she was covered with blood and injuries covered her arms, legs, blood dripped from the edge of her mouth, she had several bruises and a black eye. The only part of her clothing that seemed undamaged was a black suit under her ragged clothes, which was black and comfortably loose, the pants stopping at the middle point of her upper legs.

But her eyes had a vacant, pain filled stare.

"There, see?" Johnson asks. "That's what she gets for not telling us. But, it's actually _your_ fault, boy. After all, if you weren't her friend, she wouldn't have given herself up." Johnson bends to eye level with Rupert talking quietly. "Don't you understand, she has to hate you now."

"No..." Xavia wheezes, making Johnson look at her.

"Ah, you can speak." He says, his lips curling into a smile. "Then you can tell us the information we want." He again snaps his fingers, making two of the men in black grab Rupert by each arm, slamming him against a wall, his back to everyone. They remove his coat, tying his arms above his head and tearing open his white shirt, his back bare. "She'd _never_ let one of her friends be hurt. Isn't that right?" Johnson asks mockingly. Looking over his shoulder, Rupert sees Johnson was looking at Xavia with a smug look, the two white hoods holding her up by her elbows, to where she was on her knees.

"Leave...him alone..." Xavia forces out.

"I'd rather not." Johnson says, then nodding at man that steps forward, a whip in hand. "Now, Miss Adven, why don't you start talking our your friend's smooth skin here will be turned to sandpaper."

"Don't tell him anything!" Rupert yells, still looking at her. She raises her head slightly, looking him in the eye.

"Have nothing to say? Very well." Johnson says, nodding at the man with the torture weapon, who raises his hand above his head, Rupert looking back at the wall, closing his eyes and bracing himself.

A yell that sounds half human rings out.

It made him shiver and open his horror-filled eyes, fear grasping him just at the sound. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Xavia had knocked out the two men that had been holding her, threw the man with the whip against the wall, and was now throwing a crate at more men, despite her injuries. Much to Rupert's shock, she proceeds to injure the men and knock them unconscious, despite their numbers and her injuries.

"..." Silence falls over the room when she finishes fighting, only Johnson left standing.

_How is this possible?! _Rupert wonders. _She should be in the hospital with those injuries, yet she just pummeled those men with little difficulty! _

"..." Johnson says nothing, but anger covers his face. "What are you?! You can't be human! Nobody could withstand the pain you've gone through!"

"Then...my name...is...Nobody to you..." Xavia wheezes, blood dripping from her wounds.

"..." Johnson says nothing, but scowls with anger, his teeth bared and brow knitted with anger. "YOU'RE about to be _A_ body!" He roars, taking a handgun from his coat and aiming it at her. Xavia makes no more to stop him, but smiles, knowing he wouldn't be able to kill her with it, and the bullet instead hitting her shoulder, more blood splattering through the air.

"You...think that hurts?" Xavia asks. "That's just a prick from a sowing needle! You've never known pain like I have..."

"Right...Physical pain doesn't affect you..." Johnson says. "Unless one of your friends is feeling it!" He yells then, pointing the gun at Rupert. Before anything else can happen, Xavia tackles him, sending them crashing back into a support beam, making a metal walking grid with crates on it come crashing down on them, dust flying up into the air.

"XAVIA!" Rupert yells, then yanking at his restraints, trying to get free to help her. "XAVIA!" He yells again. He hears a clang noise, making him look back over his shoulder to see Xavia standing up, throwing one side of a crate aside. "Are you alright?!"

"..." Instead of responding, she walks over to him, grabbing the restrains that bound his wrists and tearing them off with ease, dropping the metal to the ground, Rupert gently putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you alright?" He asks again, worried if the metal grid and crates had injured her.

"..." She says nothing, but looks back up at him, her eyes half lidded, and more blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. She weakly raises her hand, puts it on the side of his face, pushing his head to the side, as if trying to slap him, then collapses, Rupert catching her.

"Don't worry, you're going to be alright." He tells her, grabbing his coat and the case with his Dino Medals in it, stuffing the medals in his pants pocket and releasing his Thalasso. "Get us back to the beach house!" He yells getting, Xavia onto the vivosaur, the clambering up. Taking off, it heads straight for their destination.

* * *

><p>I pace back and forth, unable to sit still.<p>

"You're going to wear a dent in the floor." Cole tells me, all of us in the living room.

"What else am I supposed to do?!" I ask, stopping and looking at him for a moment then continuing. "Our friends are out there dealing with thugs, and we're stuck here not able to help!"

"He haaaaaaaaaaas a right to be angry maaaaaaaaaan." Lola says.

"..." Sarisa's been eerily quiet, pacing as well, worry on her face.

We suddenly hear the door burst open.

"SARISA!" Rupert's voice calls out.

"Rupert!" She yells back, all of headed for the hallway when Rupert runs into the room, carrying a beaten, bruised and bloody Xavia. "XAVIA!" Sarisa screams with worry, quickly taking her from him, and running to Xavia's room. We follow, Rupert leading, only to find Sarisa's shut the door, and has told us to wait outside.

A few minutes later...

We're all sitting outside the door to Xavia's room, when Sarisa steps out, shutting the door behind her, making us all jump to our feet.

"..." She looks at all of us, Rupert grabbing her arm.

"Is she going to be alright?!" He asks, he having been the most worried.

"She's alright. I made sure none of her wounds were infected, then used the IHR on her. She just needs some rest now." Sarisa tells him, a small, reassuring smile on her face, making Rupert sigh with relief.

"Alright..." Lester says, relaxing like the rest of us.

"We should probably head back up front, digadig." Pauleen says. "She needs sleep, so we don't need to be making noise, digadig."

"Well, let's go then." Kaze says, all of us head back to the living room, except for Rupert who sits down outside the door, his arms crossed over his knees.

"...Do you want me to bring you a new shirt?" I ask him. He just nods, making me frown some, but head on to his room anyways.

* * *

><p><em>"Mother! Look, look!" Xavia squealed, running up the path to her home, a woman with curly black hair sitting outside it, cleaning some berries. She looks up at Xavia, her lovely face lighting up with a smile.<em>

_ "What did you find?" She asks, Xavia running up to her._

_ "Look, look!" She repeats, holding up a geode, the rock broken to show the inside._

_ "That's beautiful!" Her mother says, taking it and looking at it. "Where did you find this?"_

_ "I was just looking around." Xavia tells her. "May I keep it?"_

_ "Of course!" Her mother tells her, smiling. "Are you going to put it with your other treasures?"_

_ "Yes ma'am!" Xavia tells her, then running into the house, going up to her room and putting the geode on a shelf with several other trinkets that she found fascinating. _

_ "Where's my little hunter?" A man's voice calls, making Xavia's face light up, and run out of her room, back out of the house and jumping right into her father's arms, one of his hands holding rabbits and quails. _

_ "Welcome home father!" She tells him, making her hug her tighter._

_ "It's good to be home." He says, smiling._

_ "Welcome back." Xavia's mother says, standing and going over to them, she kissing her husband._

_ "Hello Raven." He says, kissing her back. After a second she pulls away, taking the quails and rabbits. "The hunting trip went alright, as you can see. It would've gone better if Smash hadn't of brought his son Skinner."_

_ "Of course." Raven sighs. "He knows his son is too young, but he's so obsessed with proving he's better than our little Xavia."_

_ "Don't worry." Xavia's father says, putting her down, but still holding her hand. "He'll get his dues one day."_

_ "Father, why does Smash want to prove Skinner is better than me?" Xavia asked her father._

_ "Well, that's quite the story." He tells her, smiling wryly._

_ "You can tell her, Hunter." Raven says. "She the right to know. I'll start on the meal."_

_ "Well, all right." He says, Raven going inside and Hunter picking Xavia up, then sitting down on a rock, setting her on his knee. "Now, like I said, it's quite the story..._

_ "I was walking through the forest, looking for food. I had my knife in hand, ready for anything, except for what I stumbled across. Your mother was sitting in a clearing, getting some water from a pond, when I came along. She looked up and saw me standing there, and I saw her sitting there. We didn't say anything, I just couldn't say anything. It was like...not being able to breathe._

_ "So, she ran off, and I was left standing there, wondering what happened to me. A few days passed, and I saw here there again, and we didn't say anything at first. But we sat there for a bit, then we started talking. The sun passed over head, and we laughed and talked. It was nice. So, we kept meeting there for a few days, and while we were there one day, Smash appeared was very mad at me. He pulled Raven away and started yelling at me to stay away from her, and when she tried to calm him down, he spoke roughly to her, and I wouldn't stand for that._

_ "I struck him, and he stumbled back. He looked back at me, surprised and angry, and I told him he had no right to speak to Raven like that, and so we started fighting, which I won. After that, Raven and I started meeting in different places, and after a bit, we settled down and had you. Smash settled down with someone else, but he still won't forgive me for taking your mother from him, and he wants to prove he's better than me in every way, even with our offspring. So, he's trying to make his son better than you." Hunter then smiles wider, hugging Xavia. "But he'll ever have a daughter as sweet, adorable or lovable as you!"_

_ "Ha ha!" Xavia laughed, hugging her father back._

_ "I don't care for that man's competition. I'll always be proud of you." Hunter tells her, then smiling even wider. "You're going to do great things, my sweet little hunter."_

_ "Thank you." Xavia says, looking up at his pretty brown eye, his bleach blonde hair messy, in need of combing. _

_ Why?_

_ Smash, just why?_

_ My father was a good man. He wasn't the smartest or the strongest, but there's no one I'd rather of had as a father. He never treated mother or I roughly like you did with your son and wife._

_ And he didn't spread slander like you did._

_ 'She a demon that will eat you if you trust her' is what you'd tell the village._

_ The adults didn't believe you, but the children..._

A ball rolled in front of Xavia as she walked through a path in the woods. Stopping, she picked it, and looked ate direction it had come from.

"You hit it too hard, Rocky!" A boy's voice said.

"Alright! I'll go get it!" Another one replied, Xavia head towards the voices, and finding them to see the children of the village, who all looked at her, seeing her holding the ball in her hands.

"Here you go!" Xavia told them, holding it out and smiling.

They said nothing, but turned their back and left her standing alone.

_They said I was worthless._

_ Anything I did was stupid to them._

_ And it was because of Smash's hate for me. Anything his son did was automatically better than what I did..._

"HA! His catch is the biggest!" Smash said, Skinner holding up a small boar, while the rest of the children held quails and rabbits. Hunter just rolled his eyes, then looked down at Xavia, smiling.

"It's your turn." He told her, patting her head. "Do your best, alright?"

"Yes sir!" Xavia said, then running off into the woods, knife at her hip. She wanted to catch something big, very big. She wanted to see the pride on her parent's faces, and to prove she was strong. _What should I catch? There's plenty of rabbit and quail, but...something-_ She stopped when she saw a bear.

It walked about, not seeing her, and went into its cave, giving Xavia an idea.

_Come on...eat them!_ She thought, watching the bear sniff some berries she had put in front of its den a few minute earlier. It ate them, then went to the next small pile, then to the next, and the next, and the next, then stopping when it came to a bigger one, which was right under the tree where Xavia sat, perched and ready. She had then jumped down onto it's back, stabbing it in the back of the neck, then yanking her knife so that it killed the bear, which fell down with a THUD.

After a few minutes of thinking of how she was supposed to carry something so big and heavy back to the village, she went and got several vines, and rocks. She climbed up into the trees, trying up the vines, then made two nets, one which she had the bear in, and another that she put got around a tree branch, it attached to the net with the bear in it. climbing up the tree, she put the rocks in the empty net one by one, till the bear was at the desired height, so she got a grip on the net with the bear in it, then swayed back and forth, making the net swing back and forth, allowing her to grab the vine hanging from the tree she had tied it up in, tying it to the net, and cutting the previous one, making the net swing forward, allowing her to grab the next.

She repeated this until she returned to the village.

The net fell to the ground with a THUD, shock and surprise on everyone's faces, Xavia cutting open the net to show the bear.

"I am hunter! I bring food!" She said with victory, her father's face lit up with pride.

_That was a thorn in Smash's side. I, the daughter of his hated enemy, getting something like that back to the village. Father and Mother praised me for that accomplishment for quite awhile._

_ ..._

_ ...Then they died._

"Mother...? Father...?" Xavia asked, entering her home.

"...Xavia...?" Her father's voice asked, it weak.

"Father! Mother!" She exclaimed, running to their beds, to find them dying. Their eyes lit up though, the joy in them one of the thing she would treasure about them.

"Xavia..." Raven said, unable to sit up, but instead putting her hand on the side of Xavia's face, which had tears starting to stream down it.

"It's okay..." Hunter told her, smiling weakly.

"No...you're dying..." Xavia said, her voice shaky. "...Please...please don't leave me." She said, lowering her head. "Please don't leave me."

"Xavia..." Her father wheezed, lifting her chin. "Don't hide your lovely face...Don't cry..." He said, wiping a tear away from her face.

"We would give the world to you, our sweet little angel..." Her mother said. "We know you would be the greatest leader it would ever see, that you would bring it to a golden age."

"Know that we love you, our little angel..." Her father said, they hugging Xavia close. "Our dear, sweet little angle...We will always be with you. Keep us in your heart, and in your memories..."

"And we will be with you." They said in unison.

"..." Xavia raised her head to look at them, and smiled weakly. "There are no other people...that I would rather have as my parents than you two."

They smiled.

Hugging her again, they kissed her temples...

And died.

She mourned their deaths, and buried them in the nicest spot she knew of, a hill that had single tree at the top, where they would sit and watch the setting sun together. She put flowers all around their graves, and planted rose bushes.

As she stood there, looking at the graves, the setting sun on her back, she knew why they had died and who caused it...

And that he had to be punished.

The evil man said nothing, but came into his home, not seeing Xavia who watched him, clutching _HIS_ hunting knife in her hand, and watching as he moved to get some water.

She jumped on him, the knife digging into his back.

He yelled in pain, the blood spurting out from the wound, and he fell to the floor seeing Xavia standing over him.

"You have called me a thing." Xavia tells him, her eyes filled with hate that pierced the man's dying soul. "Well, tell me. Does a 'thing' feel? Can a 'thing' avenge her parent's deaths?"

She left him to die, his knife in his back.

_..._

_ I was never the same._

_ I wondered the earth, and after awhile, I just got angry._

_ I got angrier and angrier..._

_ It boiled inside me. I was practically a ticking time bomb, ready to go off at anything._

_ I'd get into fights with those kids who thought they were just so great, I'd randomly yell at people when wondered aloud why I looked so angry, and each time, police officers would take me to a psychologist, but they didn't know what was wrong we with me. No one did. I'd just run away. I'd run, and run and run...I never had anywhere to go. I had no home. No family. No one to trust, no one to rely one..._

_ And I just kept getting angrier. _

_ I could barely even stance one human being within a hundred yards of me, I couldn't stand their voices, the sight of them, I just wanted to be alone, where no one could bother me, where I was in complete isolation from human contact whatsoever..._

_ ...I just didn't want to hurt anyone._

_ BJ..._

_ ...You died because of me._

_ Master almost did, but he's better now._

_ ...But still..._

_ You died..._

Xavia stood in a lab, wearing a starch white lab coat over her clothes, and goggles with black lenses that covered her eyes, working with some wires that had electricity crackling through them. They were connected to a mannequin made of more wires, an indestructible alloy, and robotic insides, the power all coming from the same source: a glowing emerald orb that floated in the chest. On the table next to the one that held the mannequin, had an object that was similar in shape and size, covered by a pure white sheet.

Finishing, she fitted a piece of the alloy over the finished wires, the mannequin complete.

_Finally. _She thought, removing her goggles. _This is the nineteen one I've made. _She rested her palms on the table, leaning forward on them as if she were sick. _And each time I've felt terrible. They're resting in peace, but their minds still live... _She looked up. _Have I ever had any right to do this?_

_ ..._

She looked back at the mannequin, the eyes a dull, dark teal.

_...Well, I've toyed with death before._

She then goes to the second table, pulling back the white sheet some to show BJ's face and chest, a bullet hole right over his heart. His skin was cold and his eyes closed, but his tissue had yet to start deteriorating. She fitted an object over his head, which was connected to a super computer, and another object much like it was on the mannequins head.

_You're only twenty-six, you still have your entire life ahead of you. _Xavia thought, looking at the bullet induced wound. _You won't be human, but you'll still be you._

Turning to the super computer, she entered the commands, then pulled a leaver, causing humming to fill the air.

Everything that was stored in BJ's mind, memories, knowledge, skills, even his personality, was then transferred to the computer, analyzed and copied, the copies then sent into the artificial brain of the mannequin.

The humming stopped, the air still.

"..." Xavia said nothing, but felt anxiety flow into her veins as she went to the mannequin, looking at the eyes, which then began to glow. "...BJ?"

"...X...avia?"

He sat up, unaware of what body he was now in, just looking around the room until his eyes fell on Xavia.

"Xavia!" He said again, his voice filled with glee, hugging Xavia and she hugging him tightly. "It's good to see you're okay! What happened? Where are we?"

"We're...We're at my estate." Xavia told him, her voice trembling and about to shed tears of joy. "This is part of the lab."

"Part?" BJ asked, looking around again. "Wow. Must be big."

"Mm-hm." She hummed, nodding. "As for what happened..."

"What _did_ happen?" BJ asks again. "The last thing I remember is Johnson shooting me."

"..." Xavia said nothing, but stepped back from him, then going back over to the second table, pulling back the white sheet again.

"..." Silence.

After a few moments of it, the sound of BJ's footsteps vibrated through the air, he appearing next to Xavia, putting his mechanical hand over the bullet wound in his chest, now noticing his artificial body.

"...I died."

"...Well...technically you're still dead." Xavia tells him. "I didn't bring you back to life, I just took everything stored from your brain and transferred it. After all, when you die, whatever's in your mind doesn't just disappear, right? It's stored in there, so I just figured out a way to take it and put it in your new mind."

"..." Silence.

"...BJ?" Xavia asked, looking up at him. "Please. Don't be angry at me."

"Why should I?" BJ asked her, looking down at her. "You didn't want to lose me, and I'm technically dead, so my soul is resting, but my mind lives on. This is actually incredible, and shows how smart and skilled you are. Why would I be mad?"

"..." Xavia smiled, hugging him, which he does back.

"One question though."

"Yea?" She asked, looking up.

"I'm not going to look like this forever, right?"

_DNA affect what you look like, so I had a holographic cover made which would analyze your DNA, and make you look just like you should, and you could design any clothes you wanted._

_ ..._

_ I wonder if people would called me evil if they knew that I did that._

_ BJ didn't, Bluejay didn't, none of them did._

_ But that still didn't make me feel better._

_ Sure, I was happy you were back, but..._

_ ...I was still angry._

_ It kept building up inside me, threatening to completely consume me, and, like I said, I stayed away from humans as much as possible..._

_ But that didn't work to well._

Pain...

Immense, terrible, pain, like someone was attempting to tear out her stomach.

She forced her eyes open, to find white lights, walls, and sheets covering her legs.

_Where...?_

"Um...hello?" A small voice asked, it sounding unsure. Xavia lolled her head to the side, causing a greater wave of pain, to see a nineteen year old female sitting in the chair, with beautiful emerald eyes and golden hair like rays of sunshine. "How do you feel?"

_...Like death. _Xavia thought, which just made her head pound as if someone was striking it with a hammer, then slipping back into a shallow, nightmare-cursed sleep.

Whenever she woke, the young woman would be sitting next to her, then smile and ask how she felt. While Xavia made no response, the woman would keep talking in the light, angelic voice she had. After several days, when Xavia started sleeping less and the pain started subsiding, the woman would come for about three hours, the entire time of visiting hours, then have to leave again when they were over.

She brought Xavia food when she found out Xavia never ate any of the hospital food, and at this, she had no idea how to react. She refused to eat the hospital food in hopes that the hospital staff would leave her alone, but every day, the woman would show up yet again, bringing her food which Xavia found tasty.

Her name was Sarisa Eastward.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, you've probably been wondering who in the world has been visiting you every day." She said after telling Xavia her name. She keep speaking, asking Xavia if she was alright often, until the visiting hours were over and she had to leave.

After a few of these, Xavia found herself not wanting her to go, the feeling getting increasing strong after each time. Soon, she found herself eagerly waiting for her to come, wanting to hear her speak and see the genuine care in her eyes.

_What am I doing? _She wondered. _...She's growing close to me...No...no! I can't let that happen! I've caused people I love so much pain, some of them being killed, I can't let it happen to her! She's too kind! I...I hate it when people like her are hurt! When people like her are hurt because of people like me, I can't stand it! The guilt is like a mountain crashing down on my shoulders, the sorrow like a tsunami crashing against my frame! _

Tears streamed from her eyes.

_...Why am I cursed?_

_ Why am I cursed so that whom I start to grow close to and cherish is hurt?_

_ ...I can't let you be hurt._

She sat up, stiff and still in pain, then pushed the covers off, pulling her cloths back on, and grabbing her backpack before staggering out of the room, pain erupting in her shoulder as she lost her balance and fell against the wall.

_Dang it. _She thought, forcing herself down the hall. _I hate this. I hate this. I hate this. It's like being drunk buffoon. _Still, she forced herself down the hall with determination, having to knock aside any doctor or nurse that tried to stop her, then finally making it to the front.

"Hey!" The nurse as the desk said in protest. "What're you doing?! You can't just-"

She fell silent as Xavia dumped a handful of small precious gems and gold coins on the counter, having nothing else to pay with, then staggered towards the door, heaving her weight onto it to force it open. Outside were numerous reporters which swarmed around her, cameras flashing and their voice making one big noise of gibberish, which only added to the unbearable ache in her head.

Her field of vision began to waver, getting dark then light, she saw colored orbs that had no place on the plain of existence, things and people doubled, then went back over each other, the world spun rapidly, like is had turned into a living nightmare that made her stomach lurch, wanting to vomit the meager amount of food in her stomach. One reporter grabbed hold of her arm and yanked her towards him, jabbering something she couldn't understand.

The next thing she knew, she was being carried by a sweet-scented person who held her against them as if she were a new born child, looking up to see emerald eyes.

For the first time in the longest while, she felt safe.

"I don't see why you're keeping her here." A voice said with a snobby, scratchy voice with false authority, which roused Xavia from the blissful sleep she had slipped into, her excruciating head ache now reduced to a dull throb.

"The reports swarmed the hospital." Sarisa's voice said. "They wouldn't give her any peace, and she didn't like it there anyways."

"So?! We don't know what she has!"

"Well, I'm not going to let what you think make me turn my back on her! If you don't like her, fine, then just don't interact with her!"

"..." Silence, only to be broken by a door slamming. Xavia forced her eyes open to see sunlight coming through a window, beige walls, wooden floor with a beige carpet, a bed made of dark brown wood with a green blanket covering her, and a green drape above her head, while Sarisa sat in the chair next to the bed.

"I'm sorry she woke you." She said, her voice soft and motherly. "How do you feel?"

"..." Xavia said nothing, but blinked, and enjoyed the feeling of Sarisa's fingers brushing her bangs back over her face. She then rolled on her side, facing Sarisa, and watched her until she drifted back into the restful sleep.

When she awoke, Sarisa was coming into the room with a tray of food, and there was a man sitting in another chair in the room. His long sleeved shirt was green, his hair white with green eyes, and his pants were blue, and a black cane with a silver ring on it leaned against his chair. Sarisa sat next to her, while the man sat silent, watching as Sarisa fed Xavia, she being still too weak to move her arms.

"This is my father." Sarisa said, nodding at the man, who nods as well.

"Pleasure. I hope you're feeling better." He said. Xavia made no reply, but blinked. "Can you tell us what your name is?"

"..." Her gaze went to her back pack, making Sarisa stand an search one of the side pockets, finding an ID card.

"Xavia." She said, then smiling. "That's a lovely name."

And so, Xavia stayed with them.

After having regained enough strength, she kept trying to runaway, only to not get too far before having to rest due to the sickness that sapped her strength, then have Sarisa find her with surprising ease, and take her back to the house. This occurred about five times before Xavia knew that it would be hopeless, and instead sat in the corner, which Sarisa quickly resolved as well.

So, Xavia started following her.

Whenever she left the house, Xavia sat and stared at the door until she returned, she assisted Sarisa with any chores, watching as Sarisa never stopped smiling, and would stop every now and then, then giving her a death hug squealing:

"I LOVE YOU!"

Each time, Xavia felt the fondness for her that she held tightly in her heart grow.

_You just always brightened my day like the sun coming out from the clouds._

_ I don't want to hurt you..._

_ You, or anyone else._

Awakening, she pushes her covers off, stands shakily, then walks to her bathroom, swaying as she walked. She enters, makes her way to the sink, and turns the water one, splashing her face, then looking at herself in the mirror.

_...Why? _She thinks, looking at her reflection. _I can see them when I look in the mirror. Why was I cursed to be a perfect mixture of them? Why was I cursed to feel emotions?! _Her hands harden to fists. _It brings you immense, gleeful joy as boundless as space, then turns the horrid, unbearable bane of you existence in a second! Why do these people insist that I have importance in my life when I don't?! All I've ever been is a burden! All I AM is a burden! I don't deserve this kindness!_

_ ..._

_ ...I don't deserve anything._

She pushes herself away from the counter, then walks out of the room, swaying and slowly, then pushing open the sliding door to the balcony.

_Jets, on._ She thinks, they activating, allowing her to get to the ground with ease, whereupon she continues walking.

* * *

><p>Rupert stirs slightly, having heard something.<p>

_What was that? _He thinks, then standing and opening the door, to see Xavia gone and the sliding door open. His eyes widen, and he breaks into a run, dashing down the hallway into the den, then down the first hall and out the front door, not hearing the others calling his name. _What in the world is she doing?! How did she even lower herself down off the balcony?! _After a minute of running, he finds her walking oddly, swaying back and forth with her pace uneven, wearing her red sleeveless shirt, cargo shorts, boots and her pack hanging from her shoulders.

"Xavia!" He says, running faster, Xavia whirling around in an almost complete circle, her hand raised as fist, which strikes a tree, breaking off a large chunk of wood, sending splinters through the air, she not reacting at all.

"Rupert?" She asks, looking at him, a disoriented expression on her face.

"Yes, it's me." He tells her, approaching. "Where are you going?"

"...I dunno." She tells him. "...Somewhere, I guess."

"Why?"

"..." She looks away, up at the sky. "You almost got hurt because of me. All of you can get hurt because of me, and I don't want that. I don't want anyone innocent to get hurt because of me...I'm so sick of it. They never did anything, they never deserved it; why should they, the innocent, be condemned to pain because of my enemies?" She looks forward. "You were going to be whipped till your back was shredded. Be thankful you've never felt what it feels like."

"...You've been struck like that before?" Rupert asks, horrified.

"..." She says nothing.

"...Xavia?"

"..." She sighs. "...I'm leaving. I've never done anything to earn your kindness, and because of me you were almost put in terrible pain. It'd be better if I left..."

"No!" Rupert says in objection, grabbing her hand. "You don't need to leave! I would have gladly taken your injuries so you wouldn't feel them! Don't worry about us! As for kindness, isn't a human's sole responsibility to extent that towards others?! You've suffered more than any other person I know, and even though I know only a small portion of your background, I don't mind that! I don't care if I'm put in danger or harmed, the greatest pain I could feel is you leaving! Please, you have to stay!"

"..." She pulls her hand away. "...Please don't make it harder." Slowly moving forward, she keeps her eyes trained at the ground, pain filling Rupert's cheat with each beat of his heart.

_No...No, she can't leave! _He thinks. "Xavia, do you want to leave?! What about Sarisa?! You're and she are closer than sisters! How-"

"_LEAVE ME BE!_" Xavia roars, whirling around and shoving him with such force that he flies back, then lands with a dull thud on the ground. "Don't you think I thought of that?! This hurts me terribly, having to leave, but nothing will match to the guilt I will bare if one of you is hurt because of me! Don't you think I've felt it before?! The feeling of my heart being torn from my chest and shredded before my very eyes by the cruel humor of some evil-corroded human?! I can't stand anything of the sort anymore! I'd rather suffer that then bear the burden of more deaths!" She turns again, walking.

"..." Rupert says nothing, but pushes himself up, a horrid, bitter stinging in his chest. He looks down, his bangs shading his eyes, and turns, very slowly walking...

_"Father?" A little, six-year-old Rupert asked, he and Mr. Regius walking down a corridor. _

_ "Yes Rupert?" His father asks, looking down at him._

_ "Why don't you allow me to interact with others?" _

_ "Well Rupert," Mr. Regius started, putting his hand on his son's shoulder. "there are dangerous people out there, and I don't want you hurt by them. Besides, Fossil Battles are much more fun, don't you think?"_

_ "...But...what about the nice people?" Rupert asked. "You always said Mother was a nice person, so what if I met people like her? Could I be friends with them? I'd like that. I'd have people to grow up with...I don't want to die alone."_

_ "..." Mr. Regius said nothing, but slowed his pace to a stop, then hugging his small son. "...No one should die alone. No one deserves to be alone."_

Rupert stops, then whirls his head around, looking at Xavia.

_You don't deserve to be alone._

The next thing he knew, he was next to her and hugging her, both of them not moving.

"Just because you worry about us doesn't mean you have to leave." He tells her. "Just because someone is attacked by your enemies doesn't mean that it's your fault, it was their decision, their choice." Xavia opens her mouth to say something. "And don't say you're a burden."

"..." She closes her mouth, shock in her eyes.

"You've never been a burden. Never have, never will." He continues. "Xavia, you're the grandest blessing any person on the plain of existence could receive, and if that be false, may my heart stop. But until it does, I want us to be together, to have adventures and share laughs; to be able to look back at times like this when we're older, and cherish them. If I knew everyone in the world, and I had to choose one person to spend my whole life with," He hugs her tighter. "I would choose you."

"...Rupert..." Xavia says, leaning on him, exhausted. "...I wanna go home..." Her voice was quiet, and shaking.

"Anything you want." He tells her, then getting her in a fireman carry, walking back towards the house. She held onto him, silent, while idle tears ran down her face. "...May I inquire the presence of your tears?"

"...You're like Sarisa in a sense." Xavia tells him. "She can read me like an open book in the simplest form of the simplest language, while everyone else sees me as book written in the most complex, forgotten, and entirely impossible language to do anything with...You're half and half." The words made him smile. "And...I'm shocked really; there's no other way to describe it. You knew I was going to say I'm a burden."

"Well, you're not." Rupert tells her. "And I don't want you to say you are. There are plenty of people out there willing to do that for you, but their words have no meaning. Two people exist in this world: those who will wish misery upon you, and those who sincerely love you and enjoy your presence. The only ones that matter are the latter." He turns his head to look at her, seeing she had her jaw on his shoulder, her head tilted to the side, watching him with her beautiful brown eyes. _Such beautiful eyes..._ He thinks, then - acting a bit boldly - kissing her cheek. Her skin was cool, soft and smooth, making his face heat up, he looking back forward, quickly.

"..." Xavia says nothing, but hugs him tighter, silence then dominating the air for a few moments. "...The last male who kissed my cheek was BJ."

"Really?" Rupert asks, a bit surprised.

"Mm-hm." She says, nodding a bit. "He's like Parker in a way."

"...May I confide in you?"

"Yep. What is it?"

"...Well...Parker, he doesn't seem like too good of a sibling. I've only seen him once, and you two don't seem very close."

"He travels a lot." Xavia tells him. "He's an architect, so he has to travel to where ever he's designing the building. He never really knows what's going on in my life unless I tell him."

"He doesn't ask?"

"Well, he says my life is my own. If I feel like telling him, he'll listen, and if I don't, he won't press me for it."

"...Where was he when you were healing?"

"Home. A few days after I started staying with Sarisa, he showed up and he was going to take me home, but after he saw how well I was doing, they decided it was better if I stayed with Sarisa for awhile. He said 'I can't help her'. The best he could do was let me be with Sarisa a while longer. As you know, he sister hates me, her mother like me, and her father spent a lot of time with me. He's a nice man."

"He sounds like it." Rupert tells her.

"..." Silence.

"...Could I please walk now?" Xavia asks.

"No. You're still weakened from your wounds." Rupert tells her. "I promise you, when you can't walk on your own, I'll be willing to carry you."

"...What if you're not strong enough?"

"Then I'll be willing to lay down next to you." He tells her.

* * *

><p>Later that day...<p>

I lay down on a sofa, sleepy. Everything's been sorted out, the Koi Klan has been arrested, and now, we can have a REAL vacation, so, I've decided I'll start mine with a nap, sleep taking me quickly...

_I'm on a stage, wearing a suit, and holding a microphone in my hand, looking at the audience. Music starts._

_ "I am really special 'cause there's only one of me! Look at my smile, I'm so dang happy, other people are jealous of me! When I'm sad and lonely, I like to sing this song. It cheers me up and shows me that I won't be sad for long! OH! OH! OH! I'm so HAAAAPPY, I can barely breathe! Puppy dogs, sugar frogs, and kitten's baby teeth! Watch out all you haters, I'm happy it's hardcore, happy as a coupon to a twenty dollar store! OH OH, OH! I am really happy, I'm sugar-coated me! Happy - good, Anger - bad, that's my philosophy!"_

_ Music plays, and I look over at a guy watching me from behind the curtains. _

_ "I can't do this man, I'm NOT happy." I tell him._

_ But, the look on his face says 'DO. IT. OR I'LL EAT YOUR SOUL.'_

_ "I am really special cause there's only one of me! Look at my smile, I'm so dang happy, other people are jealous of me! These are my fists and this is my foot, if you hit me on the head then, IMMA GONNA KNOCK YOU OUT! I am special, I am happy, I am gonna heave! Welcome to my happy world now get your stuff and leave! I'm happy! I'm good! I'm...I outta here!" I the yell at the guy behind the curtain. "SCREW YOU!"_

_ And with that, I run off stage, throw open the door, jump onto an ostrich, put on a space helmet, yell "Let's go!", the ostrich then screeching like a sea gull, diving into an ocean, then flying out of the water, and into the sky._

I sit up with a start, getting Todd's attention.

"What's wrong, Red?"

"...I had a very strange dream.."

* * *

><p><strong>AN- FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINAAAAAAAAAAA AAAALLLLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYYYY YYYY! ...Oi. I'm sorry how long this took. I suffered from extreme motivation blocks, and I got addicted to playing Fable III...ugh.<strong>

**Obsidianblack: Thank you for the review.**

**mysterydude123: I'm not dead...I'm AWESOME! :D**

**Omniverse: That's good to hear. :D**

**I type weird wor: ...Um... what?**

**Supernoah95: Nope. Bluejay and Mathew are two different peoples. :3**

**Casey: The world works strangely.**

**Monica: Thank you! :D Of course you're not too old! Anyone who wishes to read this story may read it!**

**BloodLily16: *le sigh* Indeed it would be, my friend...And yes, Bluejay is...well, he's like BJ.**

**DunalN2: NOW 80 CHAPTERS! :D**

**SACHEL ROCKS: Your question of the chapter's focusing on Xavia will be answered shortly. As for everything else, please let me just write the story. T-T**

**Gunsandgames: WHAAAAAAAAAA? Why?**

**DigitalEmperor001: Yup. I never have a lot of homework.**

**fossilfighter1313: YES! :D As for why he was unharmed, he's like BJ. He was a human who died and Xavia extracted everything from his brain and transferred it to a highly advanced robot.**

**Okay, to everyone who's mentioned Xavia being the focus right now, you guys gotta know something: Her past actually affects the entire story a lot more than you know. I wanted to put in a few chapters that showed a small amount of her capabilities, and gave some insight to what her life was like. I was a bit rushed since y'all have been wanting updates, so I didn't get everything in that I wanted to.**

**But trust me, she affects the story a LOT.**


	81. Relaxation

**AN-I'm going to try to get this up fast!**

**Red: Magma doesn't own FF & FFC**

* * *

><p>Chapter Eighty-One - Relaxation<p>

We enter the restaurant, all of us hungry. After a minute of waiting, we're taken to our table, and are looking at the menus.

"Oh wow." Xavia says, then looking at Joe. "They have cowboy cut steaks here! Perfect for you, eh cowboy?"

"I'm sure I can eat that much." He says.

"I bet I could to." Xavia tells him.

"Is that a challenge?" Kaze asks her.

"Do it boss!" Cole urges.

"Ya crazy?! She'll eat that thing in one bite, I bet'cha!" Joe tells him.

"Well, even I have limits on how much I can eat." Xavia tells him. "After all, your stomach's bigger than mine due to age, and, think of all th' stuff I've done to you. Remember the money-scented cologne? Don't you want to get revenge on me for it?"

"..." Joe sits there, and I can tell he's tempted.

_'Is it just me, or does she want him to enter the bet?' _Flamethrower says.

_'She wants to pummel him in it.' _Air Strike says. _'After all, she's Xavia. she couldn't lose even if she tried.'_

_ 'But remember what she said.' _I tell him. _'Even she has her limits.'_

_ 'And Joe's stomach is probably bigger than hers.' _Cloud Cover says. _'She made another point there...But I feel like there's and untoward reason for this...'_

_ 'Wait and watch.' _I tell them, leaning back in my chair.

"What're you guys gonna go for?" Todd asks.

"Well, let's see..." Xavia says, then smiling. "Joe, if I win, you have to dance the Cotton-Eyed Joe for us ten times."

"...And if I win?" He asks.

"..." We're silent.

"...I have an idea." Sarisa says.

"I have a feeling you're thinking about what I'm thinking about." Xavia says.

"What's the idea you have, Sarisa, digadig?" Pauleen asks. Sarisa pulls out a pen and paper, writes something on it, then hands it to Joe.

"..." He says nothing, but looks at her, then at Xavia, a big grin on his face. "Alrighty, I'll take ya up on that bet!"

"I knew this would happen..." Xavia says. The waiter comes by, takes our orders, and leaves us to wait.

_'...I have the feeling of eyes boring into me.' _I say.

_'What?' _Cloud Cover asks. I lift up my spoon, running my thumb over it, as if to check it to see if it's clean, seeing a reflection of a person holding their menu in their face, two eye holes in it.

"I gotta go to the bathroom. Be right back." I say, standing up.

"Don't get kidnapped." Rupert tells me.

"You're one to talk." I joke, making him smile. I look back forward, and keep walking, then coming to the two person booth, sitting in the seat opposite of the watcher. "Hello, can I help you?" They drop the menu, and I blink with surprise.

I'm practically looking at my reflection.

The only difference is that their hair roots are black, showing they bleached their hair, and their eyes are light blue and shaped differently. Well, their eyes are light blue from contacts.

"...Oh my goodness." They say, utter glee in their voice. "It's you! You're talking to me!"

"...Yes. Yes I am." I say, still looking at them. They're even wearing the same cloths, and a fake medallion. "Uhm...Where did you get that?" I ask, pointing at it.

"Oh, this?" He asks, looking at the medallion. "Don't ya know? They're making all sorts of stuff related to you!"

"...Seriously? Why wasn't I notified of this?" I ask.

"I don't know. Don't you watch the news?"

"Well-"

"Of course you don't! What a silly question, you're Red Broke! You don't need to watch the news, the news comes to you!"

"...Well, I don't watch the news since I don't watch TV a lot." Their smile is creeping me out.

"Oh...I see." They say, nodding. "Uh, you don't mind if I ask you for an autograph, do you?"

"Oh, not at all!" I tell him with a smile, which suddenly makes him freak out from happiness.

"Your smile! I wish I had it!"

"...Alrighty then." I say, my smile having disappeared.

_'Rabid fan.' _Flamethrower says.

_'Close.' _Air Strike tells him. _'STALKER fan.'_

_ 'Ooooh, those are bad.' _Cloud Cover says. _'Careful Red.'_

_ 'Will do.' _I tell her. He hands me a sheet of paper, which I take. "What's your name?"

"Ralf." He tells me. "It's not as cool as your name though. After all, the color Red can signify a lot of stuff, ya know, like the love you have for everyone even if they are villains. You never trash talk to them, never degrade them, and I really think that's one of the coolest parts about you. Then, there's also blood, and you shed some of that when you fought ZZ, and-OH!" The exclamation makes me jump some, I having autographed the paper, and holding it to him. "Can I see the scar? I heard you got one and I'd like to know if it's true."

"...Sure." I tell him, he taking the paper with utter delight. Brushing my bangs back, he sees the scar Zongazonga gave me.

"Ouch. Did it hurt?" He asks.

"Yep." I tell him, then fixing my hair.

"Oh, uh, could I get a picture of you?"

"Sure." I tell him, he then taking out his cell phone. I smile, he takes the picture, then putting his phone away. "By the way, do you need those contacts?"

"...How do you know- No, wait, you're Red Broke, of course you'd know!" He says, lightly face palming.

"Well, it's just colored contacts, you're able to see the little squares. Real eyes don't have those."

"Ah. Well, yeah." He tells me, nodding rapidly. "I used to have glasses, but then I got these contacts."

"...I see..." I tell him. "What color are your eyes?"

"Amber brown."

"Oh. That's a nice color."

"Well, I wanted deep blue, like yours, but they didn't have those."

"...Why do you want to look like me so much?"

"You're my hero! You selflessly defended the world against an evil skull! You're cooler than that Red Ranger kid, where ever he is!"

_'You know, I seriously wonder how no one's made that connection yet.' _Air Strike says.

_'I know, right?' _I tell him. "How am I cooler? After all, a planet eating alien with only one weakness, but is still near impossible to defeat."

"Well, no one knows where he is, and you're probably a lot more powerful than him with your super evolved team, and you're just...it's hard to describe, but there's just this...AIR around you that makes me want to respect you from the sheer awesomeness!"

"...Hmm..." I hum. "...I have the feeling you wish you were me."

"Well, yeah!" He tells me. "You're awesome, you're powerful enough to stop that ZZ guy, you undoubtedly have hundreds of thousands of fan girls, and...why not?!"

"..." I blink, then rest my arms on the table. "Well, I'll admit, my life is nice. I have everything I need, a house, good friends, but there are things missing from it, and it may not seem like it, but I'm in pain right now. You don't know my whole story, and, well, what's wrong with being yourself? If we were all the same, then the world wouldn't be like this. There's nothing wrong with being an individual, standing out, or anything like that. Be proud of who you are, because no one can do that better than you. My life isn't as glamorous as one may think, and fangirls are _not_ as nice as you may think."

"..." He blinks. "...How is your life not glamorous?"

"The pain." I tell him. "I've had my hurts, and I'll have more no doubt. But, they're what makes you stronger. If you can survive them, then you're that much better. They're not always the easiest thing to overcome, but still. Don't be ashamed of who you are." I smile again, then stand up. "It was nice meeting you."

"You too..." He tells me, I, still smiling, then walking back to the table with my friends. Looking over my shoulder, I see him exiting the restaurant with a man and a woman, all of them smiling. Smiling, I look back forward.

"Whatcha smiling for?" Todd asks me.

"Oh, I'm just happy is all." I tell him.

"Heeeeeey, by the way..." Lola says, looking at Joe. "What do yoooooou get if you win?"

"Heh heh!" Joe laughs. "Ya wanna tell 'er?"

"Fine..." Xavia sighs, rolling her eyes at Joe's smiling face. "Ya see, Sarisa re-packed my bags when I wasn't looking, so, if Joe wins, he gets to choose what I have to wear."

"That's cruel." Cole says as Joe laughs.

"Not reeeeeally..." Lola tells him.

"I'm hungry." Lester randomly says.

"I think Rupert's conflicted on who should win." I whisper to Todd.

"Oh, big time." Todd whispers back. "He doesn't want Xavia to lose..."

"But, he _does_ want to see her in cute outfits." I say, both of us then snickering.

"May I inquire why the two of you are giggling like school girls?" Rupert asks.

"Oh, we can't just have a private joke?" I ask.

"Sorry."

"Oh, no, that's alright."

"Very well then."

"Here comes the food, diga." Pauleen says, Lester perking up. Our waiter arrives, giving us our food, and Joe and Xavia the cowboy cut steaks, which, are very big.

"..." None of us say anything as Joe and Xavia get ready.

_'...Their stomachs are going to explode.' _I think.

_'Oh, big time.' _My team says in unison.

And so, it starts.

A few minutes later...

"Done!"

"Wha?"

"I did it!"

"You finished that giant steak?"

"Yep."

"...Alright." Xavia says, shrugging, while the rest of us sit there, shocked that she lost, while Joe sits there triumphant.

"...She lost..." I say.

"The end has come." Todd says gravely.

"Now, for a cola." Xavia says, taking one out of her back pack and opening it.

"Why?" Kaze asks.

"Well, if you drink something like this after eating a steak, it helps you digest it." She tells him, then drinking some of the dark colored soda. We finish eating, have dessert, then head back to the vacation house after paying. Captain Kirk greets us, and takes us back to the island, we thanking him, then heading back into the house, putting the left over's in the fridge.

"Ah, that was good dinner." I say, sitting on the sofa I napped on earlier.

"Indeed it was." Rupert agrees sitting down next to me, Todd doing the same.

"You said it." He agrees. We sit there silent, relaxing, when I start to drift to sleep.

* * *

><p>I sit up, in bed at the Base.<p>

"What the what?" I ask, looking around. I'm still in my vacation cloths, making me push the covers off and stand up, looking around the room then exiting it. "Todd?"

"..." No answer.

"Todd!" I call, going down the hall to his room, and opening the door to see the room empty and bed made.

"..." I say nothing, but shut the door, then go down stairs. "Hello?" I ask. "...Guys, are you giving me this dream?!"

"..." No answer. "...Air Strike? ...Cloud Cover? ...Flaaaaamethroooower? Lullaby? Water Logged? Hot Head? Lava Bite? ...ANYONE?!"

"..." Still no answer.

"...Strange..." I say, then going over to the fridge. Opening it, I see that it's filled with triple chocolate cheesecake. "...Sweet!" I say, perking up and grabbing a slice. Shutting the fridge, I turn around then jump back and yell, seeing Rosie sitting at the counter.

"Can I have a slice?" She asks.

"HOW DID YOU GET HERE?!" I ask. The floor beneath me disappears, I falling down into a tunnel.

"WOOOOO!" I hear someone behind me say, making me look to see Nevada sliding down the tunnel as well. "We'll cut off the BB Bandits for sure!" She tells me, I suddenly then taking a sharp turn, then tumbling out of the tunnel on to the ground. It's soft from the carpet, and I push myself up to see I'm in a room lit with sunlight that comes from nowhere and is made of wooden planks, a single window on the opposite side.

"...I'm dreaming." I realize, then standing up and going to the window. Todd stands there, at a counter with Pauleen next to him, he mixing something in a bowl.

"So, what do I add now?"

"Dig, digadig." Pauleen says. "Diga, digadigadig, digadig. Diga diga, digadig."

"Oh. Okay." Todd tells her, then putting a cup of flour into the bowl.

"Todd?" I ask. "What is he making? A cake?"

"THECAKEISALIE!" I hear my voice say incredibly fast.

"What?!" I exclaim, looking around. "...Weird." Turning back to the window, I open it, climbing into the room, which is upside down, making me fall...up, I think.

"Red!" Todd exclaims, looking at me.

"Hey bro." I tell him, standing.

"Ah, dude! Am I glad you're here!" He says, walking over to me while I dust myself off. "This is wacko weird dream, Red!"

"I'll say." I tell him. "I woke up in the base, went downstairs and the fridge was filled with triple chocolate cheesecake! Then, I turned around and Rosie was sitting at the counter, then I was sliding down a tunnel with Nevada right behind me telling me we were going to beat the BB Bandits, then I went into a different tunnel, and popped out in the room right next to his one! Then I came through the window."

"I saw that last one." Todd tells me. "I woke up in the tent we shared while we were camping, and when I stepped out, I was in the Digadig Village! Then Pauleen walked up to me, and all she was saying was 'Diga', 'Digadig' and basically just that, and I somehow understood what she was saying, so I followed her into another tent, and we came here! Then, she told me to start making a cake."

"THECAKEISALIE!" My voice suddenly says, A blue tinted me suddenly flashing across my vision, Todd and I shrieking in terror and falling down.

"RED, WHAT THE HECK?!" Todd asks me.

"That wasn't me!"

"The dream then?"

"Has to be." I tell him, we then standing up. "So, what should we do?"

"Wait, we're in a dream." Todd says. "And, usually when you realize you're in a dream you wake up, but since we're still asleep and we know we're dreaming, then that means we can do whatever!"

"So...that means..." I start, a plate with triple chocolate cheesecake appearing in my hand, a fork in the other.

"...Seriously?" Todd asks as I start eating.

"What?" I ask. "It's my grandma's recipe! It's good!"

"...Hmmm..." Todd hums, a fork appearing in his hand, and he taking a bite of it, his face lighting up. "That IS good!"

"Yeah!" I tell him, we finishing the cheesecake. "Okay, moving on, while this is awesome, we should probably be moving on..."

"Yeah." Todd says, looking around.

"Hey, if we're both in this dream, do you think Rupert is?"

"I dunno."

"Yeah...We should probably find him."

* * *

><p>With Rupert...<p>

Rupert looks over the rock he hid behind, seeing Red and Todd sitting at a fancy tea table in fancy dresses and wigs, talking with accents. He then turns, walks forward a few steps, and looks over more rocks, seeing Red and Todd on a stage wearing red show girl out fits with green feathers, red heels, and red circlets with green feathers, talking to each other. **(REFERANCES! XD)**

"..." Rupert then sits down, hugging his knees to his chest. "Why must I have the disturbing dreams?" He asks miserably.

* * *

><p>Back with Red and Todd...<p>

Todd and I look around the room, trying to find a way out.

"Wait, can't we just make one?" I ask.

"...Hey, yeah!" Todd says. "Door, appear!" He says, pointing at a wall, making a door appear.

"HOORAY!" We cheer in unison, opening the door and stepping onto empty space, falling onto a water slide, which we gleefully enjoy, until at the end, in which we fly up into the air.

"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Todd yells, both of us hugging each other, yelling in terror, when we land on top of a hot air balloon, bounce off it, then fall into a lake, sinking to the bottom which then flips over to become the top, gravity repelling us, making us fly up into the air, then pulling us, making us fall back towards the ground, landing on something soft.

"Why am I always hit on by the boys I never like?" We hear someone sing, a girl's voice filled with sass. I lift my head, seeing Todd and I are - somehow - under a bed.

"Come on." I whisper, we then army crawling up to the edge, seeing Magma and Icy standing there.

"I can always see them coming from the left and from the right~" Icy sings.

"I don't mean to be priss, I'm just trying to polite, but it always seems to bite me in the-"

"Ask me for my number, yeah you put me on the spot," They sing in unison. "You think that we should hook up, but I think that we should not!"

"You had me at 'Hello', then you opened up your mouth, and THAAAAT is when it started going south!"

"Get your hands off my hips! 'Fore I punch you in the lips, stop your staring at my-HEY! Take a hint, take a hint!"

"Who are they?" Todd whispers.

"Their names are Magma and Icy." I tell him. "They're pretty cool. I had dream with them in it once."

"HELLO!" They yell, flipping the bed off of us, then pick us up and giving us death hugs.

"Would either of you like a Pina Colada?" Icy asks.

"Uhm, that has alcohol in it." Todd tells her.

"Oh, not ours, we make it without that!" Magma tells him.

"LET'S GO!" They both say, then throwing us out the window, Todd and I again falling, then sliding down the gigantic leaves, which allow us safe passage to the ground.

"..." We say nothing, but we're on something soft, but prickly, hugging.

"...Are we dead?" Todd asks.

"I don't think so." I say, opening an eye to see the underside of a roof, which is high up and oddly shaped. Having to make Todd sit up as well, I sit up to see we're in a barn, on top of a haystack. "We're in a barn."

"Oh." Todd says, opening his eyes and looking around, then stopping. "Hey, look!" I look at where he's pointing, and I almost fall off the haystack from shock.

There I stand about six foot six, about twenty one years old, wearing a dark grey leather coat with a grey v-neck shirt with light grey around the collar, and dark grey cargo pants with grey boots.

"...That's me..." I say, shocked.

"...How did you get so tall?" Todd asks.

"No idea." I answer. Joe suddenly appears, looking about eighteen. He has pretty much the same outfit and hair, except for his coat which is black on the shoulders and top half of the sleeves while the rest is brown, is zipped up half way, and stops at his hip. "Joe? Why...He looks younger."

"Yeah..." Todd agrees.

The twenty-one-year-old me then goes on to tease the eighteen-year-old Joe, who gets mad, and denies what every the twenty-one-year-old me says. **(MOAR REFERANCES! XD)**

"...This is weird." I say.

"Yep." Todd agrees, the hay stack we're sitting on then collapsing, Todd and I hugging again as we fall, then slow down, softly landing on the ground beneath us.

"..." I open my eyes to see a strange sky, which has sunset colors swirling in circles as dots, but is lit with mid-day sun light and the ground is white. "...This is seriously getting weird."

"...OH yeah..." Todd says, both of sitting up. We then hear yelling, making us look over our shoulders to see a tunnel open up, and Rupert fall out of it, the tunnel then closing.

"RUPERT!" Todd and I say in unison, I picking him up off the ground and then setting him on his feet.

"It's good to see you! We were looking for you!...Sorta, I guess." I tell him.

"...What?" He asks, puzzled. Todd goes on to explain all the things that have happened to us - leaving out Rosie - Rupert unsure of how to react at the end of it. "...Well, that's quite the tale."

"Yep." I say, nodding. "But, WE'RE ALL IN THE SAME DREAM?!"

"Yeah we are!" Todd tells me, huge smiles of glee on our faces.

"THIS IS AWESOME!" We say in unison, throwing our fists in the air.

"Can you two take this seriously?!" Rupert asks.

"..." Todd and I hang our heads, sad looks on our faces.

"...Alright. I'm sorry I yelled." Rupert sighs.

"It's okay!" Todd and I say in unison with glee.

"But you're right! We need to take this seriously!" I tell him.

"Thank you." He says.

"Now if we only knew more about this place..." Todd says.

"If Xavia were here, she could help." I tell him.

"Actually, if we could get to the dreamscape I just came from, we could talk to her." Rupert tells us, Todd and I then looking at him, surprise on my face and realization on Todd's

"Really?" I ask.

"Ooooooh..." Todd says, then smiling. "Make-out dream?"

"..." Silence fills the air, Rupert's face turning red.

The next thing I know, I'm rolling around on the ground, holding my sides as I laugh like my lungs are going to pop out of my mouth, and Rupert's strangling Todd, who's waving his arms around frantically.

"HOW DARE YOU ACCUSE ME OF DOING SOMETHING SO LOW!" Rupert yells at Todd, very mad.

"Red! Help me!" Todd yells, fear and desperation in his voice, making me stand, take Todd from Rupert's hands, and set him down next to me.

"Okay, now, Todd made his comment, Rupert had his reaction and I had my laugh, so let's find that way out of here."

"He's right." Todd, who stands behind me with his hands on my arm, says.

"Indeed..." Rupert says, then looking around. "However, this can't be some dream that came from the blue if we're all in here together, so we must have to do something in order to leave."

"Hmm...Good point, but-" My words are stopped as the ground under us collapses, making all of us fall, Todd and Rupert hugging me and I getting my arms around them as we falling, yelling at the tops of our lungs.

* * *

><p>Yelling, Todd, Rupert and I lunge face first into the carpeted floor, making Cole scream, Joe jump off the lawn chair he was lounging on outside, Lester fall over, Sarisa look at us really fast, and Xavia just looks up from her HGS.<p>

"What the heck?!" Lester asks us, Cole clutching his heart, Joe coming inside from the deck, and Xavia going back to her game.

"We just had...the weirdest dream ever." I tell him.

"Yeah! We kept falling, then we'd land on something, then we'd fall again, gravity was all messed up and we kept yelling!" Todd says.

"..." Silence.

"...What in tarnation did y'all eat?" Joe asks.

"I doubt it was a normal dream, so it wasn't caused by the consumption of food." Rupert tells Joe, standing up. The door bell rings, making us look at the hallway to the front door in unison.

"...I got it!" I say, jumping to my feet and heading down the hall, then opening the door. Standing there is a man somewhere in his mid-seventies, with white hair in a neat business cut, a red tie, black dress shirt and white suit with black dress shoes. In his hand is a dark colored oak cane with a golden handle.** (He's one of closed-eye characters)**

"..." He smiles. "Hello, young man. Is Xavia Adven here?"

"...Yes sir." I tell him. His smile widens some.

"'Sir'." He says. "You're folks brought you up right, they did." The comment makes me smile, then look back down the hall.

"Xavia!" I call. "There's a man here asking for you!" After a second, she appears in the archway at the end.

"_MASTER~!"_ She suddenly says with immense glee, darting right past me to where there's practically a blast of air that hits me, she hugging the man who hugs her back. "MASTERMASTERMASTER!"

"It's good to see you too Xavia." He tells her.

A few minutes later...

"So how's you business going, Master?" Xavia asks, sitting cross legged next to him, smiling and talking to him, while the rest of us sit and watch him, his name being Mathew, drink some herbal tea.

"Good, good." He tells her. "How's your adventures been going?"

"Great!" Xavia tells him.

_'I wonder what his business is.' _I think.

_'Why don't you ask?' _Flamethrower asks.

_'He and Xavia are catching up.' _I tell him. _'It'd be kinda rude.'_

"Did ya get the email I sent you about the camping trip?" Xavia asks.

"That I did." Mr. Mathew tells her. "Very cleaver how you were able to figure out such a mystery."

"Well, I didn't do it alone." Xavia tells him. He smiles, then reaches into his coat and pulls out a sphere with red wrapping, which he gives to Xavia. "Thank you!" She tells him with a smile, then unwrapping it to show a chocolate candy, which she then puts in her mouth.

"Would you four like one?" Mr. Mathew asks, holding four out to Todd, Pauleen, Rupert and I.

"Thank you, sir." I tell him, accepting one.

"Thanks." Todd tells him.

"Thank you, digadig." Pauleen says.

"Thank you Mr. Mathew." Rupert tells him. I put mine in my mouth, it turning out to be a truffle with an even smoother chocolate on the inside. "Sir?"

"Yes, Rupert?" Mr. Mathew asks.

"May I inquire why you carry chocolate truffles in your coat pocket?" Rupert asks him.

"Oh, just to give to any children I meet." He tells Rupert.

"Master loves kids." Xavia tells Rupert, Mr. Mathew patting her head.

"My business if for them, actually." He tells us. "We study the physical and mental development of children, childhood diseases and the cures for them, how the genetics will affect them later in life, and such things."

"When'd you start the business?" Cole asks.

"After the Klan Incident." Mr. Mathew tells us.

"'Klan Incident'?" Kaze asks.

"Yes." Mr. Mathew tells him. "It was when Johnson overthrew my and turned it onto the dark path. It was one in the morning when it started, all of us asleep. He had made some of the men evil, so they roused themselves and they started taking over. We tried to fight back, but they had stashed away weapons and ammunition, so we had little that we could use. Johnson burst into my room and shot at me like a terrified madman, I'm still surprised he didn't kill me, but...oh, BJ had it worse."

"BJ?" Rupert asks. "Johnson mentioned him when I was kidnapped. He said he killed him."

"I told you, that didn't happen." Xavia tells Rupert.

"She's right." Mr. Mathew says. "He was, however, fatally wounded, so it looked like Johnson had killed him. But, thanks to Xavia here, he's a healthy man now." He looks at Xavia. "By the way, how is he?"

"He's doing great!" Xavia tells him.

_'Eh?' _I think.

_'What's wrong Red?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'You didn't see that?' _I ask.

_'See what?' _Air Strike asks.

_'You know how when two people look at each other and they seem to exchange an unsaid comment, question or answer?' _

_ 'Yeah.'_

_ 'I think I just saw one...' _

"That's good to hear." Mr. Mathews tells Xavia, then looking at his watch. "Oh, dear. I'm afraid I have to leave. My plane leaves in a few minutes."

"Master..." Xavia says sadly.

"I'm sorry; I just wanted to check up on you." He says, patting her head, then standing, Xavia helping him to. "But it was very nice meeting all of you."

"Thank you for coming, Master." Xavia tells him.

"You're welcome." He tells her. "It's good to hear he's finally been taken down." He smiles more. "I'm sure your parents would be proud." The comment makes Xavia smile.

Later...

"Why exactly do you call him 'master'?" Todd asks. We're assembled in the living room, Cole, Lester, Todd and I playing poker with candy in the middle of the table, Joe's stretched out on a sofa, Sarisa, Rupert and Xavia are reading, Kaze's asleep in a bean bag while, unknown to him, Lola makes a braid in his hair **(please don't hate me Wing!) **and Pauleen is trying a game on Xavia's HGS.

"Well, he taught me some stuff." Xavia answers. "He's a nice man. It's an honor to know him."

"Seems like it." Todd replies, then turning his attention back to the card game. I throw down a winning hand, much to Cole's displeasure.

"How do you keep winning?!" He demands.

"Beginner's luck." I tell him, smiling.

"..." He sits there a second, glaring, then flips the table. "SCREW THIS!" He yells, I laying flat on the ground to avoid the table, which lands next to Kaze who jumps in the air, yelling from surprise then stumbling backwards only to fall over the back of the sofa Joe's on, making him fall on Joe who then jumps into the air, yelling from surprise as well, only to then trip on his own feet, Xavia jumping in the air to avoid him as he crashes face-first into the sofa, which then falls back, Rupert and Sarisa falling off of it.

Meanwhile, Lola's in a daze I'm rolling around, holding my sides and laughing, Cole has a mixture of terror and guilt on his face, Lester's running away with the candy, Todd's staring with surprise, Pauleen's confused, Xavia's laughing hard enough to break a blood vein, Joe's laying on his chest with his feet dangling above his head, and Sarisa and Rupert are still sitting in their seats, blinking with surprise.

_'Chaos, panic, and shock.' _Flamethrower says. _'Red, your job here is done.'_

_ 'Yeah is it!' _I tell him. "Well, I've done enough for the night, so I might as well turn in! But before that..." I grab the table, put it back in place, help Joe up, assist him and Cole in putting the sofa back, then head down the hallway to my room, and go to bed.

* * *

><p>Later that night...<p>

Rupert sits up, unable to sleep.

_Ugh...finally a day with no insanity, and yet I'm unable to sleep. _He thinks, pushing the covers off. _Well, we didn't quite do anything to use any energy, so that may be why. We should go to the beach again. All the swimming would tire us, and allow sleep to come faster. _Exiting his room, he goes down the hall into the living room, moon light from the almost-full moon coming through the windows. He continues, going down the front hall and turning into the kitchen, then going to fridge and opening it, seeing a triple chocolate cheesecake Red had made early.

_It's amazing Lester hasn't eaten it all. _He thinks, getting a small piece and shutting the fridge, eating it as he went back down the hall to the living room, Xavia then suddenly entering his mind.

_Strange..._ Turning his head, he looks at the arch that led to the girl's rooms. _People don't enter your mind for no reason. _He turns, then continues walking, going down the hall and stopping outside of Xavia's room. Hesitantly, he knocks on the door, not getting answer. Thinking for a second, he opens the door slightly, looking in the room to see her in her bed, curled up on her side.

_I'm not sure why I thought of you so suddenly, I suppose my sub conscious was harboring some concern for you that was suddenly released. _Rupert thinks, watching her. He then notices she was curled up rather tightly, making him quickly and quietly enter and go over to the side of the bed to see she had one hand under her pillow, while the other clutched the top side of it, looking like that part of it would be torn off if she tightened her grip. Her brow was creased and dotted with sweat, her teeth were bared in a scowl, and she shook slightly.

_She's having a nightmare._ He realizes, pity and concern then filling him. _What should I do? She'll no doubt be infuriated with me if I wake her since she has no idea of my presence, and I'm not so sure about disturbing Sarisa, though-_

"..." Xavia murmurs something, Rupert unable to make any words.

"...What?" He whispers, quiet.

"...Sh-shadows..." She murmurs, her voice shaking.

_Shadows? _Rupert wonders. _I doubt she has Sciophobia, and she's never shown any Lygophobia... _"Shadows?"

"Shadows..." Xavia says again.

"What shadows?" Rupert asks.

"The Shadows..." She murmurs.

"What about them?" Rupert asks, crouching next to bed, his eyes trained on her.

"They're everywhere." Xavia answers, still in her nightmare-cursed state. "Everywhere...To my left, to my right, in the ground and in the sky..." She shivers, then curls up even tighter. "Don't you feel them? They're in your mind, trying to rip your consciousness to shreds and make you a dark husk to they can use you to sow terror..."

The words made Rupert shiver.

"...I don't see any." He whispers.

"They're there..." Xavia tells him.

"...Where?" Rupert asks.

"Th-they..." She starts to take a gulp of air, only to then choke, alarming Rupert, right before her eyes spring open, her eyes dilated, and suddenly shooting up. "THERE!" She screams, Rupert jumping back, seeing her slashing the air around her hysterically with a knife that had an eight inch, razor sharp blade. "Don't you see them?! Don't you see them?!" She yells, Rupert starting to panic, fear of her harming herself.

"Xavia! It's alright! The shadows aren't here!" He says.

"..." Xavia stops, the knife above her head. Her bangs messily fell over the left side of her face, only allowing Rupert to see her right eye, which was filled with such terror that he felt as if he shared it, her face had drained of color, and she panted. Her pajamas, a baggy red shirt and long black pajama bottoms, were wrinkled from being curled up in a ball for so long.

"It's alright." Rupert tells her again. "The shadows aren't here."

"..." Xavia's hands shake some, then let the knife fall from her hands, falling onto the blanket, while she fell off the bed, going forward so that she hugged Rupert as if he were the only thing in existence. "The screams. The thrice-cursed screams. I want to stop..." Her voice sounded so unlike hers, so...

So broken and scared.

"They won't stop. Father, I want them to stop." She continues.

_...What? _Rupert thinks, processing what she had just said. Timidly, he hugs her, one of his hands stroking her long hair. "Don't worry. I'll find a way to get them to leave you alone."

"They won't..." Xavia chokes. "They scream because of me. I didn't stop him, so The Shadows were able to get them."

"It's not your fault." Rupert tells her, voice soft. "It was that man's decision. Not yours."

"But I didn't stop him." She says. "It's my fault, Father, it's all my fault. It's all my fault."

"Xavia, don't speak that way." Rupert tells her, brushing her bangs aside, her eyes staring with fear. "You're not that man, and you did your best. So long as that's the case, it's not your fault."

"All those people..." Xavia says, still quite and scared. "They're screaming..." She says, her voice shaking more. "They're screaming..."

"It's alright." Rupert tells her, holding her closer, her head under his chin. "...I want to protect you. Other boys wish to win you by saying they _will_ protect you, but I _want_ to protect you. Nothing will ever change that. I promise."

"..." Xavia grips Rupert's red, button-up pajama shirt. "I don't want it to. I like to listen to your heart beat Father...It's strong and courageous."

_That's why. _Rupert thinks, it clicking in his mind. _She thinks I'm him since our heartbeats sound the same. _He hugs her a bit tighter. "It's alright. Rupert's here."

"...Ru...?"

She looks at him, her eyes huge with shock.

_"OHMYSCIENCE!" _She screams with utter shock, jumping back to where she landed on her bed on her feet, then tripping so that she fell off, feet pointing up towards the ceiling.

The scene was so comical, Rupert was about to burst into laughter.

And he was about to, when suddenly,

_"RUPERT, WHAT THE DINO?!" _Xavia yells at him, getting to her feet.

_I'm going to die. _Rupert thinks, the expression on Xavia's face confirming that. "W-w-well, I had a sudden thought of you, so I just thought I'd come check on you, and you were talking of shadows in your slumber, then you said that they were everywhere, then you jumped to your feet welding a knife like a madman, and when I told you there weren't any, you dropped it and hugged me."

"..." Xavia says nothing. "...I thought you were my father for a moment. When I woke from nightmares, he'd say the same things you said." Seeing the knife on the blanket, she picks it up, pulls a sheath for it out from under her pillow, puts it in it, then returns it back under the pillow.

"I'm sorry for surprising you like that." Rupert tells her.

"Well, you should consider yourself lucky." Xavia tells him. "I'm not shocked very often, so seeing something like what just occurred is rare."

"Ah...alright." He says, then noticing something silvery sticking out from under the bed sheets. "What's this?" He asks, grabbing it and lifting it up.

"PUT HIM DOWN!" Xavia suddenly yells, jumping at Rupert, only to have him jump out of the way, seeing what he held in his hands.

A stuffed animal.

It was in the likeness of her Andrarch, Silver Fang, due to its silver fur with a black mane and lines, as well as the brown eyes.

"A stuffed animal?" Rupert asks, surprised, when he then notices Xavia standing there, on the verge of freaking out.

"You're touching him you're touching him you're touching him!" She says quickly, her hands making an odd flapping motion, bent at the elbows so that they were in front of her.

"...Yes..." Rupert says.

"PUT HIM DOWN!" She yells.

"I'm surprised no one's woken up from all the yelling." Rupert tells her.

"Well, true, but, GIVE HIM BACK FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!" She yells again, starting to jump slightly.

"You're not going to throw a tantrum, are you?" Rupert asks, raising an eye brow, a slightly weirded-out expression on his face.

"NO, I'M ABOUT TO FREAK OUT!"

"Why?"

"HE'S THE FIRST TOY I WAS EVER GIVEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE! I'VE HAD HIM FOR FIVE YEARS AND I DON'T WANT PEOPLE KNOWING ABOUT HIM SINCE THEN THEY'D BUG ME ABOUT IT AND THEN I'D HAVE TO BEAT THEM UP SO JUST GIVE HIM BACK! YOU'RE TOUCHING HIM, YOU'RE TOUCHING HIM!"

Worried she would explode somehow, Rupert hands the stuffed toy back to her, she then snatching it from him and hugging it tightly, her nose pressed against it, stroking the mane.

"...Are you alright?" Rupert asks, Xavia nodding.

"Much better." She tells him. "Sarisa gave him to me. I've loved it and I've always slept with it since then."

"Ah...But the first toy in your whole life?" Rupert asks.

"Yep." Xavia says, nodding. "There wasn't a lot of time for playing when I was growing up, and the only toy anyone had in the village was a kick ball."

"Ah..." Rupert says, then looking at the stuffed animal again. He reaches for it.

"_**DON'T TOUCH HIM!"**_ Xavia _screams_, attempting to bite Rupert's hand.

"I'm sorry!" He tells her.

"..." They stand in silence, Xavia hugging the plushie with all her being.

"...You love it very much." Rupert tells her.

"Yep." Xavia says.

"..." A few more moments of silence.

"...I'll...see you in the morning." Rupert tells her.

"Sleep well." Xavia tells him, he leaving the room and returning to his.

* * *

><p>I wake up with sunlight streaming through the windows, refreshed and ready to enjoy the day.<p>

Rolling out of bed, I get dressed, comb my hair, put my goggles in place, then stride down the hall into the living room, seeing Joe, Rupert, Todd, Pauleen, Cole and Kaze up already.

"HELLO, all my beautiful friends~!" I say, a huge smile on my face.

"Well, someone slept well." Rupert says.

"Who made you king of anything?" Cole asks, sitting upside down and looking through a fashion magazine.

"Where have I heard that, digadig?" Pauleen asks.

"A song?" Todd asks, Pauleen then shrugging.

"I see you're still angry that you flipped the table last night." Kaze says, stretched out on one of the sofas, the crook of his arm over his eyes.

"Well, that's in the past, so let's just forget it." I say cheerfully, then lunging forward, doing a cartwheel, pushing myself off the ground and landing in a bean bag chair.

"Ten point lander!" Todd says, holding up ten fingers.

"A perfect twenty, diga!" Pauleen says, holdin up ten as well.

"Thank you, thank you!" I say, standing and bowing. "What shall I do next?"

"Heh heh, y'all havin' fun?" Joe asks, looking at us with his smiling face.

"What make you smile so gleefully, my friend?" Rupert asks, looking up from a book.

"Th' bet." Joe tells him.

"Oh yeah! That starts today, doesn't it?" I ask. Todd and I, somehow, are then standing in front of Rupert, bending at the waist, and looking at his face with our smiling ones.

"...May I request an answer for what you two are currently doing?" He asks.

"Are you eager to see her?" Todd and I ask in unison.

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO IMPLYING WITH THAT INQUIRY?!" He yells, having us by our collars.

"Nothing!" I say, Todd and I putting our hands up innocently.

"Honestly, you two say the strangest statements." Rupert says, releasing us.

"Though, that does bring up a question." I say, my arm around Todd and looking at him, my other hand having the back of it against my hip.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Todd asks, his arms the same and Rupert looking up at us from his book.

"What did Joe exactly make Xavia wear?" I ask.

"Hmmm...That's a good point." Todd says, Joe chuckling.

"Exactly." I say, then dropping my voice. "After all, there's no doubt of how many adorable outfits Sarisa re-packed for Xavia is more than a few."

"True..." Todd says, his voice dropped as well. "Though, the real question is what they look like."

"JOE!" Rupert yells, practically jumping on the man.

"What'cha jumpin' on me fer small fry?" Joe asks.

"..." Rupert says nothing, but then jumps at Todd and I, allowing us to see his face is red. "Will you two stop with your discussion?!"

"But why?" Todd asks.

"Oh, what we're talking about it making Rupert picture Xavia in adorable outfits." I tell him, smiling gleefully.

"THAT IS BLASPHEMY!" Rupert roars.

"This all reminds me of a TV show..." Cole says. "It was about some kind of high school club or something..."

"Hey, diga, yeah! It kinda does!" Pauleen tells him.

"Good morning!" All of us look to see Sarisa coming in, smiling cheerfully.

"Good morning." Kaze says, not looking up or moving his arm.

"Hey Sarisa, Rupert wants to know what Xavia's wearing!" I say, still smiling, only to then have Rupert shake me by my collar viciously.

_"THAT IS BLASPHMY!" _He yells at me again. "How dare you say that I wonder such things!"

"Well, about that..." Sarisa says, making us all look at her. "Joe, be glad I'm here."

"...I don't quite-"

_**"JOE, YOU GOT FIVE MORE SECONDS TO LIVE!" **_Xavia roars, charging into the room and jumping straight at him, knife in hand.

...

And yet, she looks _so __**adorable. **_

Her hair is down, hanging to the small of her back, bangs in the usual style, but the hair on the sides of her head are braided and tied with a small, red ribbon, she's wearing a short sleeved, red collared shirt with buttons going up the front, a blue skirt that falls to the middle of her thin upper legs, with two blue suspenders, and blue shoes on her feet with a small red bow on each, the top of her feet visible.

Anyhow, Joe proceeds to shriek in terror, jump off the sofa he's on, making Xavia crash into it, making it fall over, she then jumping up and going at Joe again, who runs away, jumping clean over the juice bar, Xavia going after him, Joe making a mad dash away, grabbing a bean bag and throwing it at her, only to have her jump over it, then kick another one out of the way, Joe running again, out on to the deck, Xavia going after him, only to have him come running back into the living room from the boy's side after a moment, where upon they run in circles around the living room a few times before Xavia sits down on one of stools at the juice bar, Joe running a few more laps without noticing until Xavia jumps on him, making them fall to the ground.

"SARISA!" Joe yells, terrified.

"Alright Xavia, you've horrified the poor man enough." Sarisa tells Xavia, who then glares at Joe, who's head is stuck in the crook of her elbow.

"Watch yer back, cowboy." She says, releasing Joe, who then jumps behind the nearest sofa, Xavia going over to Sarisa, then bursting into laughter. "But, I must say..." She looks at Joe, still smiling. "I'm surprised you never noticed this was a fake knife!" She holds it up, to show the light doesn't reflect off it quiet right, showing that it's made of plastic.

"...Yer gonna give me a heart attack one day." Joe tells her, still scared.

"Hm...True." Xavia says, then grinning that devious smile she has. "Well, I guess I'll just have to enjoy every moment then!"

"What's with aaaaaaaall the yelling...?" Lola asks, coming in and rubbing some sleep out of her eye, then spotting Xavia. "...You look soooooo cute!" Lola tells her.

"..." Xavia says nothing, but then proceeds to chase her, wielding the toy knife.

And so, our REAL vacation begins.

We run around outside, swim in the ocean, go boating and fishing, have campfires, dance to music, enjoy each other's randomness, tell jokes, sleep late, eat as much as we want working it off through the day, play video games, Pauleen dumps cream potatoes in Cole's hair, all of us laughing as Lester chases him around wanting the potatoes, and have fun.

One night...

We sit around a campfire, talking and eating some campfire food. Joe and Xavia made another bet, which Xavia surprisingly lost, but there wasn't really anything to it. She's wearing a navy sundress with a navy sailor style handkerchief, her hair in a braid and her bangs clipped back with a navy hair clip, Joe chuckling at her.

"If you keep laughing at me cowboy, you'll wake up with all yer clothes missing." Xavia tells him.

"But ya can't do that can ya?" Joe asks. Winning from the bet second bet, Xavia can't do anything Joe, meaning he's almost untouchable right now.

"But I can get someone to do it _for _me." She tells him.

"Xavia..." Sarisa says.

"Yes ma'am."

"Let's not let stuff like that disrupt our peace and quiet." Cole says.

"Yeah, been awhile since things have been quiet." Lester agrees.

"True, but-" I'm cut off when we hear some kind of flash noise, followed by the sound of rolling, making us look to see a person roll out of the jungle, lay there a second, then push themselves up and brush themselves off.

"Stupid teleportation spells!" They say, having a girl's voice. "Really! What did I do wrong _this _time?!"

"...Hi?" Todd asks, making her look at us.

"...Oh...Hi..." She says, then approaching the ring of light from the fire. She looks to be around seventeen or eighteen, has short, black hair with her bangs pulled back, tucked behind her ears, her hair no longer than her jaw. On her head is a golden crest with rubies, her eyes are brown, she has freckles and pink lips light tan skin, a golden object that covers her neck and tops of her shoulders, then arching down to cover her collar bones and upper chest as well, is having a ring of rubies as well, and a purple dress with short sleeves, long skirt, with darker purple around the edges of the sleeves and skirt, as well as around her waist, while at her hip is a satchel with a golden object sticking out of it.

"Who're you?" Kaze asks.

"Me? Name's Alexandria Flage. Call me Camo." She tells us.

"'Camo'?" I ask, blinking.

"It's a nickname." She tells me. "You see, when I was little and played hide-and-seek, I'd always just disappear, so no one could find me since I hid myself so well. Thus, people called me Camo."

"Interesting, digadig." Pauleen says.

"Would you like something to eat?" Rupert asks.

"Ah, yes please!" She tells him, smiling. Xavia and Rupert move down the log they're sitting on, allowing Camo to sit down, then accepting a plate with a cheeseburger on it.

"So where're ya from?" Joe asks.

"Not here." Camo tells him, then taking another bite of her food. "This is really good! Who made this?"

"I did!" I say proudly.

"This is the best burger I've ever eaten!" She says, continuing to eat it.

"What's that golden thing?" Sarisa asks, pointing at the object sticking out from the satchel.

"This?" Camo asks, pulling it out. It's a scepter, it being about one foot long, an emerald at the end of the handle, and the top has a sphere made out of hoops done together, so you can actually see through it, rubies stud the hoops, there's a diamond at the top of the sphere, and a sapphire ring under it. "It's my wand."

"Wand?" Lola asks. "Like, as in, maaaaaaagic wand?"

"Something like that." She tells her.

"Last person I met that could use magic tried to take over my body, took over Joe and Rupert's body, and twisted Todd's mind." I say.

"Ah, don't worry. I'm nice." She tells me.

"That's good." I tell her, smiling.

"What can you do with that?" Todd asks.

"I like to make people laugh with it." She tells him, then pointing at Todd and I. "DNAMMOC I ECNAD EHT OD!"

"...Wha-" Before Todd can finish, my mouth suddenly opens, saying:

"DAAAAAAAY-O!" I say, then clamping my mouth shut, confused.

"...Red...you interrupted me! That's so unlike you!" Todd tells me.

"..." I shrug helplessly. "I...I didn't do that on- DAAAAaaaaAAAY-O!"

"...Red...?" Todd asks, I having my hands over my mouth, and Camo snickering. "Daylight come and me wan' goooo hoooome." He suddenly says, then clamping his hands over his mouth.

"What is this?" Joe chuckles.

"Day! Me say day, me say day, me say day." I continue, not having any control.

"Me say day, me say day-ay-ay-o," Todd says, the expression his face the same as mine. "Daylight come and me wan' go home.

"Work all night on a drink a'rum!" I say, Todd and I the suddenly jumping to our feet, putting our arms above our heads, slowly turning in a circle as our hips slightly shake, the rest of our group bursting into laughter.

"Daylight come, and me wan' go home." Todd and I say in unison, freaking out. "Stack banana till the morning come! Daylight come and me wan' go home." Having turned in a complete circle, we then look in the same direction, then slowly walking that way moving our arms like train wheels and slightly bobbing our heads, then turning and slowly walking back as we keep to the song:

"Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana. Daylight come and me wan' go home. Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana. Daylight come and me wan' go home."

We then stop, look at the fire, then stack our hands on top of the other hand, holding them out at shoulder height, saying:

"It's six foot, seven foot, eight foot, BUNCH!"

We then put one hand over our stomachs, sway stepping to the side and back with our other hands up in the air, shaking, as we say:

"Day light come and me wan' go home."

Doing the hand thing again:

"Six foot, seven foot, eight foot, BUNCH!"

Doing the sway step and one jazz hand:

"Daylight come and me wan' go home. Day, me say day-ay-ay-o, daylight come and me wan' go home. Day, me say day, me say day, me say day. Daylight come and me wan' go home."

Repeating all of the words again, Todd and I suddenly grab hands, dancing with each other in the sway-stepping, while our arms are around each other's shoulders. Meanwhile, Joe, Kaze and Lester have fallen off the logs that they sit on from laughing, Cole's holding his sides and rolling on his back laughing, Xavia's _recording this on her phone, _Rupert's laughing, Sarisa has her hands over her mouth and is laughing, while Pauleen and Lola are laughing so hard, I'm worried they'll pop a blood vein.

Todd and I then jump back from each other, spreading our arms out towards our friends.

"A beautiful bunch, a ripe banana!"

We then do the single jazz-hand sway stepping:

"Daylight come and me wan' go home."

We then pull our hands back, baring our fingers like claws and leaning back:

"Hide the deadly black tarantula!"

Jazz-hand sway stepping:

"Daylight come and me wan' go home."

We then plop down on the log we were sitting on, everyone laughing.

"See?" Camo asks. "I make people laugh!" A purple lavender object suddenly opens behind her, she looking at it, then back at all of us. "Bye, and thanks for the burger." She then sucked into it, disappearing.

"...She was nice." Xavia says, putting her phone away.

THE NEXT DAY...

"Oh, how nice!" I look up from the book I'm reading, stretched out on the sofa I napped on before, to see Sarisa coming into the room with a bouquet of red and white roses.

"Oh, those are nice, digadig!" Pauleen says.

"Who set them?" Rupert asks.

"I'm not sure." Sarisa tells him.

"Is there a card?" Xavia asks from the bean bag she's sitting on.

"Oh! Uh-huh! Right here." Sarisa tells her, handing Xavia the card.

"_'My dear angel, I hope that you like these roses. If you wish to know who I am, wait a day and I will ask you to spend the evening with me. Yours truly, a secret admirer.'_" Xavia reads. "HA! That _he_ thinks that's okay with me! I'm crashing th' date, got it?"

"I love you too, Xavia." Sarisa says, hugging her. Today, Xavia's wearing a red dress with sleeves that stop at the middle of her upper arms, they're like little spheres almost, and the skirt is ruffled, coming to the middle of her upper legs, and a cream yellow apron with ruffles along the straps, a red stripe across the pocket, and a strawberry on the corner. Her hair is tied in a high pony tail with a red ribbon, her bangs clipped back with a hair clip that has a strawberry on it. I notice Rupert's watching them sadly, making me smile.

_'Aww...Little Ru-Ru wants some Xavia love.' _I think, then sliding down to where my head rests on the arm of the sofa. My eyes close, and I drift to sleep...

* * *

><p>Rupert and Xavia laid on their backs, arms behind heads, Xavia looking at the night sky while Rupert watched her.<p>

"The stars are beautiful..." Xavia says, faintly smiling.

_As are you. _Rupert thinks, his face tinted red. "Indeed...Just you and I...Alone...under the stars and moon..."

"Hey!"

The two look around, seeing no one, then look up at the sky to see the moon looking at them, having a happy derp look.

"YOU TWO SHOULD KISS!"

"...What the _heck_?" Xavia asks.

_Now I really wish to... _Rupert thinks, his face red.

**(Warning: It is advised to wear randomness-shield glasses)**

"Lizard eyes!" I yell, Zongazonga looking at me from his ship, I holding a jar of dirt above my head. "I got a jar of dirt~! I got a jar of dirt~! And guess what's inside it!"

A train then falls from the sky, falling on our ships and destroying them.

I stand there, laughing, when my dad walks up to me and pinches my nose.

"I got your nose!" He tells me, I then laughing. My Uncle Mark then jumps through the window, does a roll, then comes up on his feet.

"LOOK OUT, HE'S GOT A NOSE!" He then opens rapid fire.

"Ya gotta help me pard!" Joe yells, running up to Kaze and shaking his shoulders. "Mah bandana's evil and it's gonna kiiiiill meeeeeeee!"

"..." Kaze slowly backs away, out of the room.

"..." Joe stands there, horrified, then looks at his bandana. "Please don't hurt me..."

It then laughs evilly.

"Hello Levo Island head!" Todd says to the massive stone.

"Hello!" It tells him with glee, much to his shock.

Cole pushes a button, it doing nothing. He pushes it again, shrugs, and leaves, only to then have Lester come up to it, push it, going into a rage fit and then destroy it.

"Hello my friend." Rupert says walking up to me and my poker face, I then punching him out of the blue. "WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS THAT FOR?!"

_LEVEL UP! _

"MMMmmm...Yum!" Lester says, then cutting into a cake which shrieks in pain.

"Why would you do this?!" It asks. "I have a wife and family!"

"What have I done?!" Lester asks, freaking out and distraught.

"AGH! The pain! It's unbearable!" It then limps towards the edge of the table. "Tell my children I love them!"

"Daddy!" Two cupcakes scream. The cake jump off the table, yelling, the cupcakes screaming, Lester yelling 'No', only to have silence fill the air when the cake hits the floor with a splat.

Glados then bursts into the room, yelling:

"THE CAKE IS A LIE!"

"I baked you a pie!" I tell Todd, holding it up.

"Oh boy! What flavor?" Todd asks, gleeful.

"PIE FLAVOR." I tell him, a serious look on my face, a mini-pie jumping out of the one in my hand.

"I like chocolate milk." Cheese says.

"I like fashion!" Cole says.

"I like Stegos." Todd says, his face void of expression, a Stego coming from out of nowhere, breaking a giant hole in the wall.

MEANWHILE, ON VIVOSAUR ISLAND...

"Ha ha! They said I could never teach a Stego to fly!" Dr. Diggins laughs, a Stego in an air plane, which then goes off course. "NO, STEGO, _NO!_" The plane flies off.

MEANWHILE AT THE PREVIOUS LOCATION!

"WHAT ARE YOU?! A MAN, OR A MOUSE?!" I ask.

"..." Todd's Stego says nothing.

"I wonder if he can fly." Todd says, his Stego then floating up into the air.

"...In that case, screw gravity!" I say, then floating up into the air as well.

"Hey! I made some ice cream!" I say, Lester, Cole, Rupert, Joe, and Kaze jumping with joy and say saying 'ice cream!' with glee.

"I like Stegos." Todd says, all of us going silent and looking at him. A Stego then comes crashing though the wall, again.

"DAGNABIT! I just had that fixed!" Joe yells.

_LES-TER THE SPACE GUY!_

"...How am I still alive?"

THE END.

"I can't wait to eat this ice cream!" Todd says.

"Yes you can." Rupert tells him.

"Yeah, I guess you're right..." Todd sighs.

"Hey, look at my new shoes." Lester tells Cole.

"Ah, that's pretty-" Cole stops when he sees Lester barefoot. "There are no shoes!"

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

They keep doing it at each other.

"Red, did you eat my sandwich?" Todd asks.

"I am your sandwich." I tell him, then climbing into his mouth head first.

Cole stands there, holding a bowl of salad, when Kaze comes out of nowhere, knocking it out of his hands and proceeds punching it.

"What is wrong with you?! Cut it out, I don't want-"

I gasp. "There's something on your face!" I yell, then punching Rupert again. "IT WAS PAIN!"

"What's happening?! Why would you do this?! I gotta eat!" Cole tells Kaze, who's still punching the salad.

"QUIET I'M PUNCHING YOUR SALAD!"

"NOOOOOOOO!"

"Now son, don't touch that cactus." Mr. Martin tells Rupert, who then gravitates to it. "YOU'RE DEAD TO ME."

"Todd, do you know why Kaze is punch a salad and why Cole is punching him?" Todd asks me, both of us watch.

"I'm not sure..."

"I'm going to do a Skyrim!" Cole says, turning on the TV, which then has rainbows pouring out of it, Cole holding onto the sofa to keep from flying off.

"Well I'm going to do an Oblivion." Rupert says, turning on another TV, which does nothing, much to his disappointment.

The phone rings, Joe walking over to it, and answering, only to hear a gun cock on the other end.

"This is a robbery." They tell him, Joe standing there for a second, then hanging up and walking off.

Todd and I are standing alone, doing nothing, when I climb out of my mouth to show what I looked like on Vivosaur Island.

"...Oh..." Todd says.

"Nice hat." Jack tell Joe.

"Thanks!"

"I was being sarcastic."

"Well I stole your face."

Jack facepalms, his eyes, mouth, and nose missing.

"ALIEN ATTACK!" Someone yells, point up at a Dinaurian Starship.

"THROW THE _CHEEEEEEEESE!"_ Cole yells, throwing slices of it at the ship, which just bounce off, falling toward the ground where Lester waits.

"Hey, Red! Play that one about falling down the stairs!" Todd tells me, wearing a beige bowler hat, I wearing a black one.

"Sure thing, Todd!" I tell him, then throwing myself down the stairs and lading on a piano.

"I love it!"

"Hello gift bow from Xavia!" Joe says, then opening the box, which explodes.

Rupert walks along, past a sign that says **WARNING: LEDGE,** and walks right off the edge. "Ah, okay." He says, then taking flight.

"Ah! Ugh!" Cole says, muffins hitting the side of his head repeated for the last five hours. "Are EVER going to run out of muffins?!"

"No. Because I work at the muffin factory." Nick Nack tells him. **(This would explain his income. XD)**

And now,

More Red and Todd randomness

"WHARGARBLE!" I yell.

"I was just about to say that!" Todd exclaims.

"Are you serious?!"

"Totally!"

"Oh, this is spooky!"

"We are _so_ in sync."

"JOEY, JOEY, JOEY, LOOK!" Todd and I say, holding a gift wrapped box. "IT'S FROM XAVIA!"

It then explodes.

"I'M GONNA PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE!" I yell, heading straight toward Rupert.

"But it's opposite day."

"OH NOOOOO-" I then punch myself in the face.

"Oh, naw." Joe says, looking down at a gift box from Xavia. "I ain't openin' you."

The plane with Dr. Diggin's Stego in it then crashes into Joe, the Stego running out.

"Do you ever get tired of being random?" I ask Todd, who's in a bunny suit. He blinks. "Me neither." I say, then wearing a bunny suit as well.

"I'm going to punch your face." I tell Rupert, who gets a look of shock. "_IN THE FACE." _I tell him, then punching him. **(No idea why Rupert's the one getting beat up.)**

"Hello, and welcome to standing up school." Prof. Scatterly tells us, Cole then falling flat on his face. "And you fail."

"Knock, knock!" The door says.

"Who's there?" Lester asks, the door then flying open and smashing him against the wall.

"THE DOOR."

"OH! A puppy!" Todd says.

"Careful bro, he has a knife!" I tell him.

"What? I do not!" Rex tells us, holding one behind his back.

Cole jumps out of nowhere, wearing a top hat and some weird glasses, then jumps in the air.

"EVERYBODY DO THE FLOP!" We then fall flat on our faces.

_He's a magical Stego flying through the sky~_

"Shoot it down." Cole says, wearing a helmet and Lester holding a bazooka, which he fires.

"QUICK! DON'T THINK ABOUT PIE!" Todd tells me, I then proceeding to throw them everywhere.

"Do you thinks that we are now being watch by superior beings that laugh at us since they read us like words on a screen?" I ask.

"...That would explain why I felt like someone was laughing at me a while ago." Todd tells me.

"No matter what scars you bear, whatever uniform you wear, you can fight like a krogan, run like a leopard, but you'll never be better than Commander Ranger!" Cole randomly sings, breaking through the wall, riding some kind of all terrain vehicle.

"YEE-HAW!" Joe yells, cattle running as fast as their legs allow, right off a cliff with Joe and his horse following.

"I'm going to CANDY MOUNTIAN!" Lester yells, running off with pink and purple-blue unicorns.

"DRINKIN' MEAD IN THE HALLS OF WHITERUN!" I yell, a man then turning me around so I run out of the city instead.

"I've never been defeated by someone as...squishy as you." Raptin tells me. I then grab his hand, and put it against my chest, him blinking with surprise.

"THE ONLY THING UNDER THERE IS TOUGH MUSCLE!" I yell.

Todd and I dance a jig, dressed like Highlanders.

"Am I the only sane one here?" Rupert asks, then looking at us and running out the room screaming.

"What's with him?" I ask, Todd and I dressed as bananas. **(Reference to ild12's story **_**Fossil Fighting Randomness.**_**)**

"No idea." Todd tells me.

"MAKE WAY!" Kaze yells, driving a tank at fifty mile per hour over rough terrain.

"HEY! Only one of us can have all terrain vehicles!" Cole yells, he and Kaze have a stage down, then charging at each other.

Suddenly, gophers jump out of the ground, put on top hats, and start singing and dancing.

"SINGING GOPHERS!" Cole and Kaze yell, abandoning their vehicles and joining them for three hours. They then notice the vehicles are gone.

"Mission accomplished." Skipper says, he and the other penguins high-fiving.

I smack Rupert.

"What was that for?!" He demands.

"I was trying to get a high five, but you didn't raise your hand."

"I AM A DWARF AND I'M DIGGING A HOLE, DIGGY DIGGY HOLE, DIGGY DIGGY HOLE!" Todd yells, dressed as a dwarf with a pick over his shoulder.

"What is this?!" Joe yells.

"THIS IS _AAAAATHEEEEEEENS!" _Rupert yells, wearing a toga and riding a chariot.

"...Well that happened."

"Could this get ANY weirder?!" Todd yells, I then appearing, riding a giant, brown bunny and my shirt saying: 'I am a book.'

"ADVENTURE!" I yell.

**(I'm the author, and I don't even know what's going on.)**

"So I was like GASP, and he was like OH NO, and she was like OH MY GOODNESS and some random guy on the other side of the world was all like 'Say what now?'."

Guhnash suddenly appears, wearing a sideways base ball cap, dark glasses, and a gold chain necklace with a giant gold medallion on it.

"PARTY ROCK IS IN THE HOUSE TONGIHT, EVERYBODY JUST HAVE AGOOD TIME!" It says.

"Do what you want because a pirate is free, YOU ARE A PIRATE!" Joe tells us.

"**YARR HARR FIDDLEDIDI, BEING A PIRATE IS ALRIGHT WITH ME!"** The rest of us say in unison, doing a jig.

* * *

><p>I wake up, jumping to my feet and yelling, Joe jumping up off the lawn chair he was lounging on out on the deck, everyone else looking at me. Turning, I look at the sofa I napped on.<p>

"I AM NEVER NAPPING ON THAT THING AGAIN." I say, then leaving.

LATER...

"So that's what happened in my dream." I tell Todd. We're sitting under an orange tree, which mid way between the house and the beach, peeling and eating the oranges.

"...What did you _eat?!_" Todd asks me.

"...I honestly don't know." I tell him, putting an orange slice in my mouth. "But, with the exploding boxes, I'm surprised Xavia hasn't done that yet."

"Yep. That's-"

KA-BOOM!

"XAVIA!" Joe yells.

"..." Todd and I sit in silence, looking up at the house, then at each other.

"...I jinxed it, didn't I?" I ask.

"Yep."

We keep eating the oranges.

"...Hey Red?" Todd asks, I looking at him.

"Yeah bro?" I ask, putting another slice in my mouth.

"...Erm...Did you ever...ya know, do anything to get Rosie's attention...or...something?" Todd asks, face flushing.

"...You're asking me for dating advice?" I ask, blinking.

"..." Todd nods.

"..." I look up at the sky, stretch my legs and put my arms behind my head, thinking. "...Well, it's hard for me to really give any advice since I didn't know I loved her, then when I did, I had to leave, so it was only for about a minute I could really do anything."

"What'd you do in that minute?" Todd asks.

"I sang her a song." I tell him. "It was kinda corny, but...looking in her eye, I could tell she cherished every word I said."

"..." We sit in silence, the bird chirping.

"..." Todd looks down at his feet. "Well, you seem like the kinda guy that just needs to smile to sweep a girl off her feet." I look at him, seeing he has a downcast look on his face.

_Ah, he's trying to get Pauleen's a attention. _I think. _Well, let's see, Pauleen nice, and she's ready to help and stand up for her friends. She wore the mask to help her with her shy nature, and true love is different than just a crush, so she was assertive with me, holding my hands, but since she truly loves Todd, she's shy, so it'd be a bit difficult for Todd to tell if she noticed him or not, and visa versa. _"Well, how do you know she does notice you?"

"...What?" Todd asks, looking at me.

"Well, she's like you." I tell him. "You see, both of you are shy near the other, so if either of you were trying to impress the other, it'd be difficult for the impresser to tell."

"..." Todd sits there a few moments. "...How'd you know that you were in love? Like...what made you realize it?"

"..." I sit there, thinking, then close my eyes. "It's hard to explain. But...it was like living in a night of confusion. I had no idea what to do, where to go, or how to react. Then dawn came, and with it the realization of my love for her, and it was the most beautiful thing I've ever been through in my entire life. That moment when you realize that you love someone...there's nothing that can compare."

"..." Todd sits there a few more seconds. "...Could...you...maybe help me?"

"Sure." I tell him, smiling. "I told you that, remember? Right after we joined the Caliosteo Patrol Team?"

"Oh yeah!" He says, smiling. "Hey, by the way, how long do you think it'll be before you tell everyone else?"

"Hard to say." I tell him. "After all, my heart aches, so I guess when I get pushed to limit."

"You're good at hiding it." Todd tells me.

"Looks can be deceiving." I tell him, he then nodding.

LATER...

"RED!" I sit up, looking around. We're on the private beach, enjoying the water and sun. I'm sitting on my beach towel, taking a break while sitting under the umbrella.

"Yeah?" I ask, looking to see Todd running towards me, holding a white, flat box. "I went to get everyone some water bottles, and this was at the door. It's for you."

"Ah, thanks." I tell him, accepting it. Opening it, there's a note which I read.

**Dear Red,**

** I thought you might find these more comfortable vacation wear than what you're wearing right now. Please enjoy!**

**-Alexander**

"...Who's Alexander?" I ask.

"What?!" Xavia exclaims, looking at me. She and Rupert are working on a sandcastle, Rupert looking up as see runs over and looks at the note. "Yea, that's his handwriting alright..."

"You know him?" Todd asks.

"He's a friend of mine. Real good with sowing." She tells him. "So, you know that's high quality clothing." She walks back over to the sand castle, muttering something to herself.

"What does the clothing look like?" Cole asks. Looking back at the box, I pull out a black sleeve less shirt with the part that goes over your shoulder being two fingers wide, a pair of blue shorts and a white over shirt with sleeves that stop at the middle of the upper arm. The fabric feels good in my hands, like water flowing over them.

"These'll be comfortable. Maybe enough to sleep in." I say, looking them over again before putting them back in the box.

"Well, they look like they'll look good on you, so that's good." Cole says, I just smiling some. Looking out at the waves, I see Kaze surfing, Lester looking around for some clams, Sarisa reading a book, Lola sun bathing, and Cole going back to do the same, Todd, Pauleen and I wading out into the water, gleefully splashing each other and enjoying the waves.

LATER...**(Time skipping much?) **

I stand on the beach, barefooted and watching the sun dip below the horizon, my hair hanging down so it blows slightly in the calm breeze, wearing the new clothes from Alexander, who ever that it, and they feel good and comfortable. My hands are in the pockets, and I listen to the calming sound of the sea, the retreating sun darkening the world, the scented air giving the entire place a serene feeling, my eyes half lidded and face calm.

The memory of Rosie kissing my cheek on the night of her rescue suddenly jumps to mind, making me look up at the sky, which has stars starting to dot it.

_The seas and stars and skies may separate us, but I will never stay away from you my dearest Rosetta, for I need you, and I love you with my entire being. Each beat o my physical heart brings me pain since your presence is not here, and I do not know when it will be. But be assured, that I will go anywhere, do anything, and wait any amount of time for you, and would lay life down to save you. _The wind blows a bit more, stirring my hair.

"REEEEEED~!" I hear a girl squeal, making me turn my head right as someone rams straight into me, making me fall back onto the sand. Opening my eyes, the world spins for a second before straightening, I then seeing who had jumped me. There, sitting on me, is a girl about two years older than me with wild auburn hair, teal eyes that have a creepy intensity that makes me feel as if she's trying to pry my soul open, and is wearing a body suit with no sleeves, pants legs that stop at the middle of her upper legs, and is the same color as her hair.

"..." I sit there a second, unsure of how to react. "Excuse me, but I would appreciate it if-"

"I kissed you?! OKAY!" She shoots her face towards mine, I getting my hands up just in time to cover my mouth with one, and stop her face with the other.

"Could you please get off me?!" I ask.

"NEVER! You're _mine _Red Broke! MINE!" She says, hugging my neck to the point where I'm worried it'll break.

"I'm a human!" I tell her. "I don't belong to anyone but myself, and-"

"ME!" She yells, trying to kiss me again, only to have me get my hands over my mouth, stopping her. "Don't be shy!" She tells me. "Even though I find the most adorable thing on the face of the planet, you know you belong to me!"

"I have a girlfriend!" I tell her, she getting a look of shock.

_"WHAAAAAAT?!" _She screeches, jumping to her feet, allowing me to dig my feet into the ground and RUN. Until she tackles me to the ground, that is. "Who is she?! Why wasn't I informed of this?!"

"You know how the media is!" I tell her. "They find out someone's having a relationship, they stick their noses in it and don't give them one bit of privacy!"

"I WILL FIGHT HER TO THE DEATH FOR YOU!"

_Okay, creepy and devoted. I am not happy with that combo. _

"WHO IS SHE?!" She yells, grabbing my shirt collar and shaking me.

"I can't tell you!" I tell her. "I promised her I'd protect her from anything that dared try to harm her!"

"It's so sweet and noble that you're so devoted, BUT YOU DON'T NEED HER!" She yells at me again.

"I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOUR NAME!"

"Cassidy." She tells me. "NOW YOU WILL BE MINE!"

"I ONLY BELONG TO MYSELF AND MY GIRLFRIEND!" I tell her.

"You don't need her!" She tells me, again. "I can give you all the love you need! We can get married, have a bunch of kids and grow old together!"

"I'm going to marry my girlfriend." I tell her, making her glare daggers at me.

"NO! WE'RE going to get married!" She tells me.

_'How do I get her off me?!' _I ask.

_'Pressure point.' _Flamethrower tells me.

_'Pressure point?'_

_ 'Pressure point.'_

_ '...Okay.' _I tell him. "Please forgive me for what I'm about to do." I then jam my thumb at the base of her neck, making her yelp and jump off me, I running again, she coming after me.

"Come back!" She yells. "I have to see your face more! I already have my room completely covered in pictures of you so that I can always see you face, BUT IT'S SO MUCH BETTER FACE-TO-FACE!"

_'SOMEBODY HELP ME!' _I think, she then tackling me again. _Okay, she is very fast._ Suddenly, she starts running her hands all through my hair.

"Ooooh..." She sighs. "Your hair is such a lustrous mane..."

Okay, so my hair comes close to my shoulders. I haven't gotten it cut since last year, but my bangs do need to be trimmed. My mother always told me my hair grew fast.

"I don't have a mane, I have hair on my head like everyone else! Now could you please-" She suddenly sniffs my hair, it being a bit loud.

"What's that smell?! It's _divine!" _She says. "What cologne do you wear?!"

"...I...don't wear cologne." I say.

"That's YOU?!" She asks, then hugging my head. "IF ONLY I COULD PUT YOU IN A BOTTLE AND SPRAY YOU EVERYWHERE!"

"Please let go of me." I say. Instead, she suddenly sticks her head up my shirt.

"DEM ABS!" She squeals, I jumping back and pulling my shirt down.

"DON'T DO THAT!" I yell, feeling a bit violated.

"You should go shirtless more often!" She jumps at me, but I duck, she instead flying over me. I then run away, she coming after me. "Come back! NOTHING WILL STAND BETWEEN OUR LOVE!"

_I've been taught not to hurt girls, but if she doesn't back off I'm going to have to! _I think, then looking over my shoulder, seeing her getting closer to me.

Something suddenly clicks in my mind, and I feel a rush of energy, I suddenly speeding up, making me go from the beach right to the house, which I run into, down the hall into the living room where Capt. Kirk stands, telling everyone something when I jump over one of the sofas, scrambling under a coffee table.

"Red! Are you okay?!" Todd asks, Kaze moving the coffee table.

"IT'S TERRIBLE!" I yell, hugging him. "There's some insane fangirl that a COMPLETE STALKER chasing after me yelling that she's all I need and that we're gonna get married and have kids and she was running her fingers all through my hair calling it a 'lustrous mane' and she wants to put me in a bottle so that she can spray my scent everywhere and she stuck her head up my shirt and she kept sitting on me and she kept trying to kiss me and she said that her room was completely covered in pictures of me and I told her I had a girlfriend but she said I didn't need her and that she'd fight her to the death! I'M SCARED MAN!" I tell him, hugging him with my entire being.

"..." The room is silent.

"...Well then." Xavia says. "It almost sounds like she was trying to rape you or something."

"With everything he just told us, I'm surprised she didn't." Cole says.

"That's why I came here, to try to give you a heads up!" Kirk says, all of us looking at him. "I told her you guys were usually on the beach at this time of day in hopes that'd buy me some time to warn you guys, but I didn't know Red was actually on the beach!"

"_REEEEEEED~!" _I hear her squeal.

"She's coming." I say, horrified.

"There you are!" She yells, jumping across the room right at me, when Todd stands up, stopping her.

"NO! You're not going anywhere near my bro!" He tells her.

"MOVE OUT OF THE WAY BEFORE I BREAK YOU FRIGGIN' NECK!" She screams at him.

"..." Todd stands there, not moving.

"That's it!" She yells, right about hit him when I push him out of the way, stopping the blow by grabbing her fist.

"You're not hurting my bro." I tell her, protective instincts kicking in. She then tackles me, right about to try to kiss me when Xavia grabs her by her collar, yanking her right off me.

"Will ya leave th' poor guy alone?" She asks. "You can't expect him to feel same if you keep acting like this."

"Oh, who are you?!" Cassidy asks, getting to her feet and glaring at Xavia. "His girlfriend?"

"Pft. He's too big of an idiot."

"I'm right here you know." I say.

"How dare you insult him!" Cassidy yells, jumping at Xavia, who merely steps to the side, grabbing her wrist, then spinning in a circle so Cassidy starts whirling around. After a moment, Xavia releases her, making her fly across the room and slam into a sofa. "...Ow..." She groans.

"...Look," I say, standing up. "You can't just force your one-sided love onto another person. If you truly love someone, the you'll be happy with whatever makes them happy, even if it is with another person. When you force love on them, well, that usually won't have good results."

"..." She sits there, looking at me. "...YOU WILL BE MINE!" She screams.

_Did she even listen? _I wonder, she jumping at only have Xavia stick her with some kind of shot, which makes her fall down.

"I'll call the police." Rupert says.

THAT NIGHT...

I lay on my side, still in my clothes except for the white over shirt, the covers coming up to my rib cage. Rosie drifts along my mind, like a boat on the ocean, and I wish that I was holding her, when I hear something. I close my eyes, hearing a sliding noise, then light footsteps. I barely open one of my eyes to see Cassidy standing there, scissors in her hand.

"YOU CAN'T HAVE MY HAIR!" I yell, jumping out of bed and running out of the room.

THE NEXT DAY...

"I hope I never have to deal with someone like that again." I say, my head on the table that also has breakfast on it. Xavia's outfit today is the one that she put Rupert in, a white shirt with baggy sleeves, a red mini-skirt and red handkerchief around her neck, sailor style.

"Well, you might as well get used to them with that face." Kaze tells me. "After all, let's face it. You just have that air of charm around you."

"He's got that right, digadig." Pauleen agrees.

LATER...

"Alright, this is the last bet." Xavia tells Joe. We're on the beach except for Sarisa, all of us but Joe and Xavia sitting down.

"Alright, what is it?" Joe asks.

"We're gonna race around th' island four times. Whoever does it first wins."

"Alrighty, what're th' stakes?"

"I already have mine." Xavia tells him, pulling a piece of paper out of her pocket and handing it to him. Joe accepts it, and read it, his eyes getting huge and face flushing, then looking at Xavia who stands there, smirking.

"..." Joe just stands there, looks at the paper, then back at her. "...WHAT'N TARNATION IS WRONG WITH YA?!"

"Oh, come on. It's not that bad!"

"Yeah it is!"

"Wimp."

"Take that back."

"I won't lie to ya Joe, but it's not that bad and saying it is makes ya a coward. Besides, this means that you can level it off with what I have to do if I lose. So, what do you say?" She asks, her smirk returning and raising an eyebrow.

"..." Joe stands there, still shocked.

_What's on the paper anyways? _I wonder.

"..." He thinks for a second, his face still red, then gets an idea, pointing at Rupert. "If ya lose, ya gotta go on a date with 'em!"

"..." Silence, Rupert's face turning solid red.

"..." Xavia stand there, looking at Joe, then at Rupert, then back at Joe. "...That's it?"

"...Whaddaya mean 'that's it'?!" Joe asks.

"Well, the way I see it, we'd just be hanging out, and we can do that anytime, so that's not really something that you'd make someone do as losing a bet, so I don't really see why that'd be terrible, or how it's level to what you have to do if you lose."

"..." Silence.

_Strange. _I think. _It's hard to tell her feeling towards Rupert with what she just said. _

"..." Joe stands there, then goes back to thinking.

_She's giving him a hard time. Whatever is on that paper must be pretty bad. _I lean back on my palms. _But I really can't help but wonder how she feels about Rupert. From what I can gather, she sees him as a friend...Poor Rupert. He just wants some of her love. _

"Alrighty, if I win, ya gotta wear somethin' real frilly and girly, and go out to town!" Joe tells her.

"..." Xavia stands there for a second, then holds out her hand. "Challenge accepted." They shake hands, Xavia drags her heel through the sand to make a finish line, and they get ready.

"Ready...Set...GO!" Kaze says, both of them taking off. After a minute, Joe runs over the line, Xavia a few yard behind him. Another minute passes, and Joe runs over it again, Xavia father behind him. The third time even farther.

"This is the last one!" Todd says, all of us standing up and watching.

"Who diga-do you guys think is gonna win?" Pauleen asks.

"I'm sure..." Rupert tells her.

"You just have mixed feeling on if you want Xavia to win or not!" I tell him, smiling.

"That is blasphemy, and you know it!" Rupert tells me.

"Here they come!" Lester says, all of us looking. Joe's in the lead by a few yards, when Xavia suddenly dashes past him, making it over the finish line.

"I WIN!" She yells, jumping the air, and Joe stopping, horror on his face.

"Congratulations!" Rupert tells her, Lola giving her a pat on the back, Xavia then smiling evilly.

"You know what this mean Joe!" Xavia calls to Joe, who is on his knees, shoulders slumped, and head hung.

"What's eating him?" Cole asks.

"It's what I gotta do!" Joe says, standing, his face unhappy.

Xavia then bursts out laughing, making us look at her.

"What's sooooooo funny?" Lola asks.

"My plan worked!"

"PLAN?!" Joe asks, shocked. Xavia points at him, standing triumphant.

"You see, I _purposely lost_ those other two bets so that it'd build up your confidence, so then when we had this one you'd think you'd be able to beat me, but you didn't so now you gotta do what I told you would happen, which is you gotta take Sarisa on a date!"

"..." We all stand there, gapping at her, shocked.

"...Purposely lost?" Rupert asks her.

"Yep!" Xavia tell him, smiling.

"...Ladies and gentlemen, take off your hats, helmets, or invisible crowns, we are in the presence of a GENIUS!" I say, all of us then clapping, while Joe stands there, utter defeat on his face.

**(She's such a little master mind, eh?)**

LATER...

We stand outside the kitchen, listening as Joe shuffles along the floor, getting to Sarisa.

"...S-Sarisa?" He stammers.

"Yeah Joe?" She asks.

"...I-I...I w-was wonderin' if...w-well if...ya'd...like ta...go...out...ta eat...tonight."

"..." Silence.

"That was you?!" Sarisa asks.

"...Pardon?" Joe asks.

"I got some flowers from a secret admirer yesterday and on the card it said that they'd ask me out tomorrow, and it's tomorrow!"

"..." Silence, but Xavia hurries off, out onto the deck, where she then proceeds to burst out laughing.

"Why are you laughing?" Rupert asks, some of us going over.

"'Cause of the look on his face!" She laughs.

"YOU DID THAT?!" Joe asks, out on the deck in an instant.

"YES! _YES _I DID!" She laughs, Joe getting a look of horror on his face again.

_'...WOW...' _Air Strike says.

_'She is evil master mind.' _I think. _'...What will she do next?'_

THAT NIGHT!

Joe and Sarisa head out the door, Joe nervous and Sarisa just smiling, heading out to eat.

A few minutes later, Xavia get up, and head towards the hallway.

"Where're you going, digadig?" Pauleen asks.

"Hey, there's _no way _I'm letting this go on without _my_ supervision. I'll be back later." She says, then leaving.

"..." Silence.

_...Despite all that's happened,_ I think, looking back at my book. _this was a really nice vacation._

* * *

><p><strong>AN-FINALLY! I'm really, <strong>_**really**_** sorry about how late this was, I had motivation block, and I was working on other stories.**

**Red: But, this was a nice vacation.**

**Magma: Yep! :D**

**Omniverse: HOORAY! :D :D :D I want to read it!**

**mysterydude123: YES :D :D :D**

**ZeldaShinx: They're terrible aren't they? -.-' But that house thing sound pretty cool! :D And thanks! I've been working this story for over a year now, and it's what helped me out of my depression. :D I'm so glad The Lord gave me a gift I can share with others.**

**tiger eye: MOAR! :D :D :D :D :D**

**Guest 21: Thanks! :D Xavia has a surprisingly high pain tolerance. XD As for the interaction with vivos, thanks! I try my best! :D**

**Winter Girl: O_O ...Strange dreams...When I was little, I had a dream that a giant fly tried to eat me, and I was screaming for my dad to help me. Then I woke up.**

**Casey: It's amazing, ain't it?**

**pokelover619: Thanks! :D I actually did have an idea for Rosie actually coming to the Caliosteo Islands, and Red hiding for a bit the revealing himself. XD It was kinda funny.**

**DigitalEmperor001: Yep.**

**BloodLily16: YEEEEEEES! :D :D :D :D DO IT!**

**Gunsandgames: I felt I had to put the dream in X) Thanks! It was supposed to be kinda sad, learning more about Xavia growing up. She had a rough life with everyone except for her parents hating her.**

**DunalN2: CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.**

**suntan140: THANKIES~! :D**


	82. Decisions

**AN-...Hm. Not sure what to say...**

**Air Strike:...What about disclaimer?**

**Magma: Oh yeah! FLAMETHROWER! DO IT!**

**Flamethrower: *sigh* Magma does not own FF and FFC.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Eighty-Two - Decisions<p>

"Home sweet home." I say, opening the door to The Base, carrying my stuff with Todd following, carrying his as well.

"As nice as that place was, it's always nice to get back home." He agrees.

"Yep." I tell him. "Unfortunately, we have to clean ours."

"Aw, man." Todd sighs.

"No need." Someone says, making Todd and I look to see Parker, Xavia's older brother, walking down the stairs. "I looked after your home while you were gone. Everything is as you left it, but clean." He walks out. "Have a nice day!"

"..." Todd and I say nothing.

"...Okay then..." I say, turning back to the stairs. "Let's unpack and wash our cloths."

"Sounds good." Todd tells me, both of now wearing our regular clothes. We head up stairs and unpack, I putting the photo album back under my pillow, reconsidering, then hiding it in my shirt drawer. Todd and I wash our clothes, playing video games while they wash and dry, then put them away when they're done.

"So, what's for lunch?" Todd asks me.

"Well," I tell him, going over to the fridge and looking in it. "we don't really have anything, but if we run to the store we could get some deli meats for sandwiches."

"Let's go!" He says, we then walking out of the house and going to the grocery store, two kids suddenly running up to us.

"Hey! Hey, you're Red Broke, right?" One of them asks.

"That I am." I tell him. "Is there anything you need?"

"Could we have your autograph?" The other asks, they both holding out paper and pens.

"No problem!" I tell them, signing paper.

"You're really brave to go up against that ZZ guy without showing any fear!" One of them tells me.

"Yeah! I but you could kick anyone's rear! Even Red Ranger's!" The other agrees. A wave of guilt and pain suddenly crashes down on me, remembering Rosie told me I was brave when I came back with the shark dentures for Nick Nack, a feat that seems like it was life time ago now.

"Well, I'm not too sure if I could beat him, but I'm sure it'd be an interesting battle." I tell them, giving them back the paper, they taking it with glee, then running off.

"You okay?" Todd asks, I looking at him.

"What?" I ask.

"C'mon, we've been best bros long enough that I know when you feel bad." He tells me, making me frown.

"...I just got a guilty feeling, alright?" I tell him.

"...Ah." He says, remembering when I told him about the stuff I had to get for Nick Nack. "Well, don't let it bother you. I hate seeing you down, so let's just get that sandwich meat."

"Alright." I tell him, perking up some. We enter the store, and I instantly stop.

An entire row of shelves has nothing but action figures of _me._

"...Whoa." Todd says, we going over to them.

"Talk about fan stuff." I say, we looking at the shelves, which also has goggles like mine, fake Rebel Medals, picks, boots, even shirt that have me on them.

Looking at them, another wave comes crashing down on me at the fact that I've been lying to people this entire time.

"Come on." Todd says, tugging at my sleeve. "Let's just get the meat and head home.

"...Right..." I say, then following him. We purchase the deli meats then head out of the store, when I hear two men talking.

"That's him! Red Broke! Haven't seen him in awhile, but, boy, a guy like him comes once in an eternity!"

"You got that right, fearless, selfless, an all around hero, he's got it all."

Yet another wave.

Later...

Todd and I sit in his room on bean bag chairs, playing video games. He plays with excitement, while I sit there, a downcast look on my face and barely doing anything with the controller.

"...Red?" Todd asks, making me look at him. He pauses the game, then sits back. "You're not getting depressed again, right? You've just gotten down all of a sudden."

"..." I look back at the controller. _'People have been saying I'm an amazing person, but am I? I mean, I've been lying about my identity, I left behind Rosie with only leaving her a note and yet people keep telling me I'm a good person. If that were true, I wouldn't feel guilty.'_

_ 'Red, different people feel guilty about different things.' _Cloud Cover tells me.

_'I know, but...' _I sigh. "I'm going to bed."

"It's only three in the afternoon!" Todd objects, I still leaving the room and going to my own. I take off my boots and socks, pull off my suit and just toss it on the floor, then falling on my bed, a shallow sleep settling over me, fevered dreams disrupting it.

"Uncle!"

I draw a sharp breath at the sound, it being dark in my room, I then sitting up.

_That was a little girl. _I think, throwing the covers off and pulling the suit I tossed aside back on, then a clean pair of socks, my boots, gloves and goggles, then exiting my room and going down the stairs.

Standing there in front of the door is a small, fragile looking girl about five or six.

Her eyes are deep brown, her hair is red and stops at her shoulder blades, tied back with a strip of worn-looking leather, her dress has no sleeves, and is a beige color, the skirt coming to her feet, and nice, brown shawl wrapped around her shoulders.

"..." I stand there, not saying anything, when she turns to the door.

"Good bye Uncle! I'll come see you tomorrow!" She goes through the door, and on a strange impulse, I follow her, stepping out into the night, seeing her walking off.

"Hey!" I call, she not hearing me. Running, I follow her.

A few minutes later...

_Her house must have been here..._ I think, looking at an empty plot of land, she up in the air on the invisible second floor. She sits on the floor, looking like she's playing with a doll, when she looks up.

"What's wrong, Mama?" She asks, I seeing no one else but her. Suddenly, she up in the air, and is then set down so she's still up in the air, like being hidden in a dresser perhaps. "Ma-" She goes quiet suddenly, as if shushed.

_What's she doing? _I wonder, the girl being perfectly still. A few minutes pass, and I start getting drowsy, making me pull out a piece of strawberry gum, and start chewing it.

She suddenly screams, being lifted up in the air again.

"Hey! Hey, what's wrong?!" I yell, she not being able to her me. All I can do is stand in horror as I watch her kick and thrash and scream, some phantoms holding her in the air.

"MAMA!" She screams. _"MAMA! MAAA-"_

Limp.

"Hey. Hey!" I yell again, not know what to do. Being dragged, she's taken downstairs and out the door, disappearing for a second, then reappearing. She's now wearing a red dress with long sleeves and long skirt as well, her shawl still around her shoulders, and looking like she has a doll in the crook of her elbow, her hands folded across her chest and eyes closed. She's still up in the air, looking like she's on some flat surface, and being carried. I follow, not taking my eyes off of her. After a few minutes, I'm outside of Ribular town when she stops moving, and lowers into the ground.

"..." I say nothing, but look around at the jungle, the Petrified Forest south of here, then look back down at where she went down. "...Why are you here?"

A few minutes later...

I pound on a door, and wait for a minute before Parker opens it, wearing white, long-sleeved button-up pajamas.

"Red? What are you doing here?" He asks. "It's nearing two a.m."

"I need to talk to Xavia!" I tell him. "I saw a ghost and she, well, it looked like she was carried, to some area outside of Ribular Town before going beneath the ground. I wanna know what it's about."

"..." He stands there a second. "...I'll be right back." He disappears, and after a minute, Xavia comes out, wearing her usual cloths, except a navy jacket instead of her over shirt to keep off the cool night.

"Yeah adventure boy? Parker said you wanted to talk to me." She asks.

"I saw a ghost of a little girl." I start. "She was carried outside of Ribular Town, north of the Petrified Forest, and-"

"North?" Xavia asks, her eyes having widened.

"Yeah." I nod.

"..." She stands there for a second, I noticing her hands tightening to fists. "...Let's go." She says, then looking over her shoulder. "Parker! I'm-"

"Coming with you." He says, appearing. Her's wearing a strange coat that's black, it looking like one of the coats nobles wore when people had to use horse drawn carriages, with it being long and with it having a cape that covers his shoulders and upper arms. "Let's get a move on, shall we?" He asks, holding up a lantern, the light bright in the dark night.

A few more minutes later...

"Here it is!" I say, running to the spot, which I had marked by putting some flowers over it.

"...Flowers." Xavia says. "Yu used flowers. How...appropriate."

"What?" I ask.

"...This is that little girls _grave."_ She tell me, looking me in the eye. "Look around where we are. You see nothing but jungle, yes?" She asks as I look around. "Well, if you stood her in the reign of Zongazonga, all you would see is graves. _Graves._ There were hundreds of them here, almost six hundred. On Cranial, near one thousand, and on Ilium, near five hundred." She turns toward me completely, the light from the lantern in Parker's hand casting shadows on her face, making her look almost sinister, while her eyes are angry, and brows furrowed. "Do you know why these people are buried here? Why they weren't put in the other graveyard?"

"Other?" I ask.

"There were three graveyards on each island. This one, one for people who died of old age, dieses, murder, and other things, then there was a grave where the Majestic Vessel was placed. When ZZ took over their bodies, the skull was taken and the underside of it, right behind the jaw, was crushed so that the person died. They were stored in underground catacombs, each man or woman having his or her own little room, near ten feet long and six feet wide. Their skulls were placed on a shelf in the room, and the body in a plain sarcophagus of stone, which then had a lid put over it, and never seen again."

"..." Silence, except for the jungle around us, moths flittering around the lantern light.

"...Then what's this place for?" I ask.

"..." Xavia looks down at the unmarked grave. "...Do you think ZZ would let the Vessel's families live?" She asks, then looking back at my horrified face. "No. When a Vessel was chosen, they were taken over, and before Zongazonga did _anything_ in it, before he morphed to be just like his original, he would condemn the family members to death. The spouse, parents and the children. Age and social stature changed nothing. If you were an infant, you were killed. If you were about to give birth, you were killed. If you were and elder, you were killed. You couldn't do anything to save any of them, the guards would hunt down the family and kill them, drag them off and prepare them for burial, then bury them in the Family Yard."

"..." I blink, tears coming out of my eyes. "...That's it?" I croak.

"That's it." Xavia tells me, looking back at the grave again. "...Jacob. This is his niece's grave...She was five years old, and her name Robin..."

"..." I stand there, look down at the grave again, and just stand. "...How's that possible?"

"What do you mean?" Parker asks.

"Jacob was somewhere in his twenties, right?" I ask, wiping my arm across my eyes. "Why did..."

"ZZ need a new Majestic Vessel so soon?" Xavia asks. "Jacob was the middle child. His brother and he were apart about seven years apart, but his brother had muscular dystrophy, which is a disease that affects the muscle system, the cells dying, the person losing the ability to walk, and then, your heart stops since it, too, is made of muscles. Progressing to that, your stamina gets lower and lower, until you're constantly having to sleep in order to have enough energy. Zongazonga released that the Vessel was flawed, and, cast a spell that gave him more energy. Unfortunately, that didn't stop the muscle cells from dying, so he was forced to hold another tournament, the one that lead to his down fall."

"..." I stand there, to shocked and horrified to say anything. After a moment, I slowly turn to the grave and sit down, looking at it. "...Why?" I croak, starting silently cry, hugging my knees. Parker sets the lantern next to me, and he and Xavia walk away into the night.

I keep crying, not knowing what for anymore.

"Red!" I my eyes open, I finding myself on my side at the foot of the grave, Parker's lantern still beside me, light swimming through the air from the sun. Todd suddenly appears beside me, Rupert, Pauleen and Xavia with him.

"Are you alright?" Rupert asks, he and Todd helping me to my feet, Xavia picking up the lantern, turning it off and putting it in her backpack.

"...I'm glad ZZ is dead." I manage to say, my eyes stinging a bit from the salt that was in my tears.

"Diga?" Pauleen asks, Todd, Rupert and she all confused, while Xavia stand looking at the grave.

"Let's just get out of here." She says, wearing her over shirt again, I and the others just following her as we head back to town.

"So, what shall we do today?" Rupert asks.

"Hm...We don't have any fossils to clean and we've dug up a lot of them, so definitely not digging..." Todd tells him.

"And there's no criminals that need stopping, digadig." Pauleen says. "It seems so long ago that the Patrol Team had to actually stop someone."

"Agreed." I say, looking at the ground with a down look on my face.

"..." We stand there.

"Red? Are you alright?" Rupert asks. "If there's something bothering you, you can tell us." I look up at him, and my friends, when Xavia's head suddenly turns, looking towards the housing area of the island.

"What's wrong, digadig?" Pauleen ask her, she suddenly taking off, running faster than I thought possible.

"Let's go!" Rupert says, we going after her. After a bit, we come to Sarisa's house.

"Do you think something happened?!" Todd asks, I just shrugging, and looking at the house. "Well, she didn't go inside, otherwise the door would be wide open."

"This way!" Rupert tells us, we seeing him go through the side fence to the backyard, then out the back gate. After running though some jungle, we come out onto a small plain, with tall grass and a few weeping willow trees, where we stop Xavia charging towards one, we running after her. She disappears through the branches, and out the other side, her shoe on Joe's chest.

"Joe?!" We exclaim.

_...I have a feeling this is about to get awkward... _I think.

"Xavia!" Sarisa says, she jumping out of the branches of the weeping willow.

"...This is awkward, digadig." Pauleen says, Xavia standing between Joe and Sarisa, glaring swords at Joe.

"What happened?" I ask.

"I felt a disturbance in the universe is what happened!" Xavia says.

"All I did was realize I was in love!" Joe says, he and Sarisa's faces turning red at this.

"You did?" Todd asks, his face lighting up. "That great!"

"Congratulations you two, digadig!" Pauleen says.

"QUIET!" Xavia yells. "It sounds like y'all found out they got engaged or something!"

"...Xavia?" Rupert asks, we looking at him. "May I ask why you're so mad? We all know Joe is a good man, and that Sarisa and he are perfect together, yet you're angry enough to go on a destructive rampage."

"..." Xavia stands there for a moment, and I can tell she's starting to get upset, then runs to Sarisa hugging her. "I don't want anyone to take her away from me, okay?!"

"..." Silence.

"...I thought...I thought I'd take it better...but..." She turns her head to look at us, Sarisa gently hugging her back. "...I've been by her side for so long that...It's just second nature..."

"...It's alright Xavia." Sarisa tell her, Xavia looking up at her. "You don't have to worry. I'll always have time for you, my sweet little sister."

"..." Xavia smiles, both of them hugging a bit tighter.

LATER...

We're on the patio at Sarisa's house, in the back yard, she and Joe on a swing chair they're sitting in, Joe's arm around Sarisa's shoulders, Xavia's sitting in a regular wooden chair with the back slanted so she can sit back, Todd, Pauleen, Rupert and I sitting next to each other in two chairs like it, all of us having lemonade to drink.

"This is good lemonade." Todd tells Sarisa.

"Thank you, I made it earlier this morning." She tells him.

"So, are you two going to spend the rest of the diga-day with each other?" Pauleen asks.

"Dunno what else ta do." Joe says.

"And there's not as much adventuring to do..." Todd says, then sighing. "Our lives are dull ones now." Xavia snickers some.

"What's so funny?" Sarisa asks her.

"I remember hearing some say that before, and their live got quite interesting after it." She tells her.

"..." I sit silent, looking into my lemonade, then up at my friends. _...Todd has Pauleen, Joe had Sarisa, and well, she may be oblivious, but Rupert has Xavia. They all have someone that makes their heart pound when they see them...And I have no one... _A wave of guilt and hurt comes crashing down on me, tenfold, I setting my glass aside and staring at the ground.

"...Joe." I suddenly say, looking up at him.

"Yeah small fry?" He asks.

"...Can I ask a favor?"

"Sure. Whatcha need?" He tells me, warm smile on his face, I then rubbing my mouth ,looking down at the ground, then back up at him.

"...I need to borrow the Mammoth Screen." I tell him.

"Th' Mammoth Screen?" Joe asks, blinking.

"Why do you need to borrow that?" Rupert asks, I looking at all of them.

"...I just need to borrow it is all." I say, then standing.

"Sure, I guess." Joe tells me.

"Thanks, I'll be glad to pay for using it."

"Naw, it's th' least I can do fer ya savin' th' world." He tells me, smiling his warm smile.

"Thank you..." I tell him. "Can it be ready around noon?"

"Yep."

"Thank you..." I say again. "I gotta...I gotta go do something."

With that, I leave my confused friends behind.

Around noon...

I'm typing on a laptop, waiting for the time.

My cell phone starts going off, it being Todd, which I answer.

"Red! Where are you?! We're about to start!" He asks.

"...Just go ahead and start it." I tell him. "I'm ready."

I hang up.

* * *

><p>"Red?! RED!" Todd says, it being useless.<p>

"What's wrong?" Rupert asks.

"He hung up." Todd tells him, putting his phone away. "And told us to go ahead and start."

"Well, he's the one who asked." Pauleen says. Xavia stood by, not saying anything, standing straight with her arms crossed, and staring out the window.

"She's right." Joe sighs. "Might as well get started." He looks at the camera man, the rest of the Patrol Team in the picture as well, Sarisa off to the side, but smiling none the less.

"Ready...and...rolling!" The camera man says, the little red light turning on, they knowing everyone could see Joe's smiling face and the Patrol Team, minus Red.

"Howdy y'all!" Joe says, doing his two-finger salute. "I'm here at th' Caliosteo Fossil Park. Now, y'all are prolly wonderin' why we're here, but Red Broke, the champ that beat ol' ZZ, said he-"

"Someone's hacked into the system!" Terry, who was standing by, says.

"What?!" Joe asks, everyone except for Xavia rushing over.

"Who's doing it?" The camera man asks.

"Who else?" They all look at Xavia, who stood looking out a window, hands clasped over the small of her back. "I prepared a weak spot for him to use." She says, looking at everyone, who stood with shock.

"So who's responsible?!" Terry asks.

"Red, though, hacking isn't illegal, it'll just show whatever's being filmed from a different camera." Xavia tells him. "All I did was make the weak firewall."

"You knew he was going to hack into the system?!" Joe asks, mad.

"I've known for quite the while." Xavia tell him. "All I had to was wait to the events of today to happen, and, waiting is one thing I do quite well."

* * *

><p>I sit on a rock, the laptop in my lap, the screen now having an image of me sitting on the rock, another rock near the edge of a cliff, which, beyond that is the ocean, while either side has jungle. In front me, a few feet away is a video camera on a tripod, which is capturing the image.<p>

"..." I put the laptop aside after a moment, the look at the camera, my hands clasped together and elbows on my knees, and think of what to say.

"...Hi." Is what comes out. "...So. You all know me, Red Broke, the boy who defeated Zongazonga and saved the world from his wrath..." I look at the ground, wet my lips, squeeze my hands some, then look back at the camera.

"...But that's not me.

"This enter time all of you have known me, you thought of me as a brave, fearless hero who couldn't lie, who couldn't be defeated, who was unstoppable, but...that's not true.

"I've been lying over and over again. Each time I say my name is 'Red Hart Broke', I have lied. I'm not brave. I know some of you right now are wondering what in the world I'm talking about, but..." I look down again, squeeze my hands tighter, take a deep breath, and look back at the camera again.

"My name is Red Ranger, and I ran away from home.

I am the boy who made master status, who defeated Guhnash, who defeated Captain Bullwort, who revived Ignosaurus, who defeated Frigisaurus, and made an alliance with an alien race."

"..." Silence.

"...That's why I lied. I ran away from home. I ran away from home because I was scared of my cousins. That's why I'm not brave. I just ran away, and then when I was found, instead of staying and facing them, I ran again." I wipe away a tear. "I hurt my loved ones, my friends, my family, and each time someone has called me brave, it hurt me. I am not brave, I am a coward because I couldn't stand up for myself. I've never been able to stand up for myself. The only thing that makes me brave is when I stand up for others, and my planet. Other than that, I am a coward.

"And I'm no hero either, I've hurt people, I hurt my parents, two of the dearest people on this planet and hurt them because I was a coward. I hurt my friends because I left them behind. I've hurt people, I hurt the..." I stop, my breath shaking, and wipe my sleeve across my eyes. _Stop crying. You're not a little kid. _

I take a breath, then look back at the camera.

"...I hurt the one person I love more than anything in this entire place. In any place. In everything that exists and doesn't I love her and yet I've hurt her...That has been in my heart, making more and more pain each passing second. Or...well, where my heart should be...She still has it. I've trusted her with it. I know she's taking care of it, dream of her every night, every time I see something beautiful, I think of her, I just..." I sit there a second. "...I love you so much..." I say, as if she was stand here.

"I'm ashamed that I've run, I've gotten so angry at myself, I just can't take this anymore. I have to say it, I want to just yell it, I want everyone to know that I AM Red Ranger, I ran away from home and I'm ashamed of it because the people I love and want to protect have been hurt and I have nothing justify my actions, because I'm nothing but a coward..."

I look back at the camera.

"...I'm sorry. To everyone."

I pick the laptop back up, and end the connection, the screen now showing Joe's Office, where they stand, looking at a TV that was behind the camera man with utter shock.

Except for Xavia, who's not there.

...

Getting up, I put the gear away, then into my pack, and go to the other rock that looks out over the ocean, and sitting on it, able to hear the crash of the waves and the scented air blowing in my hair and face.

"So, you finally told everyone?"

Whipping my head around, I see Xavia sitting up in a tree, her back to the trunk, legs stretched out on a limb and ankles crossed, arms folded over her flat chest.

"...You knew...?" I whisper.

"Yep." She tells me, then putting her arms behind her head.

"...You _knew?!_" I ask, getting to my feet. "HOW?! I only told Todd and I know he didn't tell anyone!"

"No one told me." She says. "I would've just picked up the puzzled pieces and solved it if I hadn't of known."

"...What do you mean 'hadn't of known'?"

"If I hadn't of known in the first place." She tells me, then jumping down from the tree.

"..." It hits me, and hit me _hard._ "You've known I was run away ever since the night I became one?"

"That's right." She tells me, tossing her bangs. "I watched you climb from your window to the back yard. You stopped and looked at Zeke's house, then continued your way to the small harbor, bought the old rowboat I was selling,"

"That belonged to YOU?!" I exclaim, shocked.

"That's correct. I knew you would need something to get away in, and I already make quite a lot of money on stocks as well as treasure I have stored away, so I didn't need to charge a lot for it."

"..." I stand there, then sit down on the rock, holding my head in my hands, then looking up at her quickly. "If you knew where I was, where I was going, what name I was using, then why didn't you warm me about ZZ?"

"That wasn't my place." She tells me. "That was my ancestors. I was only trying to keep an eye on you."

"...I don't need a babysitter." I tell her.

"I know, and I'm not one." She tells me. "I'm just here to make sure everything happens with little or no difficulties..." She looks off. "And, in the process I made friends...I originally planned to only stay up to this point, but..." She stands silent for a second before faintly smiling. "I can't leave now." Looking back at me, I see the smile on her face. "You just help anyone around, whether you do anything or not."

"..." I stand back up, anger suddenly building up inside me. "But what gives you the right to...to know all that stuff?" I growl. "What made you think it was alright to watch me, keep tabs on me?!"

She suddenly sprays something in my face, making me calm down immediately.

"...What was that?" I ask.

"It's a spray I made that's designed to calm you down." She tells me, putting it away.

"Just me?" I ask.

"Yep." She says, looking back at me. "You see, I've done analysis and testing on the blood you let me draw out of you and your DNA from a tiny piece of skin that was stuck to a censor I put on you. Now, remember the blaster Raptin used on you and Rosie, the Regression Ray? Well, it seems that there's also dinosaur DNA hidden away in our own genes, it being untouchable to us since it's so primitive. However, since you've developed such a strong bond to your vivosaurs, it's enabled you to tap into that DNA. It's weak right now, but it seems that under the right training a circumstances, you may be able to use the DNA at will. Right now, since it's new to you and you can't really do anything with it, you can get aggressive and just explode, like just now."

"..." I stand there, amazed. "...How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"Remember when you were running from tat stalker fan? Cassidy? Well, when you ran from the beach to the house almost instantly, that was you tapping into the DNA, which gave you the ability to run extremely fast like that."

"..." I think for a second, something then popping into my mind. "I'm not becoming a Dinaurian, right?"

"No. You're just able to used the ancient DNA stored in your genes to your advantage." Xavia explains, then sighing.

"What's wrong?" I ask. She looks up at me, faintly smiling, and raises my chin up some.

"Oh, the fun I could have poking around into that nerve in your brain..." She tells me. "The one I pointed out to you; it's what allowing you to tap into the DNA...oh, the things I could discover." She says, then releasing my chin. "But, I guess I'll just have to observe. Oh well..." She then smiles. "Well, I'll take my leave." Her smile widens. "You've made people happy Red, they'll get to see you again. Don't forget that." She then suddenly takes off, her boots must having jets in them or something, and I watch her till she disappears.

_...She knew this whole time... _I think, sit back on the rock. _...and never told anyone..._

After a moment, I shift so that I look back out to the ocean, staring at the horizon.

A few hours later...

The sky is the color of a sunset, red, orange, pink, purple, yellow, and midnight blue melding together perfectly, like right out of a painting, it reflecting off the ocean so that its breath taking sight, a few clouds in the sky being purple crusted with pink and gold.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-CUT!<strong>

**Red: NO! KEEP GOING! KEEP GOING! KEEP GOING!**

**Magma: No, you're not the boss-**

**Red: **_**I SAID KEEP GOING!**_

**Magma: OKAY OKAY OKAY!**

* * *

><p><em>...Rosie...<em> I think, my legs hugged against my chest. _I'll be able to see you again now..._

_Thud._

I know that noise.

_Thud._

Someone's riding on a vivosaur, and coming closer. The sound of it landing of the grass and folding it wings brushes my ears, followed by the sound of it going into a medal.

I then feel eyes on my back.

"...I'm guessing you're here to take me back." I say, not taking my eyes off the sunset.

"..." Nothing.

"...It's alright. I only have one thing to ask: Let me see Rosie again." I say, still not looking. "Rosetta Richmond on Vivosaur Island. She...I love her. I her more than anything or anyone. I honestly didn't think it was possible for me to truly love anyone after I ran away, but...then I met here. Every time I saw her, she was the sun rising and spreading glorious colors on the horizon...but I didn't know I was in love until it was too late. I wanted to see her again, I wanted to..." I sigh. "I don't know...all I could do was give her my heart...I just hope that she still has it...If...If someone else, that she loves more, and is really good to her, it's alright...It hurts, but it's alright...I love her. Even if I'm not the one she wants, all I want is for her to be safe and happy...Nothing for me, just her. Only her. Only...only the most beautiful rose on the entire plain of existence..."

"..." Nothing, but I hug my knees, my face against them, and I hear their feet on the grass as they come over and sit down next to me, putting a gentle hand on my shaking shoulder.

I smell strawberries.

...Strawberries.

I stop.

Shaking even more, I lift my head, and turn it to look.

The first thing I see are lovely, beautiful pink eyes.

"...Rosie." I say. She faintly smiles.

"I missed you." She tells me.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-CUT. No more.<strong>

**Red: KEEP WRITING!**

**Magma: **_**NO.**_

**Red:...*sobs in corner***

**Magma: He's been having mood swings...**

**Wintergril: Thanks! XD XAVIA'S SO ADORABLE TO PICTURE IN MY MIND.**

**Omniverse: ...I...didn't quite understand that.**

**mysterydude123: Yes, to Minecraft, no to the dark age thing.**

**DunalN2: TROLLING~**

**DigitalEmperor001: Yes, there a lot of things I did NOT own in the last chapa, there were just too many to disclaim...But you're right...I have the feeling I'm going to have fun using Cassidy. :D**

**Casey: I'm not sure if laughing for that long is good...**

**ZeldaShinx: It was supposed to be random. :3 NOT THE SUGAR CUBE HOUSE! D:}**

**fossilfighter1313: What exactly do you mean 'what's wrong with Xavia?'**

**Gunsandgames: YOU'RE LUCKY YOUR EYES DIDN'T HURT.**

**BloodyLily16: Well, Rupert, Red and Todd just remind me of Tamaki and the twins. XD**

**Greywing44: Who doesn't love hilarity? :D **


	83. FINALLY!

**AN-HELLO! So, you have not heard from me for...I dunno. Anyhow, I did this same thing last year, amazingly, at the same time I put up a chapter where Red's true identity was revealed and romance between him and Rosie was suddenly possible. So, I figured, "WHY NOT DO IT AGAIN, JUS' TA TROLL THEM? XD" So, here we are.**

**Red: Magma does not own FF/FFC!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Eighty-Three - FINALLY!<p>

"...Rosie." I say, boundless joy pouring into me, a smile spreading across my face.

"..." She says nothing, but hugs me, I wrapping my arms around her, tears of joy streaming down my face. "...I missed you so much." She tells me, the side of her head resting on my collar bones while I hold her close.

"I know how you feel." I tell her, hugging her a bit tighter. "It was torment. I knew where you were, but I just couldn't go to you, so...I..." I sniff. "All I could do was think about you. I dreamed about you every night, you were my first thought in the morning and my last thought at night, and each time I faced ZZ, the thought of you filled me with so much determination..." I hug her tighter. "I love you, Rosie. I love you so, so, so much."

"I love you too." She tells me, gripping the front of my suit, head under my chin. "...I kept it safe."

"..." My eye grow wide at this, and I pull back to see the heart pin I made her is still on the collar of her shirt. Not saying anything, a smile of joy spreads across my face. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Something suddenly pops into my mind.

"...B-by the way..." I tell her. "There's one other thing I didn't get the chance to give you."

"...What?" She asks, blinking. "What'd you want to-"

I kiss her.

Her lips are soft and smooth against mine, that wondrous, indescribable feeling pouring into my frame, making me feel like I'm about to float into the air, warmth spreading to every inch of my being as if it were part of my blood, joy blossoming inside my chest like a flower and my heart swelling and thumping.

"..." She sits there, tense, then relaxes, returning the kiss, which increases the feeling in me uncountable times, to where it's completely overwhelming.

We sit there for who knows how long, locked in that one kiss.

I start to draw back only to have Rosie lean forward to keep us in it, in which I lean forward, deepening it, and we sit like that for a minute before drawing away, slowly.

"I love you." I tell her, hugging her close, her head on my chest. We sit there, starting out at the sunset, when something from a _very_ long time ago comes to my mind.

"HOLY DINO!" I yell, jumping so that I somehow manage to fall off the rock, Rosie looking at me with surprise.

"What's wrong?" She asks.

"..." I sit there, absolutely amazed, then push myself up, clambering back onto the rock, starting at the sunset. "..._Whoa._" I look at Rosie. "...My second night on Vivosaur Island, my vivosaurs gave me a dream of us kissing, and with this exact sunset in front of us."

"..." She blinks with surprise, then looks at the sunset. "...Talk about Déjà vu."

"Yeah..." I say. "Though, it is beautiful."

"Yeah..." Rosie agrees, leaning on my shoulder, I wrapping my arm around her. We sit there a few minutes, watching the sun set till the sky gets darker, streaks of red, rose and a bit of gold mixing with the purple and midnight blue, stars swimming above us, at which Rosie pulls out her Dimorph, which we climb onto, riding toward Cranial Isle.

A few minutes later...

"How'd ya know is what I wanna know!" I hear Joe's voice say.

"I told you, I have my ways." Xavia's voice says. "It's a long story, and now's not the time."

"I can't believe it though..." Rupert says. "How did we not make the connection?"

"Hey, I should've gotten it, digadig!" Pauleen says, Rosie's hand tightening on mine.

"That curse is still on you?" I whisper to her, she sighing.

"Yep."

"..." I smile, and kiss her forehead. "Don't worry. I'm sure you and Pauleen will become great friends." My smile widens. "After all, I know one thing you two have in common: pink hair!" Rosie smiles at that.

"I'd like to meet your friends." She tells me, I smiling back.

"Well, come on." I tell her. "They're gonna love you." We descend the steps, we having come down from the roof of the tower, then stopping, Rosie letting me go on ahead.

Silence settles over the room as I come into view, Todd, Rupert, Pauleen, Joe, Sarisa, and Xavia all being in the room.

I come off the stairs, then go over to them, stopping, they all looking at me.

"..." Still silence.

"...Hi." I say.

"..." Everyone's quiet, when Joe stands up, looking at me.

"..." He's quiet for a second. "...I gotta admit small fry, fer someone's who's just 'leven, ya gotta lotta surprises in ya."

"...That's agreed." Rupert says, stepping forward. "Red, you could have told us. I see no reason why we would have told anyone."

"Diga!" Pauleen says in agreement. "We've told you our secrets, why diga-didn't you tell us yours, digadig?"

"..." I stand there, looking at all of them. "...Well, you all have a good point. It was wrong of me to keep my identity from all of you, but you have to understand: I was afraid."

"You? 'Fraid of what?!" Joe asks, he, Rupert, Pauleen and Sarisa surprised at this.

"I have two cousins who are older than I am." I tell him. "They've picked on me for my whole life. Each time I was told that we were going to visit them, I was filled with dread, and wanted to hide or make some excuse to not go. Each time I saw them, they rubbed my face in the dirt, bombarded me with verbal attacks, and just made me feel worthless. I ran because I was afraid, and I knew I couldn't beat them...I didn't have the skills."

"Didn't have the skills?!" Rupert exclaims, we looking at him. "Red, look at everything you've done! You've defeated five powerful forces that had the means to take over the world, and yet you threw yourself at them with everything you had, and toppled them completely! You gave speeches when motivation was needed, you fought when strength was needed, whether your own or vivosaurs, solved problems when cunning was needed, and gave kindness when it was needed most! You have given your loyalty to the entire world, vowing to protect it no matter the odds, you've helped complete strangers, and you have proven that you have a heart bigger than the boundless space, yet you claim you didn't have the skills?!"

"..." I stand, silent. "...Well..." Looking down, I feel shamefaced. "...I guess I just never thought about it..."

"Hey, don't feel bad, bro!" Todd says, putting his hand on my shoulder. "After all, think about everything you told me about your adventures! You fought when other people's safety and the world were put on the line, and you fought with no fear at all! So, when it was just you vs. your cousins, that's when you were scared 'cause you were fighting for yourself!"

"..." _He's right... _I think, unable to help but think of the events of the past few months. Smiling, I lift my head up. "I've helped you guys face your fears, so I'll face mine."

"That's the spirit, digadig!" Pauleen says. She and Todd hug me, I hugging them back.

"Rupert! Get over here!" I say, he smiling, and joining the group hug. After a moment, we all separate, my smile widening. "By the way, there's someone I want you guys to meet."

"Who?" Sarisa asks, I noticing Todd having a great big smile on his face.

"The one person I've entrusted my heart to." I say, still smiling, then turning to look at the stairs, seeing Rosie come down them, then over to my side, slipping her hand into mine. "Everyone, this is Rosetta Richmond. Rosie, these are the friends I've made on my adventures here."

"Hello." She says, smiling.

"I recognize you, digadig!" Pauleen says. "You looked right at me when you and Red first came to the village, diga!"

"Yep, diga!" Rosie says, the room falling silent. "DIGA-DARN IT!" She then yells angry, Xavia bursting into laughter.

"HA HAHA!" She laughs, her hands over her eyes and laughing, Rosie looking at her with anger.

"You think that's funny?" She demands, Xavia looking at her and falling silent, much to everyone else's shock. "Well?!"

"..." She remains silent.

"..." Silence, and I notice that even Sarisa's confused.

_Strange, Sarisa knows a lot about Xavia, so..._ I think, then looking back at the current situation, Rosie stomping up to Xavia, who backs away.

"Well?" She asks, Xavia remaining silent. The elevator dings, we all looking to see Parker on the platform, then stepping off and going over to Xavia.

"It's late, and your supper is getting cold." He tells her, then putting his hand on her shoulder and leading her over to the elevator, which they step onto.

Before they descend, I notice Xavia's hands barely shaking.

_The what? _I wonder.

"...Was that normal?" Rosie asks.

"...I'm not even sure anymore, digadig." Pauleen says. "But, I'm surprised that hasn't worn off yet."

"Please tell me I'm not stuck with it, diga." Rosie says, I feeling my face warm a bit.

"I diga-don't think so, digadig." Pauleen tells her. "I don't quite understand everything about Grandpa's power, diga, so I can't really tell you."

"Diga-dang it!" She replies, stamping her foot, I feeling my face warm a bit more, Rupert suddenly laughing.

"What's funny?" Sarisa asks, Rupert pointing at me.

"RED is blushing!" He says, I jumping some.

"Am not!" I deny.

"There's no denying it, you ARE blushing." Rupert tells me.

_Why is he-_

_ ..._

_ ...Oh __**NO**__... _

_ He can now get back at me for Todd and I teasing him._

"Why's that pard?" Joe asks, he having a look of mischief on his face.

_Oh dear._

"Well, perhaps it's just hot in here." I tell him. "I mean, seriously, I'm wearing a...longish-sleeve shirt."

"And Rupert's wearing a coat, but he's not hot." Todd points out.

**(Some people would disagree with you Todd. XD)**

_Not helping. _I think.

"Red, why are you blushing?" Rosie ask me, my face remaining blank.

_...I've always found it cute when you said 'diga'._

"Come on, you can tell us, digadig!" Pauleen says, joining Joe and Rupert's teasing.

_What did I even do to you?! _I wonder.

"Leave him alone guys, Holt bugged him enough." Todd says, the three of them looking at him in confusion.

"Who's Holt?" Joe asks.

"One of our friends on Vivosaur Island." Rosie tells him. "Speaking of him, he really missed you Red." She tells me, looking at me. "When he heard you had runaway, his smile just vanished, and...he just feel face down."

"..." I frown, guilt pouring into me. "I'm sorry, I...I didn't mean..."

"It's alright." Rosie tells me, hugging me around the neck, I hugging her back. "I know he's jumping for joy at the fact he's going to see you again."

"Heh. Yep, that's Holt." I say.

"Hold on," Rupert says, an idea in his eyes. "Todd, could you please tell us more about Holt's conduct towards Red at the fact of knowing he was in love?"

"Oh yeah!" Todd says, big smile on his face. "You see, they were on Woolbeard's ship when-"

"WE SAW A GHOST!" I yell, jumping straight at Todd, who yelps and runs away, I chasing after him, much to the amusement of everyone else.

"Is it like this every day?" Rosie asks.

"More or less." Sarisa tells her. I finally catch Todd, getting him over my shoulder, then realizing just how strong I've gotten since coming here.

"..." I stop, Todd over shoulders and think for a second. "...Wow..."

"What?" Todd asks, one hand on his helmet.

"It seems like a lifetime ago when I left home...I wasn't strong enough to pick up anyone." I stand there a second, staring in wonder, then smile. "Ah, well, that's life!"

"Our crazy lives." Rupert says, smiling.

"Yeah, diga!" Pauleen agrees.

"Though, we do gotta meet the rest'a yer friends now." Joe points out, my smile widening.

"Aw, don't worry! You guys will love 'em!" I say. The elevator dings, we all looking to see three staff members step off.

"Red Ranger?" One asks, I nodding.

"Sorry, but, we got a call from the police of your home town, and they've asked that we take you to your residence and keep you there until they arrive." Another tells me.

"Yes sir." I tell him, setting Todd down. "Let's go home."

"I'll see you tomorrow." Rosie says, coming forward and kissing my lips, the action making me suddenly tense. I then kiss her back, a hand dropping on my shoulder and pulling me away, I waving good-bye.

"See you tomorrow." I tell her.

"She can stay with me, digadig." Pauleen says, putting her hand on Rosie's shoulder.

"Thank you." I tell her, the elevator descending, Todd, the staff member and I riding in silence.

Later...

"Wow. So, what do you think is gonna come outta this?" Todd asks, we sitting in the bean bag chairs in his room, playing video games, he in his pajamas and I wearing my robe and boxers.

"I don't know, but..." I start. "It's a relief, that's for sure. I don't have to worry about being caught, or anything."

"AND you finally got that kiss!" Todd tells me, my face heating a bit.

"Yeah..." I say, a bit swoonfully, I then rolling on my back. "I've never felt better in my life..."

"What did it feel like?" Todd asks, eager.

"Amazing." I tell him. "Indescribable, really." I sit there a second, then sit up, looking at Todd and smiling. "Though, if you wanna know, you could always kiss Pauleen!"

"RED!" He yells, his face turning red.

"Hey, you were gonna tell them about Holt's teasing." I point out, he just sighing.

"It's late." He tells me. "Let's just go to bed."

"Alright." I tell him, standing, then going over to the door. "Sleep well."

"You too." He says, I shutting the door behind me. I go to my room, remove my robe and brush my teeth, then climb into my bed. After lying in the dark for a bit, I turn the knob that makes the constellations on the underside of the half-dome appear, and lay there watching them.

I wake with the sun coming through my window, and On my stomach, hugging my pillow, when a thought enters my mind:

_Who am I going to see first?_

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Whelp, Red and Rosie have been reunited and had their first kiss, the world knows who Red is, and he's gonna see his family again! NEXT CHAPA!<strong>

**Red: C'mon guys, you didn't REALLY this was the end, right?**

**sachel: Please don't cry! :(**

**mysterydude123: :D :D :D :D :D :D :D**

**Omniverse: Nope, Red's still got adventures to go on. :D**

**blaze534master: HERE IS YOUR WISH! :D Now what are your other two?**

**Casey: YES INDEED.**

**Zeldashinx: The whole world is. Well, Red's world, that is. XD**

**fossilfighter1313: Ah...That will actually be revealed.**

**DunalN2: TROLOLOLOLOL~!**

**Gunsandgames: Thanks man! :D**

**Chi-Chan: 601, actually. Bloodlily16 beat you by a few minutes...sorry.**

**Bloodlily16: Don't worry! There's still more adventures for this character!**

**Chi-Chan: 1. YAYZ~! I hope you're feeling better. :D**

**2. THANK YEW! THANK YEW~! What shall I do for an encore? **

**3. What so shocking? ?_?**

**suntan140: YEP! :D**

**Anyhow, I'm out for summer and that means I'm going to go to summer camp soon, so if I don't update for a week at some point, please forgive me. I'm also going to try to lose weight, (I'm fat, even though I don't look it.) so I'm going to be outside a lot, so I'll be working on this when I get the chance.**

**See ya next chapa! :D**


	84. Reunion

**AN- ALRIGHT! In this chapa, Red will be reunited with friends and family!**

**Red: Onwards!**

**Magma: THAT'S MY LINE!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Eighty-Four - Reunions<p>

I sit on the picnic table in the back yard, staring at the grass between my feet, elbows on my knees and my hands clamped together.

_'Don't worry Red,' _Cloud Cover tells me, I feeling my vivosaurs mentally hug me. _'I'm sure they're going to be too happy to be angry.'_

_ 'I know, but...' _I tell her, squeezing my hands tighter.

_'Your cousins...' _Flamethrower says, I nodding, then hearing the sliding door on the deck open, followed by two pairs of footsteps, which I immediately recognize. Hanging my head more, I refuse to look up, even as the steps come down to the grass, across the lawn, and then fall to silence in front of me.

"..." Silence.

A fist grabs the collar of my suit, my hands squeezing each other tighter.

"We've gotta bone to pick with you." A voice says, I still looking down.

"Running off like you did..." Another, a bit deeper, says. "It proved to us you're a coward."

"And now, since you're so high and mighty," The first says, "we're going to pull you back down to earth."

"..." I say nothing, but stare at the ground, fear building inside of me.

_"I've helped you guys face your fears, so I'll face mine."_

I look up, seeing the faces of my cousins, Conner and Collin.

Both have brown hair and eyes, tan skin, black t-shirts with denim vests, baggy jeans, and black shoes. Collin is the one with the deeper voice and hair parted on the left, while Conner has the higher voice with hair parted on the right, and black, fingerless gloves. Collin is the one who has me by the collar.

"NO." I tell them, still scared on the inside.

"You don't say 'no' to us!" Collin yells at me, yanking me to my feet, my hands now fists.

"I said NO!" I tell him. "I'm tired of you two pushing me around! I'm not the kind of guy that'll instantly let fame go to his head, I don't even care about it! I'm not high and mighty, I didn't do what I did to get famous, I did it to protect what matters to me, my friends, my family and..." I stop there, the looks in their eyes making me feel like a small child next to two giants.

"We'll show you!" Conner yells, his fist coming straight at me.

Something in my mind clicks, energy surging into my frame.

The next thing I know, I'm still standing, fine, Collin is five feet away from me, shocked, while Conner is on the ground, holding his nose, blood dripping from it.

"I'M TIRED OF YOU GUYS!" I yell, starting to shake with all the memories of them from when I was small and helpless crashing down on me. "WHAT DID I EVER DO?! DID YOU GUYS REALLY THINK THAT PICKING ON SOMEONE THREE YEARS YOUNGER THAN YOU WOULD MAKE YOU GUYS BETTER PEOPLE?! PICKING ON A DEFENSLESS LITTLE KID, TWO TO ONE?!"

"..." Silence.

"...I n-never wanted...to hate you guys..." I say, my arm going across my eyes to dry them. "I never wanted...to be afraid of you two...I...I just wanted...us to get along...but for...for some reason...you two never did..." I look up at them. "WHAT DID I EVER DO?!"

"..." Collin takes a step towards me, mad. "You were _always_ everyone's favorite! Ever since you came along, everyone always talked about how good _you _were. How cute _you _were. They even said you were mature and responsible ahead of your age!" He throws his arms in the air. "You were always the center of the conversation! When people thought of our family, _they thought of YOU._"

"How is that MY fault?!" I ask, my fear being replaced with anger. "Can I help who am I?! No! All I can do is be good! Anyone can do that! Anyone is capable of that! Whether they choose to fight and achieve it or not is their choice, but all I've been doing is following what my heart and mind told me to do, and look where I am!" I yell, throwing my arms in the air. "I have friends and family that love me, powerful vivosaurs I'm willing to die for, a nice home, I can make good food, I have good education, I'm strong, people look up to me, and..."

_Rosie._

My arms lower, one going back across my eyes.

_Rosie. I have you. You've loved me for who I am. Thank you. Even though I showed weakness, and I'm weak right now...Thank you. Thank you so much...Thank you..._

"Conner, Collin!" Uncle Mark's voice calls, I looking up to see the Collin help up Conner, who shoots me a glare, still holding his bleeding nose, they then leaving, I not watching.

"..." Silence is disrupted by their footsteps, while I stand there, shaking, from what I think is fear and shame.

Two more footsteps, these different.

"..." They stop a few feet away from me, I lifting me head looking.

"..." I blink, more tears streaming down my face. "...Mama...Papa..."

My parents.

Mama stands with her hands over her mouth, a sad look in her brown eyes, wearing her lavender short sleeved shirt, that has a v-neck, white cloth going across to add style, a blue skirt that comes right above her knees, and yellow shoes with a bit of white from her socks sticking out, her pretty brown hair parted on the right, and cut to where it curls up right above her shoulders, Papa standing next to her, his rectangular glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose in front of his brown eyes, wearing his short sleeved white shirt with a collar and buttons going up the front, black pants and black shoes, his brown hair combed forward.

"..." I blink again, then run straight towards them, their arms wrapping around me as mine wrap around them, all of us tightly hugging.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so so so so sorry..." I say, they just hugging me tighter.

"It was our fault, Red." Papa tells me. "We should have believe you when you said they picked on you, but..."

"It's alright now, don't cry." Mama says, taking my head in her hands, I looking up at her, she taking out her handkerchief and wiping my eyes. "It's okay." She tells me again, hugging me tightly, Papa hugging both of us.

"...I missed you guys." I say. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone..."

"It's alright Red." Papa tells me, his hand running down my head, my hair then going back into the spikes I'm so used to now. "We're a family again."

I smile, hugging them tighter.

Later...

_'That was emotionally exhausting.' _I think, sitting on the picnic table again, alone. My entire family has come through, expressing relief and love, there were a lot of hugs, I got kissed on my forehead more times that I can ever remember, and now, aside from my parents, they're back off to their homes.

_'Well, you got it done and over, but at least no one was mad!' _Air Strike tells me, I smiling at that.

_'Well, that's true, but-'_

"REEEEED!" I look up just in time to have someone tackle me, arms around me in a death hug. "Hiya, pal! You look great! Whatcha been eatin'?"

"...Oh...my...dino..." I say, then looking down to see the face of none other than Holt 'Lightning' Boltomore.

"HEEEEY, MAN!" I yell with pure glee, hugging him tightly, then proceeding to jump in circles.

"Hey, wait!" He says, I stopping, and looking down at him. "When did you get so _tall?!"_ He asks, I then remembering that when I was on Vivosaur Island, we were about the same height, while now I stand a good six inches taller.

"OH MY DINO!" I exclaim, jumping at the sudden realization. "I dunno! When'd you get so short?!"

"When you got so tall!" He tells me. "...What _have _you been eating?!"

"...I dunno." I tell him, shrugging.

"Hm." He hums. "Anywho, it's good to see you again." He says, then tackle hugging me, I hugging him back, we then proceeding to roll about the grass, wrestling a bit.

"Hey! Don't forget me!" A voice calls, I looking to see Zeke, my childhood friend, running right at us.

"ZEEEEKE!" I yell, a giant smile on my face as I jump up and tackle him, we rolling around on the grass as well, Holt jumping on us as we continue to wrestle some, Todd coming out of nowhere and jumping on all of us, I then looking at the deck to see Rosie, Pauleen, Sarisa, Joe, Mama, Papa, Rupert, Xavia, Mr. Richmond, Mary, and Mr. Martin standing there, watching us.

"Rupert, get over here!" Todd yells, the four of us all looking at him.

"Erm...No thank you, I'm not-"

"Oh, just get over there, rich boy!" Xavia says, grabbing his shoulders and walking him down the stairs and over to us.

"Holt, Zeke, these are my friends Todd and Rupert," I say, my arms hanging lazily around their necks. "then this is Xavia right here."

"Hiya!" Holt says, Zeke and him smiling.

"Nice to meet you." Zeke says.

"Hey, don't forget us, digadig!" Pauleen says, she, Mary, and Rosie coming down off the deck and over to us. I introduce everyone, the adults joining us as well.

"Well, you're going to have to fill us in on your adventures, Red!" Zeke tells me.

"I know, I know." I tell him, smiling. "But, I'm just glad we're all back together."

"You got that right!" He tells me, he and Mary then tackle hugging me, all of us falling on the ground, laughing.

"There are still three others." A voice says, I recognizing it immediately.

"KING DYNAL!" I exclaim, looking up at the Dinaurian who stands with Raptin and Duna, all of them watching us.

"AGH!" Mary exclaims, jumping behind Zeke, who's surprised as well, I running up to the three of them.

"Hey! How are you guys?" I ask, King Dynal and Duna smiling, while Raptin suppresses one.

"Well, thank you." Duna tell me, then looking at Raptin. "I am aware that you missed him as well, stop acting like you did not."

"Aw, Raptin's always gotta be the tough guy!" I say, big smile on my face, Raptin looking at me.

"Might I remind you that I could swallow you if I wanted?" He asks.

"But would your king approve?" I ask, he looking at me a second before going into his battle form.

I then proceed to run around the backyard like a maniac, Raptin right behind me while everyone laughs.

"Wait." I say, then skidding to a stop, Raptin stopping as well. "Why am I running?!" I then whip out my team. "Air Strike, Spinax Mega on Raptin!" He attacks, sending Raptin right into his Dinaurian form.

"NO WAY!" Zeke yells, he, Holt, Mary and Rosie running over to look at my Super Revived team.

"How did you get them like this?!" Rosie asks, she looking at me.

"...Oh...uh...you know...fossil rocks..." I say, suddenly quiet.

"Well, now I know the other reason you let me go." Mary laughs, Rosie looking at her with confusion.

"What?" She asks, then looking back me, I scratching the back of my head awkwardly.

"I'm not quite sure how to say this, but...before I ran away...I...kinda...liked...her..." I say, awkwardly smiling, Rosie's face blank.

I'm then running again, this time for my life while Rosie is running after me.

"RED! WHY DIDN'T YOU EVER TELL ME?!"

"I'm sorry!" I say, still running, now going in circles around one of the trees.

"But still!" Rosie says, I realizing she's just joking with me, making me smile.

"Well, you're the only girl I don't mind chasing me!" I call over my shoulder, she then running faster, making me jump up and grab the first tree branch I can, hugging it with my arms and legs so I'm too high up for her to reach.

"Come down from there!" She says, still smiling.

"Red," Rupert calls. "I believe there's something you need to tell your parents!"

_...He's going to enjoy this. _I think, remembering he can now get back at me for teasing him.

"What do you need to tell us?" Papa asks, he and Mama coming over, looking up at the branch I'm hugging.

"..." I smile awkwardly, then release my arms, so I'm holding onto the branch by my legs, hanging down so the world is upside down, then take Rosie's head in my hands, kissing her. After a moment, I pull back, grab the branch I'm hanging from with my hands, then swing myself down to the ground, then standing and looking at me parents.

They then hug me, not saying anything.

Later...

"This place is amazing!" Holt says, I showing them around Cranial Isle.

"Yep!" I tell him, smiling. "And just wait until you see the dig sites this place has! You can also find wondrous and miraculous fossil rocks to evolve your vivosaurs, like how I did with mine."

"Amazing!" He says.

"Now I wanna be a Fossil Fighter..." Zeke says.

"Well, you can." I tell him. "All you have to do is clean a fossil to get your first vivosaur, then win a Fossil Battle to receive your license." I then sigh happily. "Ah...all this brings back such memories."

"Yep..." Todd says. "Like when you first got that Aeros Joe gave you."

"Yep." I say.

"Wait," Joe suddenly says, he remembering something. "I jus' remembered..."

"Yes sir?" Todd and I ask.

"...Todd, when ol' ZZ twisted yer mind, Red tried ta calm ya down by talkin' to you." Joe says. "He mentioned why y'all first came here, and somethin' about a crazy night and some crazy party, wh-"

"YOU SPOKE OF IT?!" Todd exclaims, looking at me.

"Well, I was trying to snap you out of it, so I figured that if I got you to remember the good times we had, that'd to the trick, so it just came to mind and WE'RE SPEAKING OF IT!"

"What was the crazy night and party?" Rosie asks, Todd's and mine faces going blank.

"..." We stand there for a second before bursting into laughter.

After a few minutes of that, we calm down then manage to tell them what happened.

After that, we're all laughing.

We manage to calm down after a bit, when I hear a familiar voice.

"Monsieur Red!"

"..." I stop, then turn and look up to see none other than Nick Nack standing there, smiling. "...Mr. Nack?"

"Ah, it is mood to see you again!" He tells me, I just standing there, bewildered that he's here.

"Why are you here?" Rosie asks, she and Holt confused as well.

"I'm here to visit my sister!" He tells us.

"WHAT?!" We exclaim.

"You have a sister?!" I ask.

"Twin, actually." He says. "We look must alike!"

"..." Silence.

"Bonjour!" We turn our heads to see Joanie rushing over with Princess Pooch, Nick Nack going over to her.

"Joanie! It is good to see you again, my little sister!" He tells her, they hugging.

_"WHAAAAAT?!" _Holt, Rosie, Todd, Pauleen and I all yell in unison, shocked beyond comparison.

"...I...I need to sit down." I say, putting my hand on my forehead.

"That's a good idea." Todd tells me, we all going into the Fighter Station and sitting on the sofas.

"Oh, by the way Red," Rosie starts, looking at me. "Mr. Evan, the hotel manager, still has your room for you."

"...Really?" I ask.

"Well, he said you never actually checked out, so the room's been on hold for you." She tells me, I just blinking.

"...Well, that's good service!" I say, smiling.

"But still, this is difficult to wrap my head around." Rupert says. "To think that you were able to avoid being recognized for almost a month and a half, hiding your true identity..." He shakes his head. "It's amazing, really."

"I'll say." Zeke tells him, then looking at me. "I have to admit, I thought this whole runaway thing would be over in, a tops, three weeks by you getting discovered, but it went on for three months with you telling the world."

"Well, I was just tired of the guilt." I tell him. "But, I guess me running away was actually a good thing. Look at all the stuff I've done, all the people I've helped, everything!"

"That's true." Mary agrees.

Later...

Rosie and I sit in the gazebo in the backyard of The Base, Todd, Pauleen, and Rupert having offered to show everyone around.

"Well, things will finally go back to normal?" Rosie asks, I having my arm around her while her head rests on my shoulder.

"There is no more normal." I tell her, smiling some. "But I'm used to it now..." I kiss her temple. "I'm just glad we're together."

"Yeah..." She sighs, I hugging her.

_All's right in my world. _I think, closing my eyes and enjoying the sweet scent of strawberries.

At least for a few minutes, before Rosie lifts her head up.

"By the way Red, I need to tell you something."

"Hm?" I hum, looking at her. "Alright."

"My parents want to meet you." She tells me.

_...Oh boy._

* * *

><p><strong>AN-So, Red has been reunited with friends and family, and will meet Rosie's parents! :D I wanted this chapa to be longer, but I'm leaving for a week tomorrow, not getting back till Saturday, so I wanted to get this up so y'all will be stated for a bit.<strong>

**Red: They're going to hate me. I just know it.**

**Air Strike: *slaps Red, then shakes his shoulders* GET A GRIP! Why would they hate you if you saved the world and Rosie?!**

**Red: I dunno!**

**Magma: He's just shy and worried. :3**

**blaze534master: Yep! :D They're together and happy at last! After almost sixty something chapters! **

**zeldashinx: Nope. STILL MOAR ADVENTURES TO BE HAD!**

**Magma Hot: I'll keep this story going as long as I can. :D Thank you so much for the support! :D**

**Omniverse: Nope. Y U think that? O.o**

**mysterydud123: FINALLY indeed. XD**

**Chi-Chan: Don't worry! And here's Holt! For your devoted friendship, I give him to you for a day! Do whatever you wish with him.**

**Holt: NO! **

**Red: Welcome to my world, buddy.**

**Gunsandgames: THE END HAS YET TO EVEN BE APPROACHED!**

**Casey: Yup.**

**BloodLily16: Red has stood up to his bully cousins, AND PUT THEM IN THEIR PLACE! }:D**

**DunalN2: HERE ARE THE DINAURIANS! :D**

**Magma: Anyhow, I'm off to summer camp! *puts on epic hat and runs off* ADVENTURE!**

**Red: ...Magma's not here...**

**Air Strike: ...You know what that means!**

**Cloud Cover: PAAAAAAAARTY!**

**Flamethrower: ...I'm locking myself in my room with a book. *leaves***


	85. Meeting Parents

**Magma: Hey guys, I'm ba- *stops when seeing house is a mess* ...**

**Air Strike: ...We're dead.**

**Red: IT WAS THEIR IDEA! *runs away***

**Flamethrower: I had nothing to do with this.**

**Magma: YOU GUYS ARE DEAD MEAT!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Eighty-Five - Meeting Parents<p>

"I can't believe it..." I say, looking out the window of the car I'm in. "Fossil City..."

After Rosie told me her parents wanted to meet me, the gang showed up again so we all spent the rest of the day goofing off. Zeke, Holt, Dynal, Raptin, and my parents stayed at The Base with Todd and I, while Mary, Rosie, and Duna stayed at Xavia's house. This morning, my parents and I got on a plane to Fossil City, where we are right now.

The city got its name when the first fossil in the world was found here, so it became a kind of boom town since fossils were wanted by museums and scientists, so they were worth a lot. It's now grown into a large city, where Rosie's from. Her parents own a large home outside the city where she grew up.

I'm currently riding in a car my dad rented, we on our way to a hotel where we're staying.

"It's so big..." I say. I've never been here before. In fact, this is probably the first time I've ever been in a city aside from when I got my new cloths after I left Vivosaur.

"Impressive, isn't it, son?" My dad asks from the driver's seat. "I've been in the hotel we're going to. It's really nice."

"You booked all this?" I ask.

"...No..." He says, getting confused.

"..." Silence.

_"I'm just here to make sure everything happens with little or no difficulties..."_

_ 'Xavia did this?' _Air Strike asks, shocked.

_'Well, I wouldn't be surprised...' _I tell him. _'It seems she's on top of everything...'_

_ 'What _I _want to know is why she followed you when you ran away as a person few people knew of.' _Cloud Cover tells me.

_'Hm...' _I hum, mulling over it. _'It seems she's just hiding something to me...'_

After a few minutes of silence, we arrive at the hotel, and go to check in.

The SECOND we step in, we're swarmed by paparazzi, camera flashes blinding my sight and questions darting from the mouths of reporters and journalists to one big slur, I being paralyzed and unable to think of what to do. A strong hand grabs my upper arm, my feet moving forward as I'm lead through the flashing sea, the clicks of cameras around me as I close my eyes to keep the flashes from bothering them.

"Master Ranger WILL NOT be taking questions or pictures at this time!" A voice says, I not recognizing it, but the paparazzi and clicking of cameras goes silent, I opening my eyes to a discolored world from the flashing.

_Is this what it's like to be colorblind? _I wonder, then looking up at the person who rescued me, a person in a black suit with a white shirt and black sunglasses. His hair is a pretty brown color, with spiked bangs and spiked on the back of his head, all angled downwards, though his bangs cover most of his shades.

_'Why'd they stop talking?' _Air Strike asks, I looking back at the crowd to see a tall, _and I mean TALL_, man standing there, looking down at them. His shoulders are broad, and despite his same apparel with the suit and shades, I can tell he's got plenty of muscle; the build of a wrestler. His hair short and color of copper, shining brightly.

"You heard. Move...Now." He says, his voice quiet but serious, the people quickly shuffling out, looking back over their shoulders at him.

"Th-thank you." My mom says, a bit dazed still. "We we're expecting that..."

"It's no trouble, ma'am." The man holding me by the arm says. Another man dressed the same as him stands behind my parents, - no doubt having lead them through the crowd - his hair the same pretty brown, except his bangs are shorter. "You can check in, and we'll escort you to your rooms."

"Ah, that won't be necessary." My dad tells him politely. "We can manage."

"Sir," The man who has my arm says, releasing me and reaching into his coat. "we were sent here to make sure that none interfered with your stay. Fans, paparazzi, etc." Pulling his hand out, he holds up some kind of medallion that's made of an onyx ring with a comet in the center of it, the gold studded with rubies, amber, topaz, and other such colors. "And when we are ordered, we follow."

"Who sent you?" My mom asks, her hands on my shoulders, almost protectively. "Who's your employer?"

"..." The man smiles. It's not a sly or menacing one, but a nice one. "Let's just say it's someone we..._gravitate _around."

"Gravitate?" My dad asks, the one with the shorter bangs nodding, having moved next to the one that had my arm.

"Denzel, could help out with the bags?" The one with longer bangs says, putting the medallion back into his coat, the copper-haired man picking up out suit cases, standing up straight, I looking at his face to see very light red freckles across his nose.

My dad checks us in, the man behind the desk giving him our room key - and asking for an autograph from me - before going up the elevator, the three men in suits accompanying us.

"...Sooo..." I ask after a bit of silence. "What're your names?"

"I'm Henry," The one with the longer bangs says. "And he's my brother, Hume." He says, nodding at the one with shorter bangs, who nods. "Then he's Denzel."

"Hello." The copper haired man mumbles, I blinking.

"You're not a chatty bunch, huh?" I ask.

"Not entirely our fault." Henry tells me. "Hume's a mute and deaf." I blink in surprise, then look at the man with shorter bangs, who stands there.

_Poor guy... _I think.

"Anyhow, people just call my Hunny, so I don't mind if you call me either." Henry continues.

"Why do they call you that?" My dad asks. In response, Hunny pulls off his shades and brushes his bangs back, his burry eyes being a honey gold color.

"The color of my eyes." He says, putting the shades back on and fixing his hair, right as the elevator dings and the door slides open.

_'His eyes are blurry...' _Flamethrower says, my parents and I stepping off the elevator with the three men.

_'What does that mean?' _I ask.

_'Red, he's blind.'_ Flamethrower tells me, I almost stopping.

_'That's terrible!' _I think, unable but to help feel bad for the man. _'Not be able to see the colors in the world, to see the beautiful landscapes or works of art...' _I frown. _'I don't think I could stand seeing nothing but continuous darkness...' _We stop outside a door, when I notice it's one out of two in the entire hallway.

"Why exactly do we have a suite?" My dad asks as Hume slides a key card to open the door.

"Our employer set this up, so they don't mind spend money since they have so much." Hunny explains, I following my mom into the large, spacious living room/kitchen, all of it having an amazing modern look to it.

"Fancy." I say.

"I'm sure you'll all find everything to your liking." Hunny tells us. "We'll be outside should you need anything." With that, the three of them go out the door, shutting it behind them.

"Well, let's start unpacking, shall we?" My mom asks, she and my dad going to find the master bedroom, while I go and find a room to my liking, where I drop my suitcase, opening it.

_It's so hard to imagine all this... _I think, looking out a window, which stretches from ceiling to floor with a curtain pulled back. _I'm in one of the biggest cities in the world...and it's so clean...'What's harder to imagine is that I don't have to worry about getting caught anymore.'_

_ 'FREEDOM!' _Air Strike yells, making me smile.

_'You can actually breath now, huh?' _Cloud Cover asks, I nodding.

_'It's nice that I don't need to worry anymore.' _I tell them. _'What's better is that I can see my friends and parents now, and I've been reunited with Rosie...' _I smile some more.

_'Life is good.' _Flamethrower says, I chuckling some.

_'Indeed it is.' _I say, then hearing a knock, making me look over my shoulder, then exit the room. "Yes?" I ask, seeing Hunny in the doorway from the main room into the hallway outside, my parents already in the main room.

"Our employer is here to see you." He tells me, then stepping aside.

"Who's-"

"HELLO Fossil City!" A familiar voice says, making my mom stop.

Our jaws drop as Xavia enters the room.

"WHAT?!" I exclaim, she looking at me with a smile.

"You seriously find this surprising?" She asks. She's wearing black pants and black dress shoes that shine in the light, as well as a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled to her elbows, and the top two buttons undone, allowing view of the collar bone cut collar of some black shirt and her necklace, while her hair is in its usual style.

"Well, yes!" I tell her. "What in the world are you doing here?!"

"Well, first of all, I'm the one who financed your trip here, so I don't see why you're complaining," She tells me. "and secondly, I imagine you're going to meet Rosie's parents at a fancy restraint?"

"...Well...that's where Rosie asked if we could arrange it..." I tell her.

"Precisely." Xavia tells me. "Now, that's the real reason I'm here. You see, I imagine that you've never been somewhere all fancy elaborate, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, then, I also imagine you don't quite know all the overly done stuff that it requires."

"What?"

"Oh, you know these places..." Xavia sighs. "They get their pants in a twist when you can't tell which fork or spoon is for what or if you can't carry on some complicated conversation or such, so I came to teach you all that jazz."

"Ah..." I say, understanding. "Thanks!"

"No problem." She tells me. "Unfortunately, since it's tonight, I won't have enough time needed, so I brought Rupert so he could help out."

"He agreed?" My dad asks, Xavia looking at him.

"He was strangely gleeful at my asking him." She tells him, I resisting the urge to facepalm at her being so oblivious.

"It's true." Rupert says, appearing in the doorway.

"Well, you guys came all this way to help me out, so let's get started." I tell them.

That night...

"HOW ON EARTH DO YOU MANAGE YOUR HAIR?!" Xavia hisses at me, she currently trying to comb my hair into something more formal than the spikes their always in, only to have difficulty with it.

"I always have them in spikes, so they've just gotten to the point where they do it automatically!" I tell her, wincing as the comb pulls on my hair.

"Well, my hair style won't look good on you, but that's one of the few ways yours can be done..." Rupert, who's standing by, says.

"I kn-OW!" I exclaim as the comb suddenly yanks my hair.

"Hmm..." Xavia grunts. "Hold on, I think I have an idea..." My hair suddenly falls over my eyes, only to them be combed to the side, I then feeling my hair on the back of my head be combed down as well. "That's all I got."

I look in the mirror to see the front half of my hair combed forward then to the side so that it still covers my scar, while the hair on the back of my head is combed down nice and smooth.

"Well, let's hope it stays this way." I tell her, standing. I'm wearing a black tuxedo with a deep blue vest and bow tie, white gloves on my hands and shining back shoes on my feet.

"Alexander wishes to know if you like the suit or not." Xavia tells me, we going into the main room where my parents are waiting.

"Tell him it's comfortable, and he has my thanks for making it." I tell her.

"Will do." She says.

"Your hair looks so good like that." My mom tells me. She's wearing a lavender dress with the skirt stopping at her knees and a purple sweater with sleeves that stop at her elbows, the end of it stopping at the end of her rib cage, while her hair is in a bun with small pearls, bangs combed to the side. My dad wears a grey suit with a blue tie that has black stripes slanting down it, brown dress shoes on his feet.

"Well, good luck," Xavia tells me, reaching into her pocket. "and take this." She holds out some devise that looks partially like a hearing aid. "This will allow mental communication, kinda like talking with your vivosaurs, only Rupert and I will also hear whatever it is."

"Rupert and you?" I ask, looking up at her.

"We'll be in the restaurant as well, should you need any help." She tells me, I just nodding and taking the devise, putting into my ear.

"Well, let's get going!" My dad tells me.

A few minutes later...

Stepping out of the car, I'm met with more flashes from cameras, more questions that mash together into a loud slur, the familiar grip of Hunny's hand grabbing my arms and leading me through the crowd of paparazzi. After a minute, the noise disappears, instead replaced by what I believe is a viola and grand piano. Opening my eyes, I see a tall room with elegant pillars on the white walls that lead up to a vaulted ceiling, marble floors and crystal chandeliers, while the room beyond this is much, MUCH bigger with several white tables with fancy arrangements and well-dressed people sitting at them. There are more pillars in that room, as well as a balcony that most likely goes around only three walls, due to the fact that the remaining wall has a gargantuan window. In this room is a man standing at a podium, well dressed with a stiff collar and waxed mustache.

_Oh boy. _I think, my knees suddenly threatening to fail me. _I'm gonna mess up. I'm gonna screw up big time._

"Well, if you need us, we will be at the table next to our Young Master's." Hunny tells me, he, Hume, and Denzel going to the man, who then shows them to their table before coming back.

_I'm gonna mess up I'm gonna mess up I'm gonna mess up I'm gonna mess up. _I think over and over again, stiff and frightened.

"Relax, adventure boy." Xavia's voice makes me jump, I look to see her, Rupert, Mr. Regius and Parker standing behind my parents and I.

Rupert is wearing a tux with a red coat and black pants, with a dark royal purple vest and bowtie, his brown shoes shining. Mr. Regius has on a black suit with a red tie, brown shoes with it, while Parker - who looks a lot like a spy **(choughJamesBondcough)**in his tux, which is a regular one while his hair is neatly combed to the side.

I am surprised, however, to see Xavia's in a dress.

It's red and stops at her knees, with a black fur cape wrapped around her shoulders and held by a red ring with a red star in the center. Her hair is tied back while the hair on the sides of her head is braided, her bangs clipped into a way so that they resemble a black curtain on the left side of her face, while her dress shoes are black with a red strap across her toes.

"Well...this is a first." I say.

"And a last." Xavia tells me. "I'm only wearing this because the people here would throw a hissy fit if I wore pants."

"Hm." I hum, then looking up at Parker, who's just smiling happily. "Why are you so happy?" I ask him, blinking with slight confusion.

"My little sister just look so precious." He tells me, hugging Xavia around the neck, having to bend at the waist some due to height difference.

"I am not." Xavia growls.

"Are too."

"Am _not."_

"Believe what you wish, and I'll believe the truth."

_I'm sure Rupert agrees with you, Parker._ I think.

"Anyhow, we'll be seated a few tables away." Mr. Regius tells me.

"If you need anything, you know what to do." Rupert tells me. They go past us, the man behind the podium showing them to their table. I watch them, then snicker some when Rupert starts to pull out a chair for Xavia, only to have Parker take it from him. I can practically see the fire back ground that comes with the over-protection.

"Red!" Turning, I see Rosie coming in. Her dress is the same that she wore to the dance on Vivosaur Island, only the skirt now comes to the middle point of her lower legs, she wearing turquoise dress shoes, her pigtails curled and helmet absent from her head.

"Rosie!" I say, about to run straight up to her and hug her, when I notice the two people coming in after her. The man has dark brown hair and eyes, a normal tux with a grey vest, while the woman...well...Rosie's the spitting image of her, only the woman's dress has blue rather than turquoise, and her hair is done into a braid, which is then wrapped around her head.

I'm suddenly terrified.

"...So, you're Red Ranger?" Rosie's father asks, I stiff with fear, only managing a slow nod.

"Y-yes sir." I tell him, a heated wave of panic flowing down my spine from the slight stammer. "And these are my parents, James and Anna Ranger."

They all shake hands, exchanging 'Hello's and 'Nice to meet you' s.

"Well, Red, Rosie told us you're a very brave young man." Mr. Dean, Rosie's father, tells me.

"I'm here to protect this world, and those who matter to me." I tell him, smiling some despite my nervousy.

"Well, shall we go to our table?" Rosie's mother, Fiona, asks.

"Yes, let's." My mother says. We all go over to the podium, the man with the waxed mustache looking at us from his half-lidded eyes, his mouth tight.

"Good evening, do you have a reservation?" He asks.

"Yes sir," I tell him. "six persons under Ranger." He checks his book, takes out six menus which look more elaborate than is required before looking back at us.

"Right this way." We follow him out into the bigger room, he showing us to our table. Now that we're in the room, I see an area where people are dancing elegantly, and a short marble platform that has a white grand piano being played by a man in a white tux, and another man in the same color playing a viola. Remembering what Rupert told me, I pull a chair out for Rosie, she smiling.

"Thank you, Red." She tells me, sitting down in it. I reach for the chair next to it, only to have Mr. Dean reach it before I.

This man _scares_ me...

_'He doesn't like me.' _I think, getting the next chair, so I'm sitting next to my dad, my mom next to him, then Mrs. Fiona, then Rosie, then Mr. Dean next to me.

_'Red, he's just being over protective.' _Flamethrower tells me. _'Would you rather be Rupert right now?' _My eyes shift so that I look over that the table where he, Xavia, Mr. Regius and Parker sit, and I can just see Parker having shadows around him, glaring daggers down at Rupert, who looks like he wants to be invisible. Meanwhile, Mr. Regius just looks worried for him, and Xavia's looking at some menu.

_'...Okay, it could definitely be worse.' _I agree.

"Bonjour!" The six of us look up to see a man with fair skin, slightly curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes in a waiter's uniform with a note pad and pen in hand. "I will be your waitor zis evening. Would any of you like an appetizer? Ze baguettes are quite delicious!"

"What do all of you think?" Mrs. Fiona asks.

"Well, don't get the chance to eat out like this, so we should enjoy it." My mom says.

"So all agreed?" I ask.

"Very well." Mr. Dean says, my dad nodding as well.

"Yes sir, we'll take one please." I tell our waiter.

"Very well, I will be back shortly." He tells me. _'Put your napkin in your lap.'_

_ 'WHAT?!' _I exclaim.

I _KNOW_ that was his voice.

But, I still put the napkin in my lap.

_'CREE-PY!' _Air Strike says.

_'You can...however you said that, you can do THAT again...' _I tell him.

_'No need for alarm.' _Xavia's voice tells me, I remembering the device in my ear. _'That's Ferris. He works for me.'_

_ '...HOW DID YOU EVEN MANAGE TO GET HIM HERE?!' _I exclaim, hiding my shock.

_'Oh, you know...' _She tells me.

_'I don't think that was a very explanatory answer...' _Rupert's voice says.

_'I don't think that was a very polite thing to do, coming in like that...' _Xavia tells him.

_'...She's got you there, Rupert.' _I tell him.

"So, Red." Mr. Dean says, I looking up at him. "What do you think of my father's island?"

"It's a very beautiful place, sir." I tell him. "I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer."

"Yes, it took five years to get it ready to open." He tells me. "When he found that space ship, it took quite some time to find out how to work anything in it. When Diggins came along, he was able to figure things out quite fast."

"Well, he did live in one for about 150 million years, so he had to know something." I tell him, smiling. They laugh some at that.

"Well, Red, you haven't really gotten the chance to tell us about your adventures." My mom tells me. "Now's a good time."

"Yes ma'am." I say. "Well...I suppose it all started with that storm. Aunt Jane and Uncle Hugh's house had some damage done to it, so they and my cousins were invited to just come live with us. Conner and Collin, the cousins have been mean to me my entire life, so I of course dreaded them coming. I wasn't told until about six months ago now, so I panicked. I didn't want to have to put up with them, so that night, I remembered a commercial I saw for Vivosaur Island. It was then and there I decided to go to that island. Though...I don't feel like my story actually started until that night I ran away."

**(THE IRONY. XD)**

"Where did you get all money?" Mrs. Fiona asks. "It must have cost a lot in order to pay for the plane ticket and passport."

"Well, I had a lot of money saved up from odd jobs such as weeding Sensei Ivy's flower bed. His wife has a bad back, so I'd been doing that for a while, then I also helped out Roy with his garage, he was cleaning it out for stuff to put in a yard sale, so I got paid for helping him out." I explain.

"You're a hard working boy." Mr. Dean tells me.

"Hard work is the only way to get anywhere." I tell him, smiling some.

"Hey Red..." Rosie says, I looking at her.

"Yes?" I ask.

"I've been wondering...is dark grey your natural hair color?" She asks, I noticing my parent's facing going a bit pale at the question.

"..." I sit there for a second. "...Well, yes and no I guess. I wasn't born with this color..."

"What happened?" Mr. Dean asks.

"..." I sit there a second. _My parents don't know that I remember that my hair turned this way from getting shot, and I don't want to lie... _"...When I was five, it turned this way from the shock of being shot in the chest."

"..." Our table is silent.

"...You...you were _shot?_" Rosie asks, horrified.

"My parents and I were on an evening walk through town when a man in a black mask came out of the bank, with a hostage." I start. "I was too little to understand the danger he posed to me, but I did know the person he had was in danger. When he turned his back, I jumped on him and started clawing at his face the best I could when he knocked me off. I pushed myself up on my elbows, and the gun went off." I put the tip of my right index finger right on my chest, next to my heart. "Just passed the circumflex artery. I was in a coma for a week, when I woke up for around a minute before falling back asleep, then I woke up the next day, perfectly fine and with no scar."

"How's that possible?!" Mrs. Fiona asks.

"A person with a hood over their face brought some devise that healed it." My dad says, he and my mother having one of their hands together.

"It must have been hard on you two." Mr. Dean says sympathetically, Rosie looking at me with sadness. I smile as 'don't worry' smile at her.

"It was." My mom says. We sit in a bit more silence before Ferris, our waiter comes with a tray that has the baguette on it.

"Do any of you know what you would like for your main course?" He asks. We place our orders, he then going off.

"Hey Red," Rosie starts, I looking back at her. "Pauleen told me that told her that you know how to play the piano."

"That's correct." I tell her. "I learned to play when I was eight."

"Well, do you think you could play something for us?" My dad asks.

"Yes sir." I tell him. "I'll go see if I can." Going over to the marble platform where the piano is, I tap the man on the shoulder, he just looking at me. "My father as requested that I play something."

"Very well." The man says, standing. I sit down on the bench, stretch my arms, and start playing. The man with the viola has also taken a break, and I hear the room around me go quiet, and feel eyes watching me, whispers of my name floating through the air.

* * *

><p>"Well, adventure boy is pretty good at the piano." Xavia says, Parker nodding.<p>

"That he is." He says.

"Here you are." A waitor says, setting a bottle of red wine on the table. "Is...there anything else?"

"No, no, this fine." Parker says, taking the bottle. "Thank you." The waiter nods, then going off.

"So, you drink wine?" Martin asks, Parker shaking his head.

"Oh no, I dislike eating and drinking." He tells him, much to the confusion of Rupert and Mr. Regius.

"May I ask why?" Rupert asks.

"Yes...Well, I don't require much food to survive, and I'm not hungry right now." Parker tells him, opening the bottle of wine, then taking out a vial of some clear substance, which he then pours into the wine bottle, they hearing a fizzing noise.

"What in the world did that do?" Mr. Regius asks.

"It eliminates the alcohol in it, making it perfectly safe to drink." He tells them, pour the alcohol-free wine into a crystal glass, which he then hands to Xavia.

"Thank you." She tells him, accepting it with a small smile.

_This is strange. _Rupert thinks. He then notices parker looking at him, Rupert able to see the shadow around him. _...That man terrifies me. _

_'I honestly don't blame you.' _Mapo says, fearful as well.

* * *

><p>I finish up the song, and stand, only to have people in the room applaud. Smiling, I bow, then go back over to the table my parents and the Richmond's are sitting at, taking my seat.<p>

"You're a very good piano player." Mr. Dean tells me. "Who taught you?"

"Mrs. Ivy did." I tell him. "I learned when I was eight so that I could play for my mom since she was sick."

"It was so sweet of him to play for me." My mom says, fondly smiling at the memory.

"He'd have the window open so people passing by could hear." My dad says. "I loved it when I could sit outside and listen to it."

"It sound like it." Mrs. Fiona says.

_'See? This isn't going so bad.' _Cloud Cover tells me.

_'Yeah...You guys-'_

My ears suddenly get my attention when I hear the word 'attack'.

_'...You guys jinxed it.' _I think, keeping my straight face, but very slightly turning my head in hopes of hearing more.

"When?" Someone murmurs, I having to strain to hear it, while my parents and Rosie's parents keep talking.

"When their waiter gets back." Another says.

_'Can't I just do ONE THING without something happening?!' _I think with irritation.

"The boss will b-b-b-be glad when he hears we over powered Ranger." Another voice says, my eyebrows raising some.

_'BB Bandits?' _Flamethrower asks. _'My, my...Long time no see.'_

_ 'More like long time no victory...' _Air Strike growls. _'How're we gonna do this?'_

_ 'Well, I'm sure Rosie has her vivosaurs with her, then Mr. Regius, Rupert and Xavia are all Fighters as well, so we hopefully won't have too much trouble.' _I tell him.

_'I'm just surprised they're here, honestly.' _Cloud Cover says. _'Remember when you had Igno and were going to fight Bullwort?'_

_ 'How the two Bandits guarding the Guild Area went running for the hills?' _I ask, amused at the memory. _'Ah...Good times, gooooood times...'_

_ 'For you, that is.' _Air Strike reminds me.

"Bonjour!" Ferris' voice says, we looking up to see him holding two trays - one for each hand - setting one on the table and putting our dishes in front of us, when out of the corner of my eye I see seven people - four men, three women, - coming this way, wearing dress clothes.

_'Here they come.' _I think, Ferris setting my dish, a stew, in front of me when they reach our table, one of the men putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Excuse me," He says. "I'd like a word with you."

"Whatever you have to say, you can say here, sir." I tell him, picking up my soup spoon. His hand tightens on my shoulder.

"It would b...BE in everyone's best interests if you came with us." He says, having to keep himself from to the 'b-b-b' thing they do.

"I beg your pardon!" Mr. Dean objects. "We're all having dinner; you can't just come over here and demand he come with you!"

"Don't worry, Mr. Dean." I tell him, smiling. "I know what they want, and I need to tell them something." I look up at them, to see their faces pale at the fact I know why they want me to come with them. "Do you think you could tell your boss Bartholomew Bullwort I said hi?"

"..." Their faces go white at that.

"I didn't think so." I say, the man with his hand on my shoulder about to strike me with his other hand, only to have I react quicker by grabbing the bowl of stew in front of me and splashing it right in his face, making him stumble back into two of his comrades. I'm on my feet, team in hand. "Of ALL the days, you HAD to pick this one!" I tell them as I release my team, one of the Bandits releasing theirs. A Venator and V-Raptor stand ready to fight.

_'Really? Just two?' _Air Strike asks, people looking at him with awe.

"Flamethrower, S-Fury on Venator!" I tell him, he attacking and sending the vivosaur straight into his medal.

"V-Raptor, Poison Claw on...the big crystal covered one!" The Bandit commands, the small vivosaur jumping at Air Strike, who raises his hand and swats V-Raptor out of the air.

_'We've gotten OP'ed, haven't we?' _I ask.

_'Yep.' _The three of them reply, V-Raptor going into his medal.

"Gotcha!" A man yells, grabbing me from behind so that my arms are pinned to my sides.

"Hey!" I exclaim, about to kick him when my dad sidekicks the man, taking me from his clutches as he does so.

"Keep your hands off my kid!" He says. People have started running out of the room. Dad puts me down, another Bandit running towards us, I side stepping him as I punch him in the gut, then round house him in the back sending him to the floor. Catching a glimpse of my mom, she has one of the BB Bandit women in the crook of her elbow, and throws her at another Bandit woman, then spinning around and punching the last one, then front kicking her.

A Bandit goes at my dad only to have him grab a chair and jump up onto it, then jumping in the air as he pulls it out from under him, bringing it down on the BB Bandit, knocking him out. One comes at me, about to strike me down with both fists, which I just grab, both of us pushing each other. Jumping back, I releasing him, allowing him to stumble past me, then sidekick in his side.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see there are more Bandits than I thought, seeing Xavia with a metal rod that came out of nowhere, fending them off, while Parker _gleefully_ has one by the ankles, spinning him around.

"Red, does everyone in your family know how to fight?!" Rosie asks, I noticing her mother having her hands on her shoulders protectively, while her father seems to be boxing with one.

"Well, I've been taking self-defence since I was three," I start, then jumping out of the way as a Bandit tries to punch me, I chopping them on their back while kicking their legs out from under them. "and parents started when they were four of five," A Bandit tries to jump on me, I grabbing their wrist and arching them over me, slamming them into the ground. "and everyone at home takes self-defence, so we're all good at fights like this!"

She just blinks with amazement.

"Look out rich boy!" Xavia's voice says, I seeing out of the corner of my eye that three Bandits have decided to try and take Rupert captive, only to have Xavia grab his shoulders, using the momentum she had build up so that she swings over him, kicking on Bandit square in the chest, then pull Rupert out of the way as a bandit tries to grab him, Xavia striking a nerve point on their back to they fall to the ground, paralyzed. She then moves Rupert to the side, her fist flying past his head so it hits a Bandit right on his nose, he flying back.

"Look out!" Strong hands grab my upper arms as I'm lifted into the air, my head turning to see Parker holding me by my arms, his foot now pinning a Bandit to the floor.

_Wow, he's strong. _I think, he setting me down then dashing over to Xavia and Rupert, who the Bandits are now trying to swarm, knowing that my family and I are holding them off from Rosie.

"Hold it!" Parker stops at the voice, the Bandits clearing to show they have Xavia and Rupert by their upper arms.

"Rupert!" Mr. Regius, who had been wrestling some of the Bandits, exclaims, running a few steps towards him before a bandit holds up a hand.

"Hold it! If you want these two to be alright, Red Ranger has to come with us quietly." The Bandit says.

"Really, you think it's just that simple?" Xavia asks, almost looking bored.

"Quiet, you!" The Bandit barks.

"You will not speak to my little sister that way." Parker tells him.

"Parker..." Xavia starts. "you know what to do."

"..." Parker smiles. "Of course."

What he does next, boggles my mind.

Somehow, he dashes around the room as a blur, retrieving plates off the tables, stops on a dime right in front of the Bandits, and releases rapid fire on them, hitting them in the head, the stomach, their knees, causing them to fall down, hitting the two that had Rupert and Xavia first.

"Good," Xavia says. "get Rupert out of here."

"Right away!" I look up to see Hunny and Hume jump down off the balcony, grabbing Rupert and dashing over to Mr. Regius with him, who hugs Rupert. Denzel suddenly grabs three Bandits in his massive arms, then flings them onto their comrades like rag dolls. Parker's out of plates, so he dashes at the few who are still standing, grabbing one by the wrist and striking his white gloved hand against their shoulder, dislocating it then grabbing their neck and hits their head against his knee, knocking them out. He does a backwards cartwheel, striking one in the face with his feet, he then landing perfectly, grabbing another one by the face, then throwing them of him with ease.

I just blink in amazement.

"Well, that was quite the fight." Xavia says, Parker going to her side.

"You and Rupert are unharmed?" He asks.

"Yes, we're fine." Xavia tells him, I then getting my wits and rushing over to Rosie.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"Yeah..." She says, her mother hugging her.

"You're quite fighter, with both fossils and fists." Mr. Dean tells me, I smiling.

"Thank you sir!" I tell him, Mr. Regius hugging Rupert and my dad holding my mom, Hunny, Hume, and Denzel joining Parker, who's fussing over Xavia.

"I don't see why you let them get you, they're so easy to defeat." He tells her, brushing her shoulder where the Bandit had her, like there was dirt on it.

"Well, underestimating someone is usually what leads to down fall." Xavia tells him. "In this instance, they thought that if they had Rupert and I, things would go their way."

"True, but still." Parker says.

"Hunny, if you would." Xavia says.

"Of course." Hunny says, then looking over at a pillar. "We know you're there."

"..." There's a moment of silence, when a BB Bandit jumps out from behind it with a K.O. Blaster in hand, aims right at me and fires.

The next thing I know, Hume is standing right behind him, the K.O. capsule between his thumb and index finger.

"..." My parents, the Richmond's, Mr. Regius, Rupert and I all stand there with shock.

"My brother is such a good sort, always returning things to people." Hunny says. Hume drops the capsule into the shocked Bandit's coat pocket, then hits a nerve point on his neck, which knocks him out.

"...How...how did he...?" Mr. Regius starts, when police officers come rushing into the room.

After a bit...

I lean back against the rental car, the police having asked me questions already.

"So, what do you think they wanted?" Rosie asks, coming over to me and leaning against the car as well.

"I'm not sure..." I tell her, looking up at the dark sky. "They may be planning something...again, so they wanted to remove me from the equation."

"Hm." She hums, leaning against my shoulder, I resting my head on top of hers.

"...Well, the good news is that this turned out perfectly normal for me." I tell her, she laughing at that.

"...Wait," She starts, suddenly getting excited. "do you think this means we can go back to Vivosaur Island?"

"Alright!" I say, getting excited. "Ah, I actually miss those days...they seem like so long ago..."

"Yeah..." Rosie says, then kissing my cheek. "And thank you for defending me.

"Well, my parents helped to pwn them as well, so I can't take all the credit..." My gaze goes over to Parker, who stands next to Xavia, hands behind his back. "...though, there is something strange about him. The way they fought is almost..._inhuman._"

"...Hm..." Rosie hums, looking at him as well. "Maybe he had some kind of special training...?"

"With how Xavia is, I wouldn't be surprised." I tell her, she nodding.

"...I..." She looks back at me, frowning. "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course." I tell her, smiling some. "That's what I'm here for. I'll always be more than willing to help you out."

"Well..." She hesitates for a moment, which makes me worry. "...I don't think Xavia likes me...at all."

"What? Why?" I ask, my brows raising from surprise.

"Well, it's just..." She stands there, then shakes her head. "I don't know, I just feel like she doesn't."

"Hm." I hum, putting my hand on her shoulder. "I'll ask her about it, alright?"

"..." She hugs me. "Thank you."

"No problem." I tell her, hugging her back.

"Ahem." Looking up, we both see Mr. Dean, Mrs. Fiona, and my parents standing there, we awkwardly smiling. "Well, Red, is seems to me that from the events from tonight..."

"..." I feel a drop of sweat run down my neck.

"...You're insane." He tells me, making me worry. "But, you're also a fine young man with a good heart." He smiles. "I approve."

"Thank you sir!" I tell him, my worry washing away and a huge smile appearing on my face.

"Ah, well..." My dad says, relived. "We better be getting back. It's late, and with what happened, we'll no doubt have to head off in the morning."

"Yes, well, it was a pleasure meeting you." Mr. Dean says, they shaking hands. I kiss Rosie good bye, we then getting into our car. After I buckle up, I notice Mr. Regius and Mr. Dean talking, and Rupert standing next to him, looking over at Xavia, only to have Parker glare shadow daggers at him.

_'Well, Rupert.' _I think, the car starting up and pulling away. _'It seems you have your work cut out for you.'_

* * *

><p><strong>AN-I have no comment.<strong>

**WinterGirl: *glomp* THANK YOU! :D :D :D And yes, Red's cousins are evil. Well, they're more just extremely jealous of the epic awesomeness that is Red Ranger, but still. :3 And what do you mean by "make little Xavia a sister"?**

**Omniverse: It is perfect. XD And, this is Xavia's theme song: (aside from ONE word in it...) ** watch?v=aNKG5S7zlrs

**Dragon52061: I LOVE YOU. (not in a creepy way) *hug* :D**

**Chi-Chan: Well, since it made you happy...HERE HE IS AGAIN! :D**

**Holt: I'm outta here!**

**Magma: NOPE. *catches him and ties him up***

**zeldashinx: THEY MUST MAKE A THIRD FOSSIL FIGHTERS! Quickly, EVERYONE! SPAM NINTEDO WITH E-MAILS THAT DEMAND THEY MAKE ONE!**

**Casey: Alright, I'll do it at the end of this, and yes. XD Things were disastrous. **

**mysterydude123: Wat? ?_?**

**DunalN2: Most likely. **

**Gunsadgames: Red having a normal day would be the end of the world. o.o**

**Wing: THANKS! :D**

**BloodLily16: He is not! In fact, he's the only one who's not in trouble...Aside from Xavia Razar'Fang.**

**Anyhow, as the request of Casey, here is a coming up next thing:**

"How'd they miss these?" I ask, looking through the files.

"It was hidden behind the picture of him in his office." Parker tells me. "It was quite well hidden, really."

"But still, you'd expect them to be more thorough..." I tell him, then noticing Xavia looking at a paper with wide eyes. "What's wrong?"

"This is the list of people who secretly funded Bullwort's illegal activities..." Xavia tells me, then holding the paper out to me. "The name at the top might interest you."

**Come by next chapa! :D**


	86. Investigation

**AN-No comment, other than I do not own FF and FFC!**

**Red: Can-**

**Magma: NO! YOU'RE STILL GROUNDED, MISTER!**

**Red: :(**

* * *

><p>Chapter Eighty-Six - Investigation<p>

The next morning, I sit up in the bed room I'm staying in, then seeing a neatly folded pile of clothes with a note on top at the foot of it.

_...The what? _I wonder, picking up the note.

_I hope you like them! -Alexander_

Blinking, I look at the pile again, then stand up, pulling them on.

My hair and goggles are the same, but my shirt has been replaced with a v-neck that had black and blue stripes, dark grey cargo pants with a black belt that has a silver rectangle on the front where it clicks together, black fingerless gloves with blue and white cuffs.

As well, I have a vest with a collar just like the one that was on my suit, the top half and shoulders being blue, the whole thing have black along the edge, while the rest is grey. The left chest pocket is missing, the rebel medallion in its place, the right one being grey with a blue flap with black along the edge, and my boots are grey with light grey soles, with two black buckles on the over my ankle.

Looking at myself in the bathroom mirror, the blue makes my eyes pop, the grey scale going with the blue and my tan skin.

_...Hm. Whoever you are Alexander, you know how to make comfortable, nice looking clothes. _I think, then going back into the bed room and opening my suit case to find more shirts and pants like the ones I have now, which makes something pop to my mind. Looking in the chest pocket, I see there's one of the wires sewn into it, so it's like my backpack. My Dino Medal pouch is already on my belt, though my back pack suddenly comes to mind.

Looking around, I see it on my night stand.

It's the same size as the pouch on my belt.

"What the what?!" I exclaim, grabbing it and looking all over it. The wire is still in it, as well as all my stuff, so that relives me.

Though, it fits on my belt.

_...Hm. _I think, looking at it from where it's right next to the pouch. _...Well, it's more convenient. _

I then notice there's a blue diamond shape on the back of the vest, beneath the middle of my shoulder blades.

_Well, I was a diamond in the rough._

Grabbing my suitcase, I head out of the room, to see my mom has made breakfast, she and my dad already eating.

"Good morning Red." My dad tells me as I sit down.

"Those clothes look good on you. Where'd you get them?" My mom asks.

"Someone named Alexander gave them to me." I tell her, pouring myself some juice. "Xavia knows him."

"Somehow, I'm surprised." She says.

After breakfast, there's a knock at the door, I opening it to see Xavia standing there, wearing the white business shirt with sleeves rolled to her elbows, first two buttons undone to see the black, collar-bone cut tank top collar and her necklace, black pants and black shoes, a grey belt around her waist, hands in her pockets.

"Ready to head back to Vivosaur, adventure boy?" She asks, Hunny, Hume, Denzel and Parker behind her.

"Yeah I am!" I tell her, excited about seeing it again. I tell my parents good bye, the heading back home to the Fire Islands, I getting to ride in a limo out to where Rosie lives with her parents before we go to the airport, getting on a private plane - which belongs to Xavia - which'll take us to the Shipment Isle where we'll get on Captain Travors boat.

A few hours later...

**(**_**WARNING: THE FOLLOWING WAS WRITTEN AT THREE IN THE MORNING WHEN I WAS FULL OF ENERGY FROM DRINKING PEACH JUICE.) **_

Someone wakes me up, I opening my eyes to see I'm in Nick Nack's room, I wearing my cargo pants, a sandy sombrero, a poncho, fake dark grey mustache, and holding colorful maracas.

"It is time for our Cereal Fiesta!" Nick Nack tells me, hold maracas as well, with a fake blonde mustache, having a poncho and sombrero as well, having on blue shorts.

"OLE!" I yell, both of us doing weird dances around the giant cereal bowl, which filled to the brim, both of us then throwing boxes of cereal at each other.

In Red's hotel room...

"What are you doing?" Rosie asks Xavia, who had on her lab coat, holding a pipette with light blue liquid in it, a banana sitting on the top of the kitchen table.

"I'm conducting an experiment." Xavia tells her.

"What will the liquid do?" Rupert asks.

"When did you get here?!" Rosie asks, Xavia and Parker looking at him with confusion as well, Xavia then just shrugging and allowing some of the liquid to drip from the pipette, which then falls on the banana.

"...I don't think it did anything." Rupert tells Xavia, only to then be proven wrong when yellow arms and legs sprouted from the banana, yellow eyes opened and a brown mustache appeared under them.

"..." The four of them are silent, the banana looking at all of them, then stopping at Rupert.

**(ild12, I think this is how the banana came to be. XD)**

"..." After another moment of silence, it makes a screeching noise, then jumps at Rupert, grabbing his face, making him run about the room, shrieking with horror while Xavia wrote down what was happening on a clip board, Rosie blinked with shock and surprise, and Parker was laughing his head off, gleefully enjoying the sight.

"SOMEONE GET THIS THING OFF ME!" He yells, Parker still laughing at the sight, when suddenly a giant monkey with claws, legs built like a rabbits and an alligator snout breaks down the door. Screeching, it jumps at the banana, tackling Rupert as well, Parker only laughing more.

"The door to my hotel room!" I yell, running over to it, still in the Cereal Fiesta clothes, a taco made of cereal in my hand. The door to the hotel room has been torn off its hinges. "I'm going to have to pay for this!"

"AGH!" Rupert yells, I looking into the hotel room to see some mutant money thing cradling him, a banana with arms, legs, and a mustache under its foot while Parker is rolling around laughing, Xavia's writing something on a clipboard, and Rosie's just watching in disbelief. "RED! HELP ME!"

"Don't worry!" I tell him. "Cereal Taco, I choose you!" I yell, throwing the cereal at the money, it lodging itself in the nostril, it dropping Rupert and screeching. "Oh dear." I say, then running as fast as I can while the monkey follows me, I running into the elevator, it jumping in there right as the doors shut.

We both stand there, listening to the elevator music, until the door opens to the lobby, in which I run out as fast as I can, the mutant monkey chasing after me.

"HELP!" I yell, an army of fan girls brandishing flaming chainsaws burrowing out of the ground.

"It's trying to hurt Red!" One yells. "GET IT!" They chase it off, I watching with a DERP look on my face, when Todd suddenly falls on me.

"Hey Red." He says, I looking at him and getting a huge smile on my face.

"IT'S RAINING BROS!" I yell, on my feet with my arms raised to the sky. As a result, Joe, Cole, Lester, Kaze, Zeke, Holt, and Raptin all fall out of the sky, as well as something wrapped up in a tarp that we all gather around, unwrapping it to see a person made of candy.

"I'M MADE OF CANDY!" They scream, jumping up and running off.

"HOORAY!" We all yell in unison.

"Thank you for helping me..." Rupert growls, we all looking to see him standing there, the mutant monkey now hugging him.

"Well excuuuuuuuuse me, princess." I mutter, Raptin suddenly jumping in front of all of us, wearing a black hood and cap, running off while holding the edges of cape out.

"NANANANANANANANANANANANA, BAT-RAPTIN!" He yells. **(DunalN2, you remember this.)**

"HAR HAR HAR!" Lester laughs, his mouth wide open when a cow jumps out of his skin.

"YEE-HAW!" Joe yells with glee, grabbing Cole and jumping onto cow-Lester, who then goes running off.

"Well, today is ju-" Holt starts, then suddenly exploding into confetti, a cake sitting on the ground where he was standing.

"CAKE!" Todd yells with a big smile, then grabbing it and starting to eat it.

"TODD'S TURNED INTO A CAKE-EATING CANNIBLE! RUUUUUUN!" Zeke yells, both of us running away, the mutant monkey running with us, still holding onto Rupert.

"Will someone get this simian to put me down?!" Rupert yells, kicking his feet.

"Will do!" Zeke and I say in unison, then high fiving. "SUPER SAYMANS, GO!" We yell, there being an explosion that we jump out of, being dressed like ninjas, attacking the monkey only to have it disappear, Rupert being caught by a group of fangirls who run off with him.

"Well, what should we do?" I ask, looking at Zeke, who's dressed like a hobo.

"Well, I'm hitting the trail to be a hobo." He tells me. "See you around!"

"Okay, bye!" I call as he runs off, Rosie then running up to me.

"Hey Red, wanna get married?" She asks.

"OH YEAH!" I yell with immense glee, sweeping her off her feet and running off.

**(Okay, craziness over)**

_What in the world is he doing? _Xavia wonders, looking down at Red, who was asleep and hugging his knees, a spaced out smile on his sleeping face. "...WAKE UP!"

"WAKE UP!" Xavia's voice roars, making me jump up, awake and alert. "Good. Now, we're here, so let's get a move on." She tells me, we, Parker and Rosie getting off the boat, only to have Nick Nack come running up to us.

An hour later...

"That was fun!" I say, walking back to my hotel room, Nick Nack and I having had the Cereal Fiesta.

"Welcome back, adventure boy." Xavia tells me as I come into the room, she and Parker looking over some papers at the desk, Xavia having the rolling chair while Parker stands.

"Hey guys, where's Rosie?" I ask.

"Mr. Richmond wanted to see her, so she went to the Richmond Building." Xavia tells me. "Anyhow, Parker went to their old base and poked around Bullwort's office some. He found these files still there."

"How'd they miss these?" I ask, looking through the files.

"It was hidden behind the picture of him in his office." Parker tells me. "It was quite well hidden, really."

"But still, you'd expect them to be more thorough..." I tell him, then noticing Xavia looking at a paper with wide eyes. "What's wrong?"

"This is the list of people who secretly funded Bullwort's illegal activities..." Xavia tells me, then holding the paper out to me. "The name at the top might interest you."

"Alright..." I say, taking the paper and looking at it.

_Thomas Johnson_

"What?" I ask, looking at her. "Isn't he your enemy?"

"Well, think about." She tells me. "He made a lot of money with the cuts he got with the illegal fossil trades, so when you took down Bullwort, that made a lot of his income disappear, so he'll no doubt want revenge on you as well."

"...Oh boy..." I sigh, shoulders slumping.

"That's not all." Parker tells me, I looking at him. "I found this, it's one of the fake names Johnson used when communicating with them." He hands me another paper, which I look at.

The name hits me _hard._

_Tobias Cullen _

"..." I stand there, ridged, the paper falling from my hands, and I stepping back. "...That's impossible..."

"You know that name?" Xavia asks.

"Yeah I know that name!" I tell her. "Mr. Cullen was one of the people who lived in the town I grew up in! MAN, HE ALMOST DATED MY MOM IN HIGH SCHOOL!"

"..." Silence.

"...That's a bit awkward." Parker tells me, I just putting my hand to my forehead.

"It's just...He was a really bitter guy, and he disappeared for two years!" I tell them. "He had black colored eyes and tan hair..."

"He must have dyed his hair." Xavia tells me. "After all, a person's eye color can change very slightly, As for his features, he might have had plastic surgery..."

"The last time I saw him was when I was seven." I tell her. "He jumped outta nowhere and attacked Zeke and me when we were walking home one day!"

"Perhaps he wanted to punish your father for taking your mother from him?" Parker asks.

"Maybe...He doesn't know self defense, but Zeke and I have taken it since we were three." I tell him. "We hit him a couple times before he ran off."

"Well, this is turning out to be just great, ain't it?" Xavia asks sarcastically. "Anyhow, I also went through some records, and it seems both Johnson and Bullwort had their bails paid."

"Wait, wait." I say, looking at her. "Bullwort's _here?_ On the island?"

"No." Xavia tells me flatly. "Shortly after you left here, he was moved to the Rock Isle Detainment Center. He stayed there until his bail was paid, and no one's seen him since."

"Ah..." I say, understanding. Rock Isle Detainment Center is the only major jail in the world, holding mostly big time con persons and big time thieves. "I take it Mr. Cullen was also sent there?"

"There's not many people like him anymore." She tells me. "Maybe on in every millennium, but extremely rare. He's currently the most dangerous criminal there is."

"Oh boy..." I sigh. "...Wait, 'anymore'?"

"Well, everyone knows the Lost Years was a very dangerous time in history, so there were probably even worse people than him, no doubt over ninety percent of the population were involved in criminal activities."

"Ah." I say again. "So how do we find them?"

"Well, by matching the money it took to bail out both the detestable man and Bullwort," Parker starts. "and then taking a list of everyone who would have the money to pay the fines, as well as recent bank transactions, the person was quite easily found."

"...Alright, now I feel bad since I was at the Cereal Fiesta while you two were working." I say, shamefaced.

"Aw, brighten up, adventure boy." Xavia tells me, standing and stretching her arms above her head. "Parker and I are professionals at this stuff, so this was pretty easy. Now, Parker," She looks at her older brother, who looks down at her. "find the man who paid the bails."

"Right away." He tells her, sitting in the desk chair, typing on the computer.

"Come on, let's go talk to Rosie, she'll wanna know about this." Xavia tells me, both of us leaving the hotel room.

A few minutes later...

"Wow..." Rosie says, the three of us seated around the short table in her room. Xavia's been on edge ever since we stepped foot in the room, her eyes looking around at everything; though it's really hard to tell. "So what now?"

"We wait till Parker gets the results of his search." Xavia tells her. "Then we'll head out tomorrow to do some more investigation to see if we can find out where Bullwort is and what he's planning..." The elevator dings, we all looking to see Parker.

"I've discovered the person responsible for the bails, and I'm afraid to say it's Maxwell Kimmel." Parker tells us.

"Wait, he's that really nice and really rich guy." I say, confused. "Why would he pay their bails?"

"They've tricked him, that's how." Xavia tells me. "Well, tomorrow we'll head out and see if there's anything he can tell us."

"And for the rest of the day?" I ask.

"Do whatever." She tells me, then standing. "I'm going to go visit a colleague." She leaves, Parker following her.

"..." Rosie and I sit there in silence.

"...Do you find it strange how fast he did that?" Rosie asks, I looking at her.

"I find it strange how they're so good at this when there's one person as evil as Mr. Cullen every millennium." I tell her.

"Hm..." Rosie hums. "Well, what should we do?"

"Well, you wanna...hang out? Somewhere?" I ask.

"Hm..." She hums again. "It's strange not having Holt along...I actually got used to the three of us hanging out."

"...We could ask if he wants to come along..." I tell her, then smiling. "Whatever you like."

"Alright." She tells me, smiling. "Not to mention you two haven't seen each other for awhile, and he's really missed hanging out with you."

"Let's go!" I say, jumping to my feet and throwing a fist in the air. We ride down the elevator and walk out of the lobby, into the fresh air and sunlight. I stretch my arms out, my face upturned, eyes closed and smiling, enjoying the sunlight. "Ah...Nothing beats the outdoors..."

"Ha ha!" Rosie laughs, I opening my eyes and looking at her.

"What?" I ask.

"Ah, nothing..." She says, still smiling. "...It's funny to think...in the time you've been gone, you've gone from a boy confused by love to who you are now."

"..." I smile, then taking her hand. "I'm your knight without shining armor!"

"..." She blinks, blushing some, then smiling and hugging me. "You've been that ever since you helped me the first time."

"..." I smile, hugging her gently, her head under my chin, my heart swelling with joy at this moment.

_"GET YOUR HANDS OFF HIM!" _I hear familiar voice roar, terror filling me.

"Oh dino..." I say, my voice high-pitched with fear, Rosie looking at me.

"What's wr-" I get my arm around her and jump us out of the way right as Cassidy attempts to tackle her, only to miss since I moved her.

"Rosie, this is my stalker fan." I tell her, Cassidy looking at us.

"How _DARE _you make Red hold you in his arms!" She hisses.

"Well, he is my boyfriend..." Rosie tells her.

"And I do wanna marry her when we're old enough..." I say, Cassidy getting a look of _COMPLETE _enragement on her face.

"HOW DARE YOU!" She roars, looking at Rosie. "You hypnotized him, didn't you?!"

"...WAT?" Rosie and I ask in unison, Cassidy then charging at us.

"Sorry," I start, picking Rosie up in my arms, and running. "but I only got one heart, and it belongs to Rosetta Richmond!"

"GET BACK HERE!" Cassidy roars, running after us. I run into the Fighter Area when the sound of a vivosaur being released reaches my ears, I looking to see Holt standing there, a V-Raptor next to him, he between us and Cassidy.

"I got this, pal!" Holt calls over my shoulder to me. "Now go!"

"Thanks man!" I tell him, then running over to the dock, right onto Captain Travors boat. "Greenhorn Plains, please!"

"Alright." He tells me, the boat starting up and speeding off.

A few minutes later...

"So...when did she first attack you?" Rosie asks, she and I sitting under one of the few trees that dot Greenhorn Plains, she leaning against me, my arm around her.

"Eh, not too long ago, actually." I tell her. "I was standing on a beach when she came outta nowhere and jumped me. She chased me, tried to kiss me, even stuck her head up my shirt."

"Yikes..." Rosie tells me, then moving a bit closer. "I'm glad you're back."

"I am too..." I tell her, then kissing her, our eyes closed and enjoying the warmth it brings.

"You said you didn't like her!" Holt's voice suddenly yells, Rosie and I quickly looking up to see him standing there with a big smile.

"Because I love her." I tell him.

"Hm..." He hums. "Anyhow, that crazy fan girl attacked my V-Raptor Oden, and he told me to run, so-"

A Dino Medal suddenly hits the side of his helmet, bouncing off, landing up on top of a ledge that boarders the dig site.

"Aw, man." Holt says.

"RED RANGER!" We hear Cassidy's crazed voice say, the three of us scrambling up the steep slope, Holt then looking around for his Dino Medal.

"Do you think she'll make it up here?" Rosie asks.

"We did..." I pant, then looking over at Holt, who's looking through some large rocks.

"Where is he?!" He asks, starting to panic.

"This what you're looking for?" All of us look to see Xavia standing there next to King Dynal, Xavia holding the medal.

"ODEN!" Holt says with glee, running over and taking it. "Thank you so much for finding him!"

"I didn't." Xavia tells him. "And neither did King Dynal."

"What?" Holt asks, Xavia looking up at Dynal, who looks behind himself, then back at us.

"...There is someone I want all of you to meet." Stepping aside, we see another Dinaurian, this one about ten.

She has light blue eyes, long hair that falls to the middle of her back and that fans out at the end, her bangs are purple, the first third of her hair, the closest to the roots, is yellow, the second part is orange, then the end is red, her skin is light yellow, her pointed ears stick out from her hair, and they have to red stripes wrapping around them. The lines under her eyes are purple, at the base of her neck and over her collar bones is a red triangle outlined with purple, then the purple out lined with light yellow. Her shoulders, rib cage, and the top of her upper arms are purple, she has red going around the middle of her upper arms, her forearms are orange with white one crystal like object on the outside of them and her hands are light yellow.

Her flat stomach is light yellow, she has red on her sides, her tail is red the first foot, orange the second foot, then red at the end, there's orange around her waist, her upper legs are purple, her knees are yellow with a red dot on the knees, then an orange circle around them, while the rest of her legs are yellow with red feet. On top of her head is a long feather-like object, much like the one a Sopteryx has.

"This is my daughter, Sinauria." He tells us, she holding onto his robe.

"I've heard that name before." I say, remembering back to when Holt, Rosie, and I were on the Mother Ship, Dynal, Raptin and Duna telling us about their home world.

"Yes..." Dynal tells me, putting a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Xavia here was assisting me in showing her the island."

"It's too early for her to socialize with humans, so I thought that if we showed them to her from a distance, she'd get a bit more comfortable with them." Xavia tells us. "She's a very sweet girl, though timid."

_Wow..._ I think, looking back at Sinauria, who looks at us with curiosity. _'A Dinaurian Princess...'_

_ 'She's so cute!' _Cloud Cover says.

_'I think Holt would agree.' _Flamethrower tells her, I turning my head slightly to look at Holt, who's looking at Sinauria with wide eyes, a slight blush on his face.

_'...'_

Mentally, I smile a great big grin of glee and mischief.

_'HEH HEH...' _I think. _'Let's see how HE likes getting teased!' _

"It's a pleasure to meet you." I tell Sinauria, then grabbing Holt by the shoulders, and walking him over to her, he trying to escape my grasp. "This is Holt, he's apprenticed to his uncle who owns the mines out at Rivet Ravine, and as part of his training, he kisses mine cars!"

_"RED!" _Holt roars, his face flushing, Rosie bursting out into laughter, Xavia laughing some, Dynal smiling with amusement, while Sinauria blinks, the feather on top of her head curling, so that it almost looks like a question mark.

"...I...do not understand..." She says, her voice small and dainty. "How...will that assist in operating them?"

"...Ah...uh..." Holt stands there, looking at her, Sinauria looking at him with question, I mentally doing a victory dance.

_NOT AS FUN AS YOU THOUGHT, HUH HOLT? _I think.

We all talk for a bit, Sinauria watching all of us, Dynal then teleporting them to the Star Ship, Xavia heading back with us.

"So, Dynal was the colleague you went to see?" Rosie asks Xavia, Holt staring off into space as we walk.

"No. I went to visit Doctor Diggins." Xavia tells her. "I find the revival process of the vivosaurs fascinating. Re-creating ancient DNA into something new..."

"It is pretty interesting." I say, then noticing Xavia's staring off as well, as if remembering something.

After boarding the boat and heading to the Fighter Area, Xavia's goes to her hotel room, Rosie, Holt and I going to mine, eating lunch, then catching up and reminiscing about the good ol' days.

That night...

I'm sitting in the desk chair, typing an e-mail to my parents, describing the day to them, but leaving out the info Xavia and Parker got on the BB Bandits. After I finish that, I look out the window at the darkening sky.

Standing, I leave the hotel and go to the Fossil Center, then knocking on the door to Dr. Diggins office.

_'It's so weird that I don't have to grab my back pack anymore.' _I think. _'I just have to wear it on my belt.'_

_ 'But it is more convenient.' _Air Strike points out, I mentally nodding as the door opens, Dr. Diggins standing there, still in his cave man clothes, cyan hair wild.

"Ah, hello Red!" He tells me, pushing his glasses into place, then motioning his hand for me to come in. "It's been so quiet since you left. No one to battle legendary vivosaurs, save kidnapped persons or fight planet-eating monsters."

"Ah, well," I tell him, smiling some. "It's nice to be back here. Though, I do kinda miss those days."

"Ah...those were the days." He says, smiling. "Anyhow, what can I do for you?"

"Well, it's about Xavia." I tell him. "She came to visit you earlier, right?"

"Yep." He tells me, nodding. "It's strange, whenever I see her I always think of the first time I saw her...something bothers me about it."

"Sir?"

"It's a bit of a story; please, sit down." He tells me, I sitting on one of the sofas, he sitting on the other. "Well, where to begin...Firstly, and this was probably the strangest, she knew everything about the revival machines. She knew the answers to questions about them and she didn't ask questions about them. Secondly, when her class was due to arrive, I was excited about meeting them. This was a very intelligent class, and it having a child that made such high grades on such difficult subject just astounded me. When they first came into the Fossil Center, she looked straight at me, and well..."

"What happened?" I ask, my palms on my knees.

"She stared at me, not saying anything, the professor introduced me to her, I said hello, and she just didn't say anything." He continues. "After a second, she hugged my leg - she very short when she was six - and she called me 'Doc'."

"...Dock?" I ask. "Why would she call you that? You're not a sailor or anything!"

"Doc as in D-O-C, short for 'Doctor'." He tells me. "She never called me that again after that."

"Hm..." I hum. "Anything else?"

"Well..." He thinks for a second. "Oh yes, the student who was always with her, what was her name..."

"Sarisa."

"Yes, that's it!" He tells me. "Well, at some points, she'd ask Xavia why she was sad."

"Sad?" I ask. "Why would..."

"I'm not sure." Diggins tells me. "I'd never met her before, so I'm not sure why she got sad."

"Hm..." I hum again. "Well, thanks Dr. Diggins."

"Your welcome." He tells me as I stand up. "Why were you asking exactly?"

"Xavia's strange sometimes." I tell him. "She's always one step ahead, and she told me one time, quote her _"I'm just here to make sure everything happens with little or no difficulty..." _

"Hm." Diggins hums. "Well, that's all I have except that her older brother glared daggers at me."

"Rupert knows that feel." I tell him, smiling some. "See ya."

"Bye." He tells me, I exiting the office and head back to my hotel room, opening the door to mine, my eyes fall on a package sitting right in front of the door.

_..._ Saying nothing, I carefully pick it up, examine it, then finding a slip of paper, which I read.

_I hope you like these! -Alexander_

"Who IS this guy?!" I wonder aloud, then opening the package to find pajamas.

It's a sapphire blue tank top, with shorts that have sapphire blue, light blue and navy blue plaid pattern.

_...Well...these are actually pretty nice. _I think, then shutting the door, and changing into the new clothes, and - like all the others he's made me - they're extremely comfortable, soft, and make my sapphire eyes pop.

After that, I climb into the bed - which still has my faint scent on it from when I slept in it last, despite the fact they were washed. The nice, clean smell of the detergent almost smothers out mine, but I still like it.

After a bit, I fall asleep, dreaming of the days I first spent here.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Alright, I'm going to be gone next week at my grandma's house (which unfortunately has NO INTERNET) so I wanted to get this updated before then.<strong>

**fossilfighter1313: Pokemonlover417 told me about it. XD What song do you think would fit her better? And the one word I have a problem with is the one that starts with 's' and goes like: **_**she's got that (word I don't like here) innocence. **_**It's not a cuss word, but my mind registers it as one.**

**Alatum Laminis: ...I'm not sure...**

**zeldashinx: WE SHALL SOON DISCOVER!**

**mysterydude123: Ah. But, I've never heard of cave story. And yes, RED'S FAMILY IS AWESOME! I mean, they all know self defence since they were toddlers! Even his grandparents!**

**Casey: I'm actually working on a cross-over fan fiction. It's called **_**The Caliosteo Patrol Teens.**_

**DunalN2: Parker could have, but he has to restrain himself. AND they would have still had the building!**

**Omniverse: THAT ONE WORD! Read my response to fossilfighter1313 comment, it's explained in that. **

**Bloodlily16: NOW YOU DO! SOME MEAN GUY FROM RED'S PAST! D: D: D: D: D:**

**Gunsandgames: Indeed they are...Red, you got anything to say?**

**Red: Just to the Bandits. *puts on RESPECT sunglasses* CHALLENGE ACCEPTED, BULLWORT.**

**Magma: Oh, AND!**

**What songs do y'all think go best with what character? Leave it in a review!**

**And coming up next:**

"Put this on." Xavia tells me, tossing something over her shoulder, I catching it to see it's a blonde wig.

"Why?" I ask.

"We need to get information." She tells me. "We're going into a place that has a lot of people, and you're famous, thus you could be recognized."

"Ah..."

"And another thing,"

"Yeah?"

"You won't be able to talk. They'll recognize your voice."


	87. Undercover

**Magma: And time to go undercover!**

**Red: YEAH!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Eighty-Seven - Undercover<p>

I wake up the next morning, then quickly pack my stuff into my pack, having changed into my new everyday clothes. After eating a breakfast of cereal, I exit my hotel room to see Xavia and Parker standing there.

"Ready to go?" Xavia asks me.

"Can I tell my friends goodbye first?" I ask, she nodding. "We'll be at the dock." We all get on the elevator, riding it down to the lobby. While Xavia and Parker head to the dock, I run to the Fossil Center, tell Diggins goodbye, then to Holt's house and tell him goodbye, then onto the Guild Area, where I see Rosie coming out of the Richmond Building. "Rosie!"

"Red!" She calls back, we hugging.

"I gotta go." I tell her. "I came to say bye real quick."

"Just please stay safe." She tells me, we then kissing. After a moment we pull back, Rosie then pulling something out of her pocket and handing it to me. "I made you this. Just something to remember me when we're not together."

"We're always together." I tell her, she looking up at me, I smiling some. Looking back at what she handed me, it's a the turquoise rock pin she wore, which has been replaced by the ruby heart pin I made her. There's now a silver chain attached to the turquoise, I putting it around my neck. "Thanks..."

We hug one last time, then separate again, I heading to the dock.

A few hours later...

"Here it is." Xavia tells me, we stepping out of a car, looking at a small cottage, Parker having parked next to it.

"This is where we'll be while trying to get the info?" I ask, Xavia nodding.

"Mr. Kimmel's home isn't too far from here." Xavia tells me, we entering the cottage, which has a homey, earthen feeling to it. "We'll be going into his home to get it."

"Isn't that breaking an-"

"Put this on." Xavia tells me, tossing something over her shoulder, I catching it to see it's a blonde wig.

"Why?" I ask.

"We need to get information." She tells me. "We're going into a place that has lots of people, and you're famous, thus you could be recognized."

"Ah..."

"And another thing,"

"Yeah?"

"You won't be able to talk. They'll recognize your voice."

"..." I shrug. "All right." Tossing me another bundle, I catch it, looking to see it's a change of clothes.

"Come on." Parker tells me, I following him into what I presume to be mine and his bed room due to the two beds. Shutting the door, I change into the clothes Xavia tossed me, an off-white shirt with a v-neck and sleeves that come to my elbows, blue pants that stop at my knees, and black boots that come to right below my knees.

"Alright," I say, looking in the mirror. Pulling my goggles off, I pull on the wig, then look at myself again. The shade of blonde is medium, so it goes really well with my sapphire eyes, my eye brows now the same color as the wig. Then noticing the necklace Rosie gave me, I tuck it under my shirt. The wig is the same length as my real hair, only styled different so it lays hanging down. "not bad!"

"And the finishing touch." Parker says, putting a straw hat on my head, it having one of those chin straps.

"Thanks." I tell him, we then going back into the main room, Xavia having already changed.

"Laugh, and I'll make sure you're a real mute." She tells me, she wearing a black dress with a skirt that falls to her knees, frilled white fabric going around the edge, the sleeves puffed so they look almost like spheres, a white apron, and a pure white bandana on her hand, tied under her ponytail and holding her bangs back, a small hair clip that looks like a strawberry clipped to the edge of the bandana over her forehead. She has on socks similar to Lola's, only these stop under her knees, and she has on black shoes.

"..." I'm worried I'll explode if I don't laugh.

Later...

"Alright, so you two want to work here...why?" A woman sitting behind a desk asks. Xavia and I are sitting in chair in front of it, the woman being the one who hires people to work at Mr. Kimmel's manor, which is where we are.

"Well, we want to earn some money and learn some responsibility, so we figured this would be the best way." Xavia tells her, I sitting silent.

"Very well..." The woman says, she having light brown hair tied into a bun, wearing a suit. "What are your names?"

_Oh boy. _I think.

"My name is Sarah Parker." Xavia tells her. "And this is my cousin, Finn. We call him Finny, though."

"Well, you both seem well-behaved, though..." She looks at me. "Why don't you talk?"

"..." I look at Xavia.

"He's a mute." Xavia tells her.

"Ah." The woman says. "Very well, I'll show both of you where you are to work." Standing, we follow her out of the small office, and through a few hallways till we come to a kitchen, sun coming through the windows. "Sarah, you'll be working with the other maids. I'm sure you'll get along well."

"Thank you, miss." Xavia tells her, smiling some.

"Finn, come with me." She says, I following her out of another door into a courtyard, walking through the hedges till we come to an area where some gardeners in t-shirts and overalls are working. "Everyone, this is Finn Parker. He'll be working with you as an apprentice. He's a mute, and prefers to be called Finny."

"Hello." One of the men tells me, smiling, I smiling back in greeting. The woman heads back to her office no doubt, the men all looking down at me.

"He's a handsome boy." One says quietly.

"I'm afraid none of us know sign language." The one who told me hello says, I looking at him again. He's got dark brown hair and blue-green eyes, four thin scars stretching across his nose.

_He looks familiar. _I think.

"Could you show us some basic signs or some way for us to communicate?" He asks, I smiling a big smile.

"Is that yes?" Another asks, I nodding.

"Anything else?" The man with the four scars asks. I let my smile vanish, then tilt my head to the side. "I'm guessing that's asking a question."

I smile the big smile.

After a bit, I've gotten to where I have some basic things down, all of us going to at trimming the hedges. The man with the thin scars name is Lewis, he's really nice. I help him out with the trimming then weeding the flower beds before we go in to get our lunch.

"Hello, Finny." Xavia tells me, helping out the chef with cooking. I smile a big smile and hug her, and while I know she wants to push my away, she hugs me back.

"You know him?" Mr. Lewis asks.

"We're cousins." Xavia tells him.

"How'd he become a mute?"

"When we were three he accidently swallowed a safety pin." Xavia tells him, I catching the hint and stepping back. "Anyhow, I'm Sarah."

"Nice to meet you." He tells her, smiling some, Xavia handing me a metal lunch box, Mr. Lewis retrieving a sack lunch from a cabinet, the two of us then heading back outside. "Your cousin seems to be a nice girl."

I smile the big smile.

_You have NO idea._

After eating lunch, we finish the flower beds, and water the potted plants, that having taken up the rest of the afternoon, Xavia and I walking back towards the cottage.

"Did you find anything out?" I ask.

"Well, Mr. Kimmel has an office where he keeps everything, but I'm not allowed in there, he's in it most of the day, there are security cameras, the window in plain view, and a night guard." Xavia tells me.

"Hm..." I hum. "Where do you think he'd be keeping them, anyhow?"

"In a hidden safe." Xavia tells me. "No doubt behind a picture or something."

"Hm..." I hum, we arriving back at the cottage and going in, Parker putting supper on the table.

"Welcome back." He tells us. "I've been trying to find some way to get into the office undetected, though an alarm is sounded should anything go wrong.

"...How did he..." I start, Xavia holding up her cell phone.

"I texted him." She tells me. The three of us eat supper, discuss what to do, then head to our rooms for the night, Parker and I sharing one.

The next morning, I get up, Parker already up and having made his bed, and change into my disguise, join Xavia and Parker for breakfast, Xavia and I then heading to the manor, I heading out the courtyard.

"Good morning, Finny!" Mr. Lewis tells me, I waving and smiling, then helping him with planting some flowers.

"Hey, Finny?" Mr. Lewis asks me after a bit, I looking up at him. "Could you run get one of blue bottles we keep the plant nutrients in? This one's getting low."

I smile my big smile, then jump up and run off to get some, when a familiar voice stops me.

"So, what did you call me here for?"

_...MR. REGIUS?! _I mentally exclaim, jumping into a bush and peeking through the branches to see him standing there with Rupert next to him, talking to a man with neat blonde hair and bright blue eyes, wearing an expensive-looking suit. _That must be Mr. Kimmel._

"Well, I'm looking to help with research in the revival of vivosaurs, which, as you know, coasts a bit of money." He tells Mr. Regius, who nods.

"That's true..." He looks at Rupert, who's staring off. "Rupert, are you alright?"

"Hm?" Rupert hums, coming back to reality. "Oh, yes Father. May I just stand out here a bit more to clear my head?"

"That's fine." Mr. Regius tells him, Mr. Kimmel and him then walking off, talking business.

"I cannot _believe _I allowed myself to space out again..." Rupert sighs, about to go for a walk through the garden, when I jump up for a second, clapping my hand over his mouth and pulling him back into the bush, Rupert fighting.

"Rupert, it's me!" I whisper, he stopping and looking at me, I releasing him.

"Red?!" He asks, bewildered. "What in the _world_ are you doing here?! And what happened to your hair?!"

"Xavia and I are...Well, I got put out here, so I can't really help that much, but we're trying to find out what the BB Bandits are up to." I tell him.

"..." He's silent for a second. "...You're lucky you get to work with her..."

"..." I'm silent for a second, then put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, again, I can't do much out here. I only see her when I get my lunch and we go back to the place where we and Parker are staying."

"..." He silent for a second longer. "What all have you found out?"

"Well, get this, Johnson, the guy who attacked us at the resort, is actually a guy who used to live in my home town." I tell him, he blinking with surprise.

"You're sure?"

"Positive." I tell him. "Anyhow, he and Bullwort got out of prison because Mr. Kimmel paid their bail. Xavia said they're using him, and she thinks the plans are hidden in his office, but she can't go near it."

"Perhaps I could help with that." Rupert tells me.

"Thanks." I tell him, then remembering what Xavia's wearing, making me snicker.

"What's so amusing?" He asks.

"Oh, I'm just imaging the look on your face when you see Xavia." I tell him, he getting a bit red.

"What is that-"

"FINNY!" Mr. Lewis calls.

"Gotta go!" I tell Rupert, jumping out of the bush and taking off, soon finding Mr. Lewis and tilting my head.

"I remembered you haven't been shown where the plant nutrient bottles are." He tells me.

* * *

><p><em>Where is Xavia, anyhow? <em>Rupert wonders, walking into the house through the kitchen, then walking out into a hallway. _It's amazing how much she's figured out already. They've only been here for about one day, and yet-_

"Rupert?" The said person stops, and turns to see Xavia standing there, holding a broom in one hand.

He immediately freezes, his face getting warm.

"...Xa-"

"Sh!" Getting over to him in a second, she puts her hand over his mouth. "I'm using my middle name as cover, alright?"

"..." Rupert nods.

"Good." Xavia tells him, stepping back. "What are you doing here?"

"Mr. Kimmel called my father here to ask if he would make an investment." Rupert tells her. _She is absolutely adorable in that..._

"Hm..." Xavia hums. "Well, I'm trying to get into his office."

"Red told me of that." Rupert tells her. "Can I assist in any way?"

"Yep." Xavia tells him, then stepping to the side and walking. "The reason I have to go there."

"Alright." He says, walking along side her. After a bit of walking in complete silence, they come to one hallway, Xavia opening one of the doors.

"As it turns out, the cameras are fakes; they're there just to mess with people." She tells him, they going into the room. Bookshelves lined the back wall aside from where a large window was, an oak desk sat in the middle of the room a top a rug, a painting of row boat in a small pond hanging from the wall.

"Well, you were right about the painting, I presume?" Rupert says, Xavia inspecting the picture.

"Not quiet." Xavia tells him, then going to the book shelves and over looking them, then pulling one book, causing a _click_ noise. "It's held against the wall." Going back over to it, she pulls the painting down to show a safe with a key pad.

"Do you know the pass code?" Rupert asks her.

"...Hm..." She hums, staring at it, then entering eight numbers, the safe door swinging open.

"...You knew it?"

"No, but this is a man who dearly loves his family." Xavia says, looking through some of the folders in the safe. "It's shown by the pictures of them he has all through the house, the pass code is his parent's wedding anniversary. The first two were given away by the wear that one them, those two and the third still revealed by the smug from the oil of fingertips."

"..." Rupert blinks with amazement, Xavia pulling one of the folders out.

"Here we are." She says, taking it to the desk and opening it.

"Does it say anything of their plans?" He asks, moving to her side.

"Well, not really." She tells him. "But they are interested in this small island here." Pointing at a small map, there was small, small island. "It's twenty hectares in area; that's about sixty-two acres."

"What would they want it for?"

"I don't know, most likely their new base." Xavia tells him, then looking though some more papers. "This is a list of some purchases."

"Anything unusual?"

"Well, it seems they've purchased a medium crystal with some kind of plastic deformation, as well very high inner refraction." Xavia tells him, Rupert blinking. "...It means they have a crystal that can change form into one thing then reverse back to normal, and, while it refracts whatever is shone into it, it stays within the crystal."

"Ah." Rupert says, understanding. "Why would they need that though?"

"I'm not sure, but they've also purchased large amounts of liquid nitrogen." She tells him, then looking through the file again. "...By the _fire_ look at this."

_What in the world did that mean? _Rupert wonders, taking the paper she held out to see it was blueprints for some tower-like machine. "What is this?"

"I'm not sure, but according to this map of that island," Xavia starts, looking at another paper, which had a larger image of the island, there being four marks, three near the edge of the island and one in the middle. "they're building four. Most likely smaller ones near the edge while the biggest is in the middle." She takes the paper back from Rupert looking it over again. "It seems there's some sort of dispersers up near the tops; pipes from the liquid nitrogen tanks leading to them."

"So they're attempting to fill the air with frozen gas?" Rupert asks.

"Not quiet, when the nitrogen comes into contact with the air, it'll still be freezing but it'll become a gas again. These also have some sort of turbines on them to channel the wind. From the looks of it, it'll keep the air with the liquid nitrogen close to the island and force it up out of the biosphere...They're trying to make that island a frozen wasteland!"

"What would that accomplish?" Rupert asks, bewildered.

"I dunno..." Xavia tells him, then taking the hair clip from her hair. "There's a small camera in this; I have to photograph these papers for future reference." After a minute of it, she puts the papers back into the file, than back into the safe which she shuts, putting the painting in place as well as resetting the book, then putting the desk top back in order.

"It's amazing what all you got from that." Rupert tells her.

"It's just science is all." Xavia tell him. "I'm amazed at the things possible be-" She freezes, looking at the door. "Mr. Kimmel and your father are coming."

"What?" Rupert asks.

"I recognize their footsteps; I've trained my ears to where I'm capable of this." She quickly explains. "If I walk out, they'll see me. I'm not supposed to come in here."

"..." Rupert looks at the door for a second, then back at her. "Please forgive me for what I'm about to do."

"...Wh-"

Before she can finish, Rupert leans forward, making her take a step back so she was against the side of the desk, he putting a hand on the desk top, putting his forehead against her's.

He was amazed his face wasn't red.

She seemed to pick up on the idea, and adopted a scared look, the door suddenly opening.

"So I-" Mr. Kimmel and Mr. Regius both stop when they see them, they both looking at the two men, Rupert widening his eyes and Xavia getting a relived look.

_"RUPERT LEOARODO REGIUS!" _Mr. Regius roars, Mr. Kimmel wincing from the volume, Rupert getting terrified and Xavia hurrying out, Mr. Kimmel putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Mr. Regius, I could please speak with this girl for a moment?" Mr. Kimmel asks, panic ebbing into Rupert.

"Yes, that's fine." Mr. Regius tells him, he exiting the room with Xavia, shutting the door. "Rupert, what-"

"F-Father," Rupert starts. "please forgive me for interrupting you, but don't you think she looked familiar?" He had lowered his voice so that they wouldn't be over heard.

"..." Mr. Regius stops. "...Wait...Wasn't that Xavia?" He asks, his voice lowered as well, Rupert nodding.

"It's a bit of a story, but she had to look through something in here." He tells his father. "She wasn't allowed in here, so I was helping as the excuse to be in here. She heard you and Mr. Kimmel coming, and she knew that if she walked out of the office she would get into trouble - possibly even caught - and so I did what I did so that she wouldn't."

"...Ah..." Mr. Regius says. "...Very well. Let's just hope she doesn't get caught..."

"Agreed." Rupert tells him, nodding. "Though, you did scare me."

"Sorry, just a reaction." Mr. Regius tells him, the door starting to open again. "And no Fossil Battles till I say otherwise, understand?!"

"But Fa-"

"No buts!" Mr. Regius tells him, Rupert hanging his head, Mr. Regius looking back at Mr. Kimmel. "I'm terribly sorry about that."

"It's alright, but he terrified that sweet girl, though." Mr. Kimmel tells him.

* * *

><p><em>Whoo-wee, Rupert's in trouble about something. <em>I think, Mr. Lewis and I looking up at the manor, having heard Mr. Regius' voice only a moment ago.

"What do you think happened, Finny?" Mr. Lewis asks me, I looking up at him a shrugging, then tilting my head.

"He did something, that's for sure." He tells me, we finishing the plant watering. "Alright, Finny, we have to do a touch-up on one of the potted trees under the overhang. You remember where I told you the paint was?"

I smile my big smile and nod.

"Good, could you run get some? We need red."

I nod again, then take off.

Coming into the kitchen, I see Xavia chopping some carrots when she looks up at me.

"Hey." She tells me, we being the only ones in the room.

"Do you know why Mr. Regius yelled?" I ask.

"Oh, he and Mr. Kimmel were coming and I was still in the office, so..." She's silent for a second, then shakes her head and goes back to chopping. "It was awkward."

"...Okay." I shrug, then going into a storage closet, find the required paint and heading back out, running. Going through the hedges, Mr. Lewis suddenly comes around the corner, my heels digging into the ground in an attempt to stop, only to have me slide and still slam into him, we falling on the ground. There's a _clang_ noise as we collide, the paint can do doubt, I feeling the substance splash against the bottom of my chin.

_...Ow. _I think, sitting up and fixing my hat, then looking up to see Mr. Lewis has the paint on his face rubbing his head.

Realization hits me _HARD._

Freezing, terror fills me as he looks up, his expression confused from my paled face.

My limbs are shaking.

"Finny, you alright?" He asks, getting to his knees and reaching a hand out to me.

I scramble back, then dig my feet into the ground and run as fast as I can till I get to the kitchen, throwing open the door and falling into the room, Xavia looking over at me, she still the only one in the room, chopping some celery.

"Finny?" She asks. "Wha-"

"Hello?" I scramble to my feet and whirl around, seeing Mr. Lewis again, he stepping into the kitchen. "Finn, wh-" As he steps forward I shuffle back, then hit a sack of potatoes, which causes me to fall down again, my fear-widened eyes mot looking away from him.

"..." Xavia says nothing, looking between us, Mr. Lewis then looking at her.

"Why..."

"Ah, he's terrified of blood." Xavia tells him. "That paint look at lot like it; why don't you go wash off while I calm him down?"

"Well...alright." He looking at me, I stiffening from terror before he goes back outside, shutting the door.

"Come on," Xavia says, grabbing my arm and pulling me to my feet. My hand shoots up, shakily pointing at the door.

"Th-that was...That...H-heee..."

"Calm down." Xavia tells me, leading me over to the sink and getting some paper towels, using the faucet to wet them.

"B-b-but...But...!"

"Sit." Xavia commands, pulling a stool over, I sitting in it, pull my knees to my chest and hugging them.

"He's..."

"The man who shot you when you where five, I know." Xavia tells me, her palm against my forehead as she pushes it back, wiping the red paint off the underside of my chin.

"How...how do I know doesn't recognize me?!" I ask, starting to get hysterical. "How do I know he's not going to shoot me again!? How-"

"Red." Xavia tells me, grabbing my shoulder with a stern look. "You _need_ to calm down. I've done research about him, and he never meant to hurt anyone."

"..." I blink, speechless.

"You getting hurt was an accident. The pistol he was using had an extremely sensitive trigger, and he was shaking when he had it in his hands. When attacked him, the safety was accidently turned off, so even if he had tried shooting it before then, nothing would've happened. He feels terrible for hurting you, and it was a complete accident...Just remember that."

"..." I look at the floor, hugging my legs tighter. "...Why did he rob the bank in the first place, then?"

"Well, remember Captain Kirk?" Xavia asks, I looking back up at her.

"Yeah. He was that nice man who drove the boat while we were at the resort." I tell her.

"Mr. Lewis is his older brother." She tells me. "He robbed the bank hoping to get the money for their father's operation."

"..." I blink again. "...That's why Captain Kirk looked familiar..."

"Yep." Xavia tells me, then tossing the paint-covered paper towels into a trash can. "Now, head back out. He's not going to hurt you."

"...Alright." I say, then getting to my feet and walking out, hands in my pockets and watching the ground when a thought comes to mind:

_Why did she do research on him?_

_ I mean, I know she probably did some on Captain Kirk since the Koi Klan hired him, but why Mr. Lewis?_

_ ...Hm._

I come back to where the paint can spilled to see someone's cleaned it up, another paint can of the red color sitting there. Picking it up, I walk to the overhang - which is a shaded walkway - and start working on the touch ups for the pots.

"Hey Finny." Looking up, I see Mr. Lewis walking over, picking up a paint brush as well.

It's strange, I never thought I would meet the man who shot me, and I really didn't expect him to be such a nice person.

"Are you feeling better?" He asks, I nodding. "That's good." He tells me, we then working on the pots. After we finish with that, we have our lunches, then help out with cleaning the fountain, which takes the entire afternoon.

Xavia and I meet up in the kitchen, then walk back to the cottage where Mr. Regius and Rupert are sitting outside, Mr. Regius chatting with Parker.

"Ah, you're back." Parker says, standing. "I analyzed the pictures you sent me, and it seems your theory is correct."

"What theory?" I ask.

"The BB Bandits are staged on a island in the middle of the Prolu Ocean." Xavia tells me. "They're constructing towers on it that'll turn it into a frozen wasteland."

"Why?" I ask.

"I dunno." She tells me, shrugging, then looking back at Parker. "What about the receipts? What did you get from those?"

"Well, it seems that many of the items they acquired were stolen, such as the tanks of liquid nitrogen." Parker tells her. "However, I did discover where the ship they commandeered came from."

"Good, we'll head there tomorrow." Xavia tells him.

After eating supper with us, Mr. Regius and Rupert head out, I sitting on my bed and reading a book on nitrogen Xavia gave me, while she and Parker are in the main room, looking over the pictures Xavia took.

I find the book interesting, reading until Parker comes into the room and shuts it, putting it on the night stand and gets into his own bed, switching off the lamp.

"Good night." He says, then rolling over.

"...You...do know you could've just asked me to put the book away?"

"Yes." He says. "I just did it faster."

"..." I blink, a flat look on my face, then lay down, pulling my covers over me. "You're defiantly Xavia's brother." After laying in bed for a bit, staring into the dark midnight blue, I fall asleep.

A scream makes me shoot up in bed, terror filling me instantly.

It was short lived one, but I have never heard such terror before.

Parker's not in his bed and the door's open, making me get up and go through the main room and stop in the door way to Xavia's room, seeing Parker sitting on her bed, Xavia hugging him as if he's the only thing that's tangible, her eyes huge and face white. Parker's gently hugging her, a soft look in his eyes.

"Are you okay?" I ask, Xavia not looking at me or saying anything.

"She just had a nightmare." Parker tells me. "Go back to bed."

"..." I stand silent, watching them. After a moment, I go back to mine and Parker's room, and climb back into my bed.

_That was strange..._ I think. _...Wait..._

I sit up.

_ 'Did she yell a word?'_

_ 'I think she did.' _Flamethrower tells me. _'It started with 'e', I think.'_

_ 'Do you think it was a name?' _Air Strike asks me.

_'Possibly.' _I tell him, laying back down. _'I don't know who she knows that would inflict a nightmare like that...'_

_ 'Let's ask in the morning.' _Cloud Cover tells me, I mentally nodding. I lay there for a bit, slowly getting groggy, to the point where I'm teetering on the verge of sleep and consciousness, the world shifting from waking dreams...the door opens...Parker...a _clink _noise and a soft glow...I start waking up, lift my head to look at him...his hand on my cheek, making me lower my head back against the pillow...soft sounds - a lullaby?...my bangs softly brushed to the side... something - a hand? - against my forehead...soft glow...

Sleep.

My eyes open to the sun filled room.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-And I'm stopping this here for now.<strong>

**Red: ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...**

**Guest: Thank you! :D I'll work on next chapa soon!**

**Leaffrost101: I read it, and it's real good! All you need to work on is punctuation, and capitalization. Also, each time a new person speaks, a new paragraph starts. If it's all together, it may confuse people on who's speaking. **

**Omniverse: Actually, Xavia wasn't being selfish, she's more worried about other's than she is herself. She may act mean, but it's really just her trying to keep people away so they won't be hurt. If she was injured real bad, she'd care more about making sure any other people were alright before seeking medical attention. It's just that her psychology is a bit strange to anyone other than herself.**

**Casey: Alright.**

**mysterydude123: That's a good song for her. XD And yes, I have read the **_**Hunger Games **_**and **_**Catching Fire**_**, but I never finished **_**Mocking Jay**_** since it was so sad. :(**

**zeldashinx: What's your YouTube channel?**

**Bloodlily16: How's is Red's Dynamite? o.O**

**Gunsandgames: Yep! XD Though, I doubt Cassidy will ever stop...**

**Pokemonfan6000: I'm not sure...But thanks! XD It was supposed to be random.**

**Coming up next:**

"Can I at least visit him after all this?" I ask.

"Yes, that's fine." Xavia tells me.

"It's hard to imagine really..."I tell her.

"You said that yesterday." She tells me, I looking at her.

_...Hm...Wasn't I going to ask her something?_


	88. Caught

**An-...Blah.**

**Red:...That's it?**

**Magma:...Pretty much. I DO NOT OWN FF and FFC!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Eighty-Eight - Caught<p>

I lay in the bed for a bit before getting up and changing into my disguise, then going into the main room, Parker and Xavia eating breakfast.

"Good morning." I tell them, sitting down and fixing my plate.

"Mornin'." Xavia tells me. "Today's the last day we can go the manor. There's a half work day, so we'll be able to come back here early."

"Alright..." I reply. After finishing breakfast, we head out, Xavia and I walking down the road towards the manor.

"...What about Mr. Lewis?" I ask.

"You were terrified of him yesterday." Xavia tells me.

"Yeah but, I remembered him a big, scary man." I tell her. "I didn't know he was so nice."

"Well, it's good that you've forgiven him and not held a grudge." Xavia tells me.

"..." We're silent for a bit.

"Can I at least visit him after all this?" I ask.

"Yes, that's fine." Xavia tells me.

"It's hard to imagine really..." I tell her.

"You said that yesterday." She replies, I looking at her.

_...Hm...Wasn't I going to ask her something?_

After a few seconds, I shrug, we arriving at the manor, I heading straight to the courtyard, finding Mr. Lewis weeding a flowerbed. He looks up, seeing me.

"Good morning, Finny!" He says with a smile, I smiling back. "Sleep well?"

I nod, then tilt my head.

"Fine, thanks." He tells me, I helping him with the flower bed for a bit. After that, he asks me to go get a bottle of plant nutrients, I running off to do so. I'm running through the tall hedges, about to turn when a root makes me trip, I falling head first into the hedge.

"You're sure this will work?"

My eyes open wide.

_Bullwort._

"It has to." Another voice says.

_That's Mr. Cullen! _I think, pulling my feet into the hedge, getting on my knees, and peering between the leaves at the two men, who walk along slowly.

_That must be why there's a half work day today. _I think. _They're probably going to try something..._

"That it does..." Bullwort says, clenching his fists. "I'll get my revenge on that little brat!"

"And I'll enjoy seeing him fall." Mr. Cullen agrees, his voice bitter and cold.

_They know no vivosaurs can beat mine. _I think, still watching them. _So how do they plan to defeat me?_

"FINNY!" Mr. Lewis' voice calls out, I going ridged.

_Aw, dino. _I think, able to hear his approaching footsteps, which then slow.

"Finny?" His voice asks, I about to barrel out of the hedge when a hand grabs my head, pulling out into the light and I falling on my back. My hands hold tight to my wig, my hat falling off.

"A spy?" Barely opening my eyes I see Bullwort and Mr. Cullen standing over me.

"How much did you hear?" Mr. Cullen asks, I jumping to my feet and running back through the hedge, slamming right into Mr. Lewis.

"Finny?!" He asks, dazed, while I grab his wrist and run, he half running and half being dragged. Coming to the kitchen, I burst open the door, throw Mr. Lewis in, then slam the door behind me, Xavia looking up from a mixing bowl.

"What's wrong?" She asks.

"..." I wave my arms rapidly, not knowing if I should talk or not.

"Red!" She tells me, her brows furrowing and pulling her white bandana off her head and removing the hair clip, her bangs falling back into their regular spots.

"I OVERHEARD CAPTAIN BULLWORT AND MR. CULLEN TALKING IN THE GARDEN THEN I ACCIDENTLY GOT CAUGHT AND MY WIG ALMOST FEEL OFF AND NOW THEY'RE COMING AFTER ME BECAUSE I HEARD THEM PLOTTING THEIR REVENGE!" I yell, then taking a deep breath, Xavia's eyes widening and Mr. Lewis shocked.

"...You can...talk?" He asks.

"Ever since he learned how." Xavia tells him, then looking back at me. "Take the wig off; we'll have to fight them." Removing my wig, my dark grey hair becomes visible, shocking Mr. Lewis more.

"You...You're...!"

The door bursts open, we looking to see Bullwort and Mr. Cullen coming in.

"Ranger!" Bullwort yells, enraged.

"Bullwort!" I resort.

"Ranger?!" Mr. Cullen asks, looking at me.

"Mr. Cullen!"

"Johnson..."

"Adven..."

"Wait, hold on." Bullwort says, then pointing at me. "You know him?!"

"Yes, I know the brat!" Mr. Cullen tells him.

"He _almost _dated my mom in high school." I say.

"That's a bit awkward..." Mr. Lewis says.

"Alright, this is getting strange now." Xavia says, then pulling out her team. "We'll beat you whether you fight or not, so just give up!"

"You think it's that easy?" Mr. Cullen asks her, I pulling out my own team as well, when he and Bullwort release teams of their own.

My jaw drops.

Their vivosaurs look like they're frozen, almost.

Mr. Cullen has one shaped like a T-Rex, a velociraptor, and a Triceratops, while Bullwort has three Brachiosaurs. All of them have chunks of blue eye on their backs, white veins of ice webbing all over their light ice blue skin, their eyes as cold and dark as the bottom of the Frigid Sea.

"You runts think you can defeat these?!" Bullwort asks.

"That's why..." Xavia mutters, it almost being inaudible.

_'What is?' _I wonder.

_'Red, we have to fight them!' _Air Strike tells me, I suddenly remember the fight with Frigi.

_'ARE YOU CRAZY?!' _I ask. _'You guys will be frozen! Again!'_

_ 'That doesn't matter!' _Flamethrower tells me. _'We're here to fight by your side!'_

_ '...Alright.' _I tell him, releasing only him, then digging around in my pouch, pulling out two other fire types.

"Terra Flame and Armored Fire!" I say, Terra Flame being a Giganto and Armored Fire being a Dikelo.

"They can't stop me!" Bullwort says with mocking triumph, then pointing at Flamethrower, who's glaring at him. "Ice Storm!"

The three frozen Brachios raise their tails, a dark cloud forming above them, which then turns white, and shoots at Flamethrower, suddenly bursting into a frozen wind which knocks him right into his medal.

I try to catch it, only to immediately let him go, his frozen medal chilling my skin.

_'I'm sorry...' _I tell him, using my shirt to pick him up and drop him in my Vivo Pouch.

_'I-It's...not...y-your...f-f-fault...' _He tells him, I feeling him shivering, which makes my fist clench.

"Nobody hurts _MY _vivosaurs!" I roar, looking up at Bullwort, and pointing at his team. "Terra Earth, Sizzling Breath!" He attacks, knocking out half of the first frozen Brachiosaurs health, shocking Bullwort.

"That shouldn't be possible!" He says. My eyes dart over to Mr. Cullen, who has only one frozen vivosaur left.

_'Wow...Xavia's team is strong.' _Looking back at Bullwort, I see his team is gone, he holding their medals.

"I got what I wanted, now I know what to work on with these!" He yells, holding up the medals and running out of the room.

"Hey! Get back here!" I yell, running after him. The sound of a vivosaur coming out of a medal sounds behind me, I then finding myself on the back of my V-Raptor, Vicious. "Good boy." I tell him, he running after Bullwort, he looking over his shoulder to see us hot on his trail.

"Not today, Ranger!" He tells me, releasing another frozen vivosaur, which is shaped like a Pteranodon, Bullwort grabbing it's neck and pulling himself onto it's back. "I'll defeat you next time!"

_'Ace could catch up to him...maybe.' _Vicious tells me, turning his head to look at me.

"..." I shake my head. "Bullwort would freeze him, no doubt. We'll get him though."

_'Alright.' _He replies, returning to his medal, which I put back into my pouch and head back, walking back into the kitchen, seeing Mr. Cullen on the floor, hands ties behind his back, Xavia standing next to him, while Mr. Lewis is standing by with a dazed look, Parker standing with a foot on Mr. Cullen's head.

"Parker?" I ask, he looking at me. "When did you get here?"

"I felt something amiss, so I came as quick as I could." He tells me, then looking down at Mr. Cullen. "Anyhow, you are under arrest for assisting in stealing tanks of liquid nitrogen, plotting to take over the world, and Fossil Fighting without a license."

Mr. Cullen grunts with anger.

"Wait, you can arrest people?" I ask, Parker then pulling out a piece of paper, which he unfolds to show it allows him to make arrests. "...Neat."

"It is, isn't it?" He asks.

A few minutes later...

"So the police have sorted everything out with Mr. Kimmel?" I ask, Xavia and Parker standing with me, all of us outside the manor next to Parker's car.

"Yep. He had no idea of their true intentions, so he's innocent. As for Johnson, he's back at Rock Isle for the next twenty years, with no bail." Xavia tells me.

"Excuse me," I turn my head to see Mr. Lewis standing there. "could I please speak with you?"

"Yes sir." I tell him, turning to face him.

"Look, I'm..." He sighs. "I'm terribly sorry I shot you, it was an accident. I was terrified when it was all going on, and when the gun went off, I completely lost my wits, I wanted to do something to help, but..."

"It's okay." I tell him, he looking up at me with wide eyes. "I mean, it was an accident. Why should I hate you for something that happened so long ago? Sure, robbing a bank isn't a good idea, and we're a nice town. If you had just asked if there were in any odd jobs, people would've gladly let you lend a hand. Don't think I hate you, Mr. Lewis. You're a nice man and I'm glad I've met you."

"..." He stands silent, shock obvious on his face. I smile some.

"Besides, my hair looks better dark grey than the fiery red is was. Goes a lot better with my eyes." I tell him.

"..." He stands there a bit more, then hugs me. "...Thank you. Thank you so much..." I smile more, then hug him back.

"..." There's silence for a bit.

"Well, there's still one problem..." Xavia says, we all looking at her.

"What's that?" I ask.

"Bullwort, the vivosaurs he was using, the towers he's building and the island they're making..." Xavia starts. "According to the design of the main tower, there's a room in it that's been built so it's _colder_ than the bottom of the Frigid Sea."

"What would that accomplish?" Mr. Lewis asks.

"The vivosaurs we were fighting are works in progress." Xavia tells him. "Red, think about what they looked like. Think about how they fought. Think about what they did to Flamethrower's medal."

"They fro-"

I stop, realization hitting me _HARD._

"...He isn't..." I murmur, overwhelmed with shock.

Xavia nods.

"Bullwort is trying to re-create Frigisaurus, and this time, Igno isn't here to stop him."

* * *

><p><strong>AN-...I feel like this was short...<strong>

**Anyhow, to all y'all asking about Fossil Battles: Please understand, It's difficult to know how they would go since I can't create a vivosaur team to fight Red's. Please forgive me if I am unable to do any Battles well.**

**zeldashinx: Thank you, and please forgive me if I am unable to do any Fossil Battles well. And for Kingdom Hearts: I haven't played the games, but I have read some of the comics for it...I loved Sora's hair. XD As for Pokèmon, I am not allowed to have/watch/play/ or otherwise interactive with it. Sorry.**

**Guest: O.O You left a lot of reviews...**

**Omniverse: ?-? What?**

**Dark Rider: Okay, dude. CALM. DOWN. You do know that there are some people out there who like spy stuff, and there are readers that may have liked the going undercover to find out information. You can't just stick to one way of write a story, you have to branch out, try new things, stuff like that. And like I said, it's difficult to know how the Fossil Battle would go, so please bare with me if I do badly in that area. Thank you.**

**mysterydude123: Okay. Stay safe! :D**

**Chi-Chan: D'aw, don't hate him! It was all an accident. ;A; But thank you, I was hoping that'd be the reaction for when Mr. Regius yelled. XD**

**DunalN2: Here is another one, I believe...**

**Casey: I'm sure they did. XD**

**Pokemonfan6000: Thank you so much! :D This is the first time I have ever written my characters going under-cover. :D**

**Bloodlily16: Hm...Okay.**

**Anyhow, coming up next:**

"Wait." I say, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"What?" She asks.

"What's wrong with your ear?" I ask. There's what looks to be a very, very, small hole in her right earlobe.

"It's pierced." She tells me.

"Then why not the left one as well?"

"You and your questions." Xavia sighs, then exiting the room, Todd and I hearing the front door close.

"...I...don't quite understand." Todd tells me.

"There's something just off about it."


	89. Questions

**AN-I'm Excited about these next few chapas. :D**

**Red: What? Why?**

**Magma: You'll see. ONWARDS!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Eighty-Nine - Questions<p>

"So...we're here why?" I ask, sitting on the sofa of mine and Todd's house at the Caliosteo Fossil park.

"I doubt Bullwort would strike somewhere like this." Xavia tells me. "After all, it's a Fossil Park. It has equipment for rouge vivosaurs, so they'd be able to make his fall asleep right away."

"...Hm." I hum, then hearing the front door open, and turning my head to look into the foyer, only to have Todd suddenly tackle me.

"RED!" He yells with glee, I hugging him.

"Hey man!" I say, jumping to my feet, still hugging him. "Where've you been?"

"Pauleen went to visit the Digadigs and I went to visit my parents." He tells me.

"That's good." I tell him.

"What're you doing here?" He asks, I then explaining. "Ah..."

"Anyhow," Xavia says, standing from the chair she was sitting in. "we're going have to wait till Bullwort makes his next move."

"Wait...we know where his base is, why not just go and stop him?" I ask.

"Not everything is so simple." Xavia tells me. "You have to think, plan, and wait. That is how you win a fight for good."

"Ah..." I say, understanding.

"Anyhow, I'm heading to m house. I've got something I need to work on." She turns to leave, when I suddenly notice something.

"Wait." I say, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"What?" She asks.

"What's wrong with your ear?" I ask. There's what looks to be a very, very, small hole in her right earlobe.

"It's pierced." She tells me.

"Then why not the left one as well?"

"You and your questions." Xavia sighs, then exiting the room, Todd and I hearing the front door close.

"...I...don't quite understand." Todd tells me.

"There's something just off about it."

"Hm..." Todd hums. "...Do we have any food here?"

"We need bread for sandwiches."

"I'll go get it." He tells me, heading back out.

"..." I blink, then shrug, and sit on the sofa, turning on the TV.

* * *

><p>Todd walks along, stopping when he saw Pauleen running towards him.<p>

"Hey Todd, digadig!"

"Hi Pauleen!" He tells her. "How was your trip?"

"Good, diga. Yours?"

"Good."

"..." They stand silent, looking around awkwardly for a bit.

"...Uhm...Pauleen?" Todd asks, she looking up at him.

"Yes?" She asks.

"...You know, we never did get to go to the pay-to-dig site at Treasure Lake, so...you...wanna...go?"

"...S-sure..." She tells him, their faces tinted from blushes.

"Great!" Todd tells her. "...Sooo...let's...go..."

They walk in awkward silence to the dig site, pay to go to the pay-to-dig site, and walk out to it.

"..." They stand in awkward silence, walking around it, looking around.

"...Pauleen?" Todd asks, she looking at him.

"Yeah, digadig?" She asks.

"Erm..." He felt his knees weakening and nervousy in his stomach. "...I...Well, I just wanna tell you...that...well...I..." He takes a breath.

_Red did it, Joe did it, I can do it!_

"...I really like you!" He blurts, his face heating up more.

"..." Pauleen blinks with surprise, blushing as well.

"...It's just...y-you're really nice and sweet, and you've got this glow about you that just really makes me happy when I come anywhere near you and-"

Her arms hug his neck, she kissing him.

"Hhm!" Todd stands there, shocked.

"..." After a moment her relaxes, hugging her back.

* * *

><p>I look over my shoulder at the front door.<p>

_'What's wrong?' _Air Strike asks me.

_'...Meh, I just thought I felt something happen.' _I think, then looking back at the show I'm watching.

* * *

><p>Todd and Pauleen stood there, kissing.<p>

_...How strange that I would be here at the same time. _Leaning against a rock so that he couldn't see them, Rupert sits down, hugging his knees. _How strange that he, the one who said that he was a coward, could admit his love while I still worry._

"..." He sits silent, then clenches his fists and gets to his feet.

_...If he can have that bravery, then so can I!_

He runs.

A few minutes later...

"Yes?" Looking up, Rupert saw Parker had opened the door, wearing a plain white apron.

"May I speak with Xavia?" Rupert tells him.

"..." His eyes narrow. "...She's in her room." Turning, he walks back around to the kitchen area, Rupert coming and shutting the door, then going up the spiral stair case to the second floor, going down the hall to the second door, knocking on it.

"Come in." Opening the door, he saw Xavia was sitting on the floor, holding a tug-of-war dog rope in her hand, Silver Fang tugging on it.

"Xavia." He says, she looking up.

"Hey, rich boy. What's up?" She asks.

"...I need to speak with you. It's...important..."

"Alright." She says, then looking back at Silver Fang. "Go supervise Parker making lunch, Silver."

The vivosaur tugs at the rope.

"Alright, alright." She says, releasing it, Sliver Fang then speeding out of the room. "So, what'cha need?"

"...I...need to...to tell you something." He says, Xavia standing up.

"Alright."

"..." Rupert looks down at the floor. _How do I say this? _

He takes a breath.

"...Xavia, I...I...I feel...odd around you." He starts. "You...inspire some kind of feeling me that robs my breath from my lungs, saps the strength from my limbs and makes my mind hazy. It...makes me fill with glee, and I can never look you in the eye because it overwhelms me, and..."

"...What are trying to say?" Xavia asks, Rupert looking up at her, seeing she had a blank look on her face.

"..."

He takes a deep breath.

"...I'm trying to say that I love you."

"..." Her eyes widen.

"..." They stand in silence for a minute.

"..." She blinks, her eyes suddenly soft, then stepping forward and hugging him, which he does back.

"...I love you." He says again.

"..." She says nothing. "...How?"

"Because, you-"

"No I mean..." She steps back, allowing Rupert to see she was actually crying. "...How? How can...how can you love me? I'm..."

"I've told you before." He tells her, hugging her again. "You're not a burden, you're not a monster, you're you...and that's how I love you. Everyone sees you as someone who's angry and hateful, but you're not. You're hurt."

"..." She tucks her head under his chin. "...I never thought that anyone would say that and mean it..."

"..." He hugs her tighter. "Well, I mean it."

"..." She lifts her head up to look at him, they looking each other in the eyes. Rupert found himself leaning towards her.

Her lips were soft.

He felt a wave of warm fuzziness wash over him, making his shoulders rise as he took a deep breath, pulling Xavia closer.

A knock on the door makes them both quickly look to see Parker standing there, his eyes narrow.

"...Your lunch is ready, Xavia." He says, his voice bland.

"Thank you." She tells him, stepping away from Rupert, then looking at him and about to say something when,

"I shall see our guest out." Parker tells her, his hand grabbing Rupert's shoulder and leading him out of the rooms and down the stairs, and to the front door, when he turns Rupert around, the boy able to see Parker's cold glare.

"Listen, _boy"_ He hisses, grabbing Rupert's shoulders. "Xavia has suffered more than enough. She kept herself from being happy at one point just to punish herself, something she didn't need to do and didn't have to do. If you even _think_ of hurting her, believe me when I say that I _will know_, and you will find yourself in a very _PAINFUL_ predicament." His grip tightens. _"Do you understand?"_

"Yes sir." Rupert tells him, nodding.

"Good." Parker releases him, then slams the door.

_...That...was rather rude._

The door opens again, Parker glaring down at him.

"Be glad I didn't slam it on your foot or something of the sort." He tells Rupert coldly, then slamming the door again.

"..." Rupert says nothing, but just blinks with surprise.

* * *

><p>Going back up the stairs, Parker comes to Xavia's room, Xavia sitting on her bed, looking out the windows.<p>

"Was that really necessary?" She asks, not looking at him.

"He _kissed_ you." Parker growls. "I'm here to watch over you, and he doing that just caused vulnerability to you. What if he's not serious?! What if-"

"You know he's serious, you just don't like it?" She asks, then turning her head to look at him. "You know he means it, you're just angry and jealous."

"Jealous of what? That silly hair of his that thousands of girls wish to rip from his head?" Parker asks.

"No. It's like you said, you're here to watch over me. You are protective of me to such a degree that you want to be the one who heals me. You were jealous of Sarisa because she helped me in such a short time, and gave me love that you can't. Now you're the same with Rupert because he can give me love you can't."

"..." Parker blinks. "...I've taken care of you for so long. It just seems...wrong to stand back and let others help."

"I understand how that feels." Xavia tells him, then standing and walking up to him. "But you must understand this: if you love me how you say you do, then you will get rid of this jealousy and act kinder to Rupert."

"...And if I don't?"

"You question my authority?"

"...No."

"...Well, if you are, you and I both know how you hate hearing me scream in the night."

"..." He hangs his head. "...As you wish."

"Good." Xavia tells him. "Now, what's for lunch?"

* * *

><p>"GO MARTIAL ARTY!" I cheer, watching my favorite cartoon, when the front door opens. Grabbing the remote I quickly change the TV to an action movie, then sit back casually.<p>

"Hey Red!" Looking over my shoulder, I see Todd standing there, holding a grocery bag.

"Hey Todd!" I say, jumping up, and switching the TV off. We eat some sandwiches and clean the dishes. My phone starts going off, I pulling it out and answering it.

"Yes?" I ask.

"Get to Ribular Town, _now!" _Xavia tells me.

"Todd, let's go!" I say, grabbing him and getting him over my shoulder, and running out the door, through the housing area, and to Ribular Town to see Bullwort on a frozen Pteranodon, which is freezing the buildings. "Bullwort, can't you do ANYTHING without some frost vivosaur?!"

"Well, Ranger," He calls, looking down at me from way up in the air, Todd now standing next to me. "perhaps you need to see what they can do to understand!" The vivosaur creates a cloud of ice under it, which then shoots at us. I grab Todd and dash out of the way, then look up to see it creating another.

"Go Fire Wing!" I yell, releasing my Dimorph, who screeches and flies straight at the frozen vivosaur, who quickly glides to the side, avoiding the attack.

"Red!" Looking, Todd and I see Rupert and Pauleen running towards us, Xavia with them.

"Guys!" Todd exclaims.

"How do we beat that thing, digadig?" Pauleen asks, we looking back at Bullwort and the frozen vivosaur, who's locked in aerial combat with Fire Wing.

"I dunno." I say. "I had Igno to help last time, but..."

There's a flash, the frozen vivosaur going into its medal, leaving a confused Bullwort in the middle of the air.

"...Well then." Rupert says, Bullwort yelling as he falls, I running forward when Fire Wing swoops down and catches him with his feet, the Dino Medal still falling.

"I got it!" I yell, about to catch it when it's snatched from my hands, I skidding to a stop. "The what?"

"I am his master now." Looking, Parker's standing there, looking at the medal in his hands, Fire Wing dropping Bullwort in the middle of the square, then flying over to me and returning to his medal which I catch.

"How did you get him back in his medal?!" Bullwort roars, on his feet.

"Really?" Parker asks, looking up at him. "For a man who pulled off being a police captain for years, you're quite dense."

He then pulls a K.O. Blaster out from his pocket, flips a switch on it, making it turn into what looks like a sniper rifle.

"I'd expect you to have thought of this situation." He tells Bullwort.

"..." Silence.

"...You...really _should_ have thought of that." Todd says, Bullwort looking at him, angry.

"Be quite, you br-"

He stops.

"...Wait, I know you!" He says, pointing, we all looking at Xavia.

"Well, YEAH YOU DO!" I say. "You stole the blueprints for the Imperva-Ray from her!"

"...Stole?" Bullwort asks, looking at me. "I didn't steal them, she gave them to me!"

"WHAT?!" Todd, Pauleen, Rupert and I yell in unison.

* * *

><p>~Flashback~<p>

It was near nine p.m., so the sky was dark, and the college students were all busy playing games in the Relic Hotel's small arcade.

_("Wait, that place has an arcade?"_

_ "Shut up, Ranger!")_

Using a grappling hook, Bullwort climbed up onto a balcony, wearing a mask with his uniform, so he wouldn't be recognized. He went to the sliding door, picked the lock and slid it open, slipping into the hotel room, which was almost pitch black. He was barely able to make out the shape of a backpack, which he picked up, smiling to himself.

_Too easy._ He thought, undoing the front buckle, then attempting to unzip it, only to find it wouldn't budge. _...What? OPEN! _He yanked and tore at it, it still not opening.

"What you're looking for isn't in there."

He went ridged right and the lights turned on. Turning his head, he saw who had spoken.

A girl about six years old sat on the bed, wearing cargo shorts and a red tank top, brown boots and hair tied in a pony tail, her bangs covering her left eye while the rest of her face had a bland expression.

"Stay where you are!" Bullwort told her, pointing a K.O. Blaster at her.

"Oh _no,_" She said, her expression still bland. "You have a weapon that will knock me out. I'm so scared."

"Be quiet!" He told her, scowling. "Where are the blueprints for that ray gun you mentioned today? Tell me, or else!"

"Or else you'll knock me out? Oh, _right,_ that'll help you get what you're looking for faster."

"JUST TELL ME!"

"You know, it's amazing how the walls are sound proof, eh?" She asked, looking around with the bland expression.

"JUST TELL ME OR-"

"They're right here." She told him, holding up a file that had papers in it. "A ray gun that will bind molecules together so the surface is harder than a diamond."

"Good, now-"

"Here." She said, holding them out.

"...Wait...you're _giving_ them to me?"

"No, I'm giving you a choice." She told him. "If you take this, you will prolong you downfall that will bring great humiliation to you, while if you don't it will come sooner. Either way, you'll fall, and it will be humiliating."

"...What are talking about?"

"That's for me to know, Captain Bullwort."

"..." His eyes widened.

"Yes, I know who you are and I know of your illegal fossil trades, destructions of dig sites and other things you have been associated with. Really. You thought someone wouldn't find out sooner or later? Or were you just waiting to tell it to them? People like you who abuse trust in such a way make me sick...Now, are you going to take the blueprints or not? My arms is tiring and, like I said, you're making me sick."

"..." He said nothing, but grabbed the file and stepped back away from her.

"You're crazy, you brat." He said. "No one can beat me!"

"That's just because they haven't come here yet." She says, then standing. "But listen and listen good, Bullwort. A few years from now, two people will pay you a large sum of money to find some items for them. You in your greedy nature will accept, but you will be unsuccessful. The person who will cause your downfall will come during that time, and they will defeat you, despite the fact they just started battling. You will be imprisoned in your own jail, and you will make your escape, then take over part of Vivosaur Town for a few hours. They will stop you again, they and their vivosaurs standing tall, while your lay at your feet in their medals with defeat. No matter what you do, they will beat you. Nothing can change that."

"..." He said nothing, but took another step back. "...You're insane."

"..." She blinked, the lowered her head some, still watching him. "Beware the boy with the eyes of sapphires."

"..." Bullwort rushed out of the room, sliding down the rope to the ground, then ran.

* * *

><p>"..." We stand in silence.<p>

"...You're lying." Rupert tells him.

"...He isn't." Xavia says, we looking at her, she standing there. "Though I guess you regret doubting me, Bullwort. But like I said, nothing could change the outcome. You fell, got back up, and fell down again. Now all you're doing it repeating it."

"Oh yeah?" Bullwort asks her, pulling out another Dino Medal. Releasing it, it's another Pteranodon, which he jumps on. "I can't fail this time!"

Before we can react, he takes off, flying away.

"..." Silence, what just happened still hanging in the air.

"...Parker," Xavia says, the man looking at her. "let me see that medal. I can analyze it to-"

"Xavia?" Todd asks, she going silent as I walk back over to all of them. "...How did...how did you know what was gonna happen?"

"..." She stands there. "...It's a long story."

"We have time." I tell her, she looking at me, then back at Todd, Pauleen, and Rupert.

"...Very well." She says. "Follow me." Walking past us, we follow as she walks into the housing area of the island, and to her house. Opening the door, we walk into the foyer, then into the living room, where we stop.

_'...How did they get here?!' _I wonder.

In the room stands Rosie, Mr. Richmond, King Dynal, Raptin, Duna, Sinauria, Holt, Kaze, Lola, Cole, Lester, Dr. Diggins, Sarisa, Joe, my parents, Prof. Scatterly and us.

"...How did we get here?" Joe asks.

"You were teleported." Parker tells him, they all looking at us.

"What's going on?" Sarisa asks, putting her hands on Xavia's shoulders.

"...It's time all of you knew the truth." Xavia tells her. "I trust all of you with it, and some of you need to have memory restored."

"What?" Holt asks.

"Just follow me." Xavia says, going up the stairs. We again follow her, and go into the hall to see her standing outside the door to Parker's room.

"That's your brother's room, diga." Pauleen tells her.

"No, it's not." Xavia tells her. "But listen: What I tell all of you is not to be spoken unless we are alone, and sure of no one listening in. If one of you tells another person, I will be forced to permanently erase the memory. Understand?"

"..." We all just nod.

"Thank you." She says, then opening the door and walking in, we then following her.

The room is much bigger than I expected.

While the area we're standing in have white floors and blank, white walls aside from a tall, wide window on the far wall, there's two doors, one on each wall. Xavia sits down in front of the window, facing us.

"What is going on?" Dynal asks. "Why did you teleport us here without warning?"

"Well, you, Raptin, Duna, your daughter, Joe, and Dr. Diggins all need memories restored for one part." Xavia tells him.

"What?" Diggins asks.

"Xavia, we just wished to know how you knew that Red would be going to Vivosaur and the events that took place there, years before it happened." Rupert tells her. "If you don't wish to do this, you don't have to."

"I know." Xavia tells him. "But, one question leads to another, and I'd have to tell you anyways. The reason why I knew is because Doc told me."

"...I did?" Diggins asks, we looking at him. "...When?!"

"That's the memory that's suppressed." Xavia tells him.

"Why?!"

"...You just couldn't remember it at the time." She tells him, then taking a breath." And the reason why you couldn't remember is because then you'd know about me, and I was worried that would harm you."

"How would it harm him, old bean?" Prof. Scatterly asks.

"I have enemies. People who would do anything to see me fall."

"How?" Kaze asks. "I mean, we get Johnson, but who else? You always say you have a lot of enemies, but how?"

"..." Xavia takes a deep breath.

"...Because," She starts.

"I'm over 20,000 years old."

* * *

><p><strong>AN-YES! I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS TO HAPPEN!<strong>

**Red:...ZUH?**

**Magma:...Who else has a blown mind?**

**StarryNight173: Thank you so much! I really like the V-Raptor cloths for some reason. :D**

**Omniverse: -_- Dude, no one is forcing you to read this. If you don't like it, alright, good for you. No one is gonna like the exact same stuff, and I explained last chapter that IT IS DIFFICULT FOR ME TO KNOW HOW A FOSSIL BATTLE WOULD GO. This is my story, just let me write it.**

**Chi-Chan: Your review had me laughing for the next hour. XD**

**mysterydude123: What'd your cousins do? O.o**

**zeldashinx: Cool! :D I wish I could do that. I'm terrible with technology 'n' stuff...**

**Guest: Thanks! :D**

**Casey: Whaaat? O.o**

**(other) Guest: MY dad used Murphy's law once. He said: "According to Murphy's law, if you have something in your backyard, a tree will fall and hit it...Like that new bridge to the island in your pond." We passed this place where just that had happened. XD**

**DunalN2: :\**

**Bloodlily16: Who knows? **

**Alatum Laminis: Yeah...Bullwort's just sad sometimes.**

**Pokemonfan6000: No, but I wanna do graphic novels. And thank you very much! I WILL WRITE TIL THE END! :D**

**Wing: Thanks man! :D BTW, are you gonna do anything with the FFF DocX I sent you?**

**Magma: Coming up next:**

"Wait, wait, wait..." I say, Xavia looking at me. "If you're...ya know, then how is your brother still alive?!"

"He's not." She tells me. "The only blood family I had was my parents. I built Parker."

"..." We're silent.

"...He's...a robot?" Rupert asks her.

"How else did he manage to read your mind?" Xavia asks him. "He can pick up brain waves, radio waves, and other such things."

"Hold on," Dynal says, stepping forward. "you said that few of us had suppressed memories, including Raptin, Duna, my daughter and I. We have not had contact with humans before we awoke from stone sleep."

"That's because you did wake up when Ekon and I teleported to the Mother ship to create a chronological time leak - much like the one that sent Doc back - to go back in time to stop a nuclear war."

"...Xavia?" Todd asks.

"Yes?"

"...What's that? The war thing you said." He asks.


	90. The Deepest Secret

**AN-And onto learn Xavia's secret! :D**

* * *

><p>Chapter Ninety - The Deepest Secret<p>

"..." We all stand in silence, shocked looks on our faces.

_'...She's...twenty thousand years old?' _I wonder still unable to grasp it. _'That's impossible.'_

_ 'Well, Zongazonga lived for a long time, though, I doubt Xavia's survived through the same method he tried.' _Flamethrower points out.

"...HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?!" Cole suddenly yells, grabbing his head.

"..." Xavia sits there for a second. "...When I was six, I was exploring a cave not too far from my home. As I went deeper, I began hearing a strange noise. Thinking of it now, it sounded almost like a bell. I didn't know what to call it back then since we didn't have bells. Anyhow, I found a shining, gold substance. I had been down there for a bit and I had been getting hungry, and, when you're a hunter and gatherer, you eat you find, so I tasted it. It was...I can't describe it. But I ate it and savored it since it was so good, I got every last drop, and after that, I gained immortality."

"Wait." Holt says. "...You're older than bells? The giant metal things that make the gong noises?"

"Yep." She tells him.

"How old are you exactly?" Rosie asks.

"..." Xavia thinks for a second, looking up at the ceiling for a moment, then looks back at us. "Well, not including the two thousand years I was stuck in the center of a pit of nuclear sludge, I'm 20,324 years old. I was the twenty-third human on the planet, my parents being part of the first generation of humans."

"..." We again stand in shock when something pops into my mind.

"Wait, wait, wait..." I say, Xavia looking at me. "If you're...ya know, then how is your brother still alive?!"

"He's not." She tells me. "The only blood family I had was my parents. I built Parker."

"..." We're silent.

"...He's...a robot?" Rupert asks her.

"How else did he manage to read your mind?" Xavia asks him. "He can pick up brain waves, radio waves, and other such things."

"Hold on," Dynal says, stepping forward. "you said that few of us had suppressed memories, including Raptin, Duna, my daughter and I. We haven't had contact with humans before we awoke from stone sleep."

"That's because you did wake up when Ekon and I teleported to the Mother ship to create a chronological time leak - much like the one that sent Doc back - to go back in time to stop a nuclear war."

"...Xavia?" Todd asks.

"Yes?"

"...What's that? The war thing you said." He asks.

"Nuclear?" She asks, Todd nodding. "...Well, there used to be weapons, bombs in fact, that were capable of splitting atoms."

"That's impossible!" Dr. Diggins tells her. "There's no way to split them."

"There was." Xavia tells him. "That's how the Lost War happened."

"The Lost War?" Kaze asks. "There was no fighting in that. It was a political disagreement that was ended when two men intervened and proved that one of the parties was trying to start a war in hopes of world domination."

"That's because Ekon and I stopped it." Xavia tells him. "Originally, the war _did_ happen, and the nuclear bombs were used. Do you know what happens when one of those goes off? Massive amounts of radioactivity is released, causing mutations in DNA. And where was I? I was trying to keep it from going off. It hit the ground, and all I heard was explosions, and the sounds of living nightmares. I was suck in the center of a crater filled with glowing green, bio-hazardous muck. Two thousand years later, scientists excavated me, perfectly fine and alive. They took me to the world's capital, planning to study me, when their leader came to see me. After hearing that the radioactivity had no effect on me whatsoever, he commanded them to find out how I had survived so that he could do it as well.

"Trust me when I say he was not a nice man. At that time, the world worked in a way that the guy with the biggest guns made the rules. It didn't matter if he was good or not, just that he called the shots. He would killed people on the streets, took what he wanted, and if you stood up to him, he fed you to mutant beasts that were made by the radioactivity.

"I escaped and ran, and that's how I met Ekon. He and his parents were well-to-good people, working on their farm and minding their own business. Ekon's parents were unfortunately killed when the man who ruled, 'Nuke' as he was called, ordered that any people who were hiding me were to be executed. But I remembered. I knew of the Dinaurian space ships, I knew of the chronological energy for the idol-comps, and I knew how to get to them."

"How?" Duna asks. "There was no possible way humans could have known of our existence."

"Unless I found a crashed ship when I was growing up." Xavia tells her, shocking us. "It's quite the story how I found it. But, I learned so much because of it. How to read and write, and thousands of other things. I as well found messages sent by the sub idol-comps, stating progress on the 'seeds of intelligent life', allowing me to know that other forms existed. This was confirmed at the end of the Shadow Wars, when-"

"The what?" I ask.

"..." She sighs. "Well, the Shadow Wars...how to explain? ...Ah, Zongazonga, he gained his power from three of them. There were thirteen you see, and the Shadows are the evil in a person. They tried to enslave humans, but a group of us trapped them into artifacts in hopes of containment. While they were unable to escape, they were still able to affect people physiologically, and so we were forced to re-think what to do. After some time, we trapped them into thirteen books, which were then hidden away, three of them actually within the Caliosteo Islands.

"Unfortunately, some explorers somehow discovered the entrances and pass the traps, finding the books, which were then taken to the king, ZZ's father. He read them, and, in exchange for control of their powers, they took control of him. He slowly rose to insanity, when Zongazonga, age fifteen, overthrew him. Sadly, he too read the books, thinking they would allow him to stop his father. He didn't know of their true meanings, so, after he defeated his father and became king, he as well fell into insanity.

"Due to this, his bride-to-be, Genive, became worried and fearful. It was hard enough to watch him fall prey to being of evil, but what if when they had a child? What if the same thing happened to it? She feared for the kingdom, she feared for the future, and so she drank poison and died.

"That, however affect Zongazonga mentally. What if he died? What if his powers withered away and the people rose against him to make him pay? That's why he wanted immortality. He wanted to be sure the same thing would never happen to him...Then I came along."

"You're the Rebel Leader." Rupert says, his eyes huge.

"Yep."

"...Then diga-doesn't that...?" Pauleen starts, I remembering how ZZ told me:

_ "That I found her rather pleasing to the eye..."_

"..." Xavia slowly nods, horror filling me.

"He would have succeeded had there not been a glass pitcher within my reach." She tells us. "After smashing it into his face, I ran, and my friend Jacob took me out of the castle. The rebellion took place none too long after, and so I took the books containing the Shadows, and went back to where the leader was kept, which was guarded by an organization called the 'Guardians of Light'. After telling them what had happened, we gathered the others, and constructed a massive underground fortress, which was always guarded.

"Then the Shadow wars happened. An arrogant man, thinking he could control the leader, betrayed us and opened the book, which released it. It then set his brothers free, and they sought to eliminate us, and all life. The only way humans survived was the Citadel, a city deep, deep, deep below the surface of the earth. That was the longest, most horrifying war I have ever fought in."

"Like, how?" Lola asks.

"..." Xavia looks up at her. "...I want all of you to imagine this: you're standing in a forest. Now, imagine there are no leaves on the trees. Just bare, brown branches. Now imagine there are no animals. Imagine there's nothing but deathly silence, no birds chirping, no chattering animals, _nothing._ Now imagine there's no color. Everything is grey. The sky is hidden by layers of dark clouds. Now imagine that you're running. Not to get fit, but running for your life, knowing that if you stumble, if you slow, if you fall, you will be consumed alive by your worst nightmares. Now imagine that you hear some kind of noise that sounds like bones breaking, at the back of your mind you heard screams of death and terror. Then you start seeing black things coming from the ground. They're trying to grab you, and you know that these were one humans as well, turned to tools of doom by the thing you're running from.

"Now imagine you know there's no safe place you can reach."

"..." The imaging makes me shiver, horror making me hug myself, Rosie moving closer to me.

"That was what the Shadow Wars consisted of." Xavia continues. "We would raise soldiers, and we go to fight...then come back either near insane from fear, or not at all. The worst part was that _generations _of people didn't even know what the sun was. Millions of people had never seen animals, never seen leaves, never felt grass, never smelled a flower, only knew that one day, they would have to go and fight. This lasted to five thousand years before we launched a full-scale attack. I lead an army eight million people strong...and came back with only fifty-three."

"..." We're silent.

"...Do you know how it felt? Having to watch as the people around you died from living nightmares? Knowing that when you left the Citadel, you would be facing death?"

"...That's what you meant." Rupert says, Xavia looking up at him. "You said you heard people screaming in your sleep."

"That's correct." She tells him. "Every night, I hear them. They scream and shriek for help, but they know no one can help them. All they can do is die terribly, then be used as an instrument of terror...After the leader was defeated, the weapon I had used when striking the final blow caused a time warp. I was sent back, far before humans existed, and made my way trying to find somewhere, somehow to get back to where I was supposed to be, when I stumbled across another Dinaurian ship."

"The Secret Site!" Mr. Richmond exclaims.

"That's correct." She tells him. "I stayed there, working on projects and studying a tissue sample, when one day a - as I thought of him - 'a funny-looking man wearing rags' came into the ship."

"Diggins!" Holt exclaims, we all looking at him, he looking confused.

"...What?" He asks. "Xavia, I know I would've remembered you being there or seeing whatever projects you were working on."

"..." She sits there a second, her eyes getting a sad look. "...Parker."

"Right away." Looking, we see him shutting the door from the hallway, then turning to look at us.

He's now wearing a white dress shirt with the end of the collar being grey, a black tie tucked into a grey vest, buttoned with three grey buttons, a black tail coat that has a white handkerchief in his coat pocket, black pants, white gloves on his hands, a sliver pocket watch chain on his vest, and black shoes that shine.

"Hold still." He says, walking over to Diggins and raising a hand, Dr. Diggins getting a confused look when Parker taps his forehead, causing a flash of white light. When it subsides, Dr. Diggins is sitting on the ground, his eyes wide with recall.

"..." He turns to look at Xavia.

"..." She sits there, then pulls off her backpack, opens it, and pulls out a leather-bound journal, then stands and walks over to him, holing it out. "I never let anyone touch it."

"..." He slowly takes it. After looking at it for a moment, he opens the front, slowly turning the pages.

He drops it, hugging Xavia tightly.

"I'm sorry." He tells her. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."

"I made you forget because I love you." She tells him, hugging him back. "When I saw you five years ago, it hurt. It hurt each time, but I knew it would hurt worse if you got hurt for remembering me."

"..." We stand in silence, I looking down at the journal, able to see the entry:

_I understand now. She's building a memory suppressor into the stone sleep device. When I asked about it, she told me to sit down, and she explained._

_ She told me about a man corrupted by evil, who ruled with an iron fist, never showing a bit mercy. She told me about how she lead a rebellion and overthrew him. She told me about how he swore his revenge as she walked away from the stone chest he was locked in._

_ Now I understand._

_ She has to suppress my memories because she's afraid. If he were to escape, and he knew that I knew her, he would use me against her. I want to think that's not possible, but, with my career, I have to think of all possible situations. This makes me feel terrible, knowing why she was sad when I 'first' saw her, knowing that millions of years from now, seeing me is going to hurt since I won't know her._

_ ...I'm scared._

_ I have never wanted to hurt anyone. Not in anyway. Now knowing that I'm going to do it, and I'm not going to know why...It scares me._

"..." I say nothing, but the memory of Rosie's amnesia comes to my mind, making my eyes water.

We stand for a few more minutes, Diggins and Xavia hugging, when they finally sit back, Xavia standing up again.

"...We researched the Guhnash tissue sample." She tells us. "Sometimes we would have to wait for the computers to process some data, so he would tell me about his life. He told me about a boy with sapphire eyes that fearlessly fought for people, and of how he revived a legendary beast."

"...So that's how?" Todd asks.

"That's how I knew about Red coming to Vivosaur Island." She tells him. "After we found out about the three brains, I told Doc about the modification to the stone sleep device. He accepted and went into stone sleep, and I eventually when back to my time. The Shadow Wars were over, and the world had its brilliant colors and beautiful sounds again. A golden age started, we were strong, peaceful and prosperous...sadly, the Shadows had tricked me again, and hid themselves in the minds of humans. It took them five thousand _more_ years to finally reach their power, in which the world was corrupt again, something I saw right. Building a machine, it would cause a blanket effect that would spread across the globe, and erase them. It worked, also causing a reset, to where the shining cities and flying vehicles were no longer existent. It was the start of this time period.

"I've divided history into four sections, each being about five thousand years long. The first, before the Shadow War and when ZZ was born and ruled, is B.D., or _before destruction. _The Shadow War time is called S.W., the time after it is known as A.S., meaning _After Shadows._ Only I and the Comets know what happened during then and before. And finally, this time, which all of you know is called R.Y., _Recorded Years._

"The Shadows are gone, but they still live in my mind. Very few people now days are evil due to the blanket effect I caused, but some have still caused wars. I fought to make sure no evil force ever ruled, but when the Lost War happened, I had failed. That's when Ekon and I went to the Dinaurian Starship to go back in time...Parker."

"Yes, young master." He says, then going to the Dinaurians, and tapping their foreheads, causing flashes of light, they having wide eyes of remembrance as well now.

"After convincing the Dinaurians to let us go back in time, we exposed the true intentions, and stopped the nuclear war from happening. Ekon was wearing a bracelet I gave him so he wouldn't be affected by the change in time, and he stayed at Star Estate till his death..." She stands for a second. "...He's still alive technically. He's a member of the Comets. They're close friends I had in the past. After their deaths, I transferred everything from their minds into indestructible, artificial robotic bodies, then asked if they wished to stay like that, or let me allow them to rest. None of them have said no."

"So they serve ya or somethin'?" Joe asks.

"In a way. They each have something they loved doing, and so it's a mutual agreement. They get to do what they love for as long as they want. I'd prefer if they didn't call me their master, but they still do it as thanks." She explains.

"Then Parker used to be a human?" Sarisa asks.

"No ma'am. I actually programmed him with a human mind that I made. It's not perfect, but it's as close to human that's possible. Nothing can be like a human mind, but I've come as close as possible. Parker's always been a robot. He chose to serve me when I gave him a choice to do whatever he wanted. I told him that if he was evil, however, I would have to shut him down. He had seen my memories, he knew history, and the fact that he could've done anything yet chose to serve me has always amazed me."

"...Wow." I say.

"Hold on." Mr. Richmond says. "If you knew about the Secret Site and about the idols, Project: Mother Planet, and such, then doesn't that mean you were the one who left the blue prints for the sonar jammer in my office?"

"That's correct, sir." Xavia tells him. "I kept that island and Vivosaur hidden for as long as was required. Woolbeard, however, didn't help..."

"You know him?!" Rosie asks.

"...We...might have had a sword fight..." Xavia tells her. "...And...he...kinda...hates my guts..."

"What? Why?" Holts asks.

"...I...might have...been the one responsible for him losing his beard ribbon."

"...YOU STOLE A BEARD RIBBION?!" Holt, Rosie and I ask in unison, confused.

"Hey, you should've seen the box he kept it in. I thought it was full of treasure!" Xavia tells us.

"Wait." Todd says, we looking at him to see he has realization on his face. "...You said you thought there was treasure, and that your sword fought with Woolbeard the Pirate..."

He points in her face.

"YOU WERE A _PIRATE!" _He yells, I blinking with surprise, realizing he's right.

"..." Xavia blinks, moving Todd's hand away and smiling a big smile. "I prefer the term... _'unlicensed privateer'._"

"YOU WERE A PIRATE!" I exclaim. "Do you know all the insane stuff we had to do just to get it?!"

"Yes." She tells me. "I, however, had to sword fight with him - cutting of about three or four feet of his beard in the process - then took all the valuables I could find in his quarters."

"...But...! You were a PIRATE! They steal!" Rupert tells her.

"Well, my men and I only targeted smugglers, slavers, and other pirates." Xavia tells him. "But, those were the _best days_ of my life! ...Then we had to retire. That was boring. Oh, and..." She reaches into her pocket, pulling out a gold ring that has a small, dark red jewel on the inside. She sticks in the small hole I saw on her right earlobe, it being an earring. "That's why I have that."

"...Wow..." I say. "...I honestly was not expecting that."

"Yep." She says. "So, that's Woolbeard hates me. And, know that y'all know my true age, I need to head back to Star Estate."

"Why?" Lester asks.

"Because. Bullwort's aware it's going to take more than powerful vivosaurs to stop Red, so, he's got to train." Xavia tells him.

"We don't have enough time!" I tell her.

"...Red, I have made a lot of stuff. One of them allows me to stop time."

"...Say what?" I ask.

Later...

"Well, it's good to see you're eating well." My mom says, my parents, Todd and I sitting and the dining table eating a supper of soba.

"Red's a great cook, Mrs. Ranger. You taught him really well." Todd tells her.

"Thank you, Todd." She tells him with a smile, I looking at dad, who's silent.

"...Are you alright dad?" I ask, he looking up at me.

"..." He sighs, then sits back in his chair. "...I've seen her before."

"...Sir?" I ask, Todd and mom looking at him.

"..." He sits there for a moment. "...On the night you were born, son, the doctors told me your heart was weak. It worried me, and I had a dream last night. I was in a clearing, and a person about three feet tall wearing a black cloak with the hood pulled over their face stepped out to where I could see them. The clasp on their cape had a red ring with a red star in it, which had a black X within that. Looking back now, I recognize the voice some, but she told me that your heart would be fixed in five years through an incident that would seriously harm you."

"..." My eyes widen, shock filling me.

"...She told me I had two choices: I could stop it from happening, and your heart would fail two years later, or I could let it happen and you'd be alright, and your heart would strengthen." He finishes, then looking up at me. "...I never wanted you to get hurt, but I knew that if your heart didn't strengthen, it would give away and we'd lose you..."

"..." I smile. "Thanks, dad."

"...You're not mad?" He asks, confused and surprised.

"Why should I be?" I ask him. "You have to love someone a lot in order to hurt them so you can help them."

"..." He blinks, then reaches over and ruffles my bangs. "That's my boy."

I smile.

_I have some parents._

The thought makes me warm inside and my smile widen more.

**AN-...I feel like this is a short chapa...**

**Rotomknight: Wut? ?_?**

**Guest: HERE YA ARE! :D**

**Casey: I'm writing a crossover, progress is just slow...I'm bad with motivation, alright?**

**Chi-Chan: Parker's an AWESOME robot-butler! :D And yeah Xavia's old! She's from the second generation of humans!**

**Guest(s): I'm thinking about writing a sequel...Actually, Joe and Sarisa had their first date at the resort, when Xavia won the race, Joe had to take Sarisa for a date. Thank you! :D**

**mysterydude123: Ah...But yep! Xavia's OLD! ...She takes the term 'aging gracefully' to a whole new level.**

**BloodLily16:Good point. :\**

**zedlashinx: I was so excited for that chapter. :D**

**Gunsandgames: MISSION COMPLETE! :D**

**DunalN2: Well duh, they're aliens. Humans, however are unable to live past the age of 120.**

**Pokemonfan6000: Thanks! And I'm going to try to update XTGG next!**

**fossilfighter1313: Xavia said she's over 20,000 years old. But, YEP! :D **

**Alatum Laminis: I unfortunately have ideas floating about my head...**


	91. The Frozen Island

**AN-…Well…I'm just gonna get to it.**

* * *

><p>The Frozen Island<p>

_That's it… _I fall face down on my bed in the base, exhausted. _I'm dead. Don't wake me up._

Xavia had me use this helmet thing to train, so now months of excruciating training was packing it…I dunno…a day?

So I'm aching all over and my head is pounding.

_'Training never hurt-' _

_ 'DON'T TELL ME THAT.' _ I tell Air Strike. _'NOBODY CAN SAY THAT. NOT UNTIL THEY'VE USED THAT HELMET THING.'_

My limbs are too sore to move, and my head hurts terribly, so instead of trying to do anything, I lie still and soon fall asleep.

The next morning, I get up and change my clothes, then go down into the kitchen and have breakfast. Xavia suggested stretching to relieve soreness, so I go out to the back yard, doing yoga under one of the trees.

_'So, how long until you thing Bullwort will attack?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'I don't know.' _I reply, taking a deep breathe, standing on my tip-toes, and raising my arms above my head, my hands meeting as a circle. _'Xavia said he might be creating an army of frozen vivosaurs, but-'_

_ "I'm-a survivor! I'm not gon give up! I'm not gon stop! I'm gon work harder! I'm-a survivor! I'm gonna make it, I will survive, keep on survivin'!"_

"Yes?" I ask, answering my phone.

"Red, we need to move." Xavia answers, I blinking.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Just get over here." She answers, hanging up. I return my phone to my pocket, then, as fast as I can without hurting myself from my soreness, run to Xavia's house.

Upon arrive, Parker shows me to the lab, Xavia wearing her lab coat and looking up at the super computer, which shows images of a frozen island.

"Is that the base?" I ask, Xavia nodding.

"The towers on it; some of the rooms within them are reaching temperatures of one hundred sixty-eight degrees Kelvin." She tells me, typing something into the computer, I standing there.

"…And that is…?"

"…Oh, right." She says. "In Fahrenheit, that's negative one hundred five degrees."

"Wow."

"Yep." She replies, looking back up at the screens. "However, it's not consistent. It'll go up and down five or ten degrees, so I believe they're trying to re-create the conditions in which Frigi was created."

"So what do we do?" I ask.

"Call the cavalry and saddle up," Xavia tells me. "we're going in."

Later…

"How much money do you even have?!" Todd yells over the sounds of engines, all of us clad in snow gear and riding in helicopters Xavia owns, which are all armed and armored.

"You'd be surprised!" She yells back, sitting in the pilot's seat. Setting it on auto pilot, she turns around to look at all of us in the lead chopper, Todd, Rupert, Pauleen, Rosie and I, while Parker sits in the co-pilot seat. "Alright, we're aware of the fact they're using Frozensaurs – I know it's cheesy, but just deal with it for right now – so I've designed these!"

She holds out fiery red rings, we taking some.

"Put these on your Dino Medals!" She tells us. "They'll allow your vivosaurs to combat them!"

I slip my rings onto Air Strike, Cloud Cover, and Flamethrower, suddenly making their medals pulse with heat in some way that feels familiar to me.

"So if he's re-made Frigi, it'll be just like last time, right Red?!" Rosie asks, I nodding.

"Yeah!...Though last time feels like it was so long ago…like, it feels like it happened years ago!"

**(Hint hint nudge nudge IT DID.)**

** "**We're coming up on the island!" Xavia tells us, I craning my neck to see if from the front window.

The island is white, silver and blue, resting in the middle of the ocean while a cover of grey clouds loom above it, giant snowflakes pouring from them.

"Get ready to land!" Parker yells back to us. "They know we're coming, so you'll have to run out and fight!"

"Alright!" I reply, nervousy in the pit of my stomach, my knees weak and feeling lighter from the adrenaline entering into my blood.

Slowly, the chopper descends, lands, and the door slides open, we jumping out, my goggles over my eyes. Charging, I run through the freezing air and deep snow, a bandit jumping out before me.

"Air Strike, let's get him!" I yell, throwing his medal, he appearing in the white world around us, forcing me to stop.

_…It also affected their physical appearance… _

His hide is a deep, crimson red, the crystals on him are now a fire orange and his underside pale yellow, the snow around him already shining in a way to tell it's melting.

_'Well, let's see what attacks I have!' _He tells me, the Bandit releasing a Frozen Raptor, I pointing at it.

"Air Strike, Fire Mega!" I say, he raising on of his hands and, as he brings it down, a trail of fire comes from it, the impact sending the Frozen Raptor into a medal.

"THE BOSS DIDN'T SAY ANTHING ABOUT THIS!" The bandit yells, turning and running as fast as he can.

"Come on!" Xavia yells, running past me. "The rest of Patrol Team, Rosie and Holt are all headed to the main tower, the rest are targeting the three smaller towers!"

"Alright!" I call, running after her. Catching up to the rest, we approach the tower, two guards outside of it. One lets out a Frozen Brachio, the other a Frozen Rex.

Pauleen throws a medal, releasing her Omias, the stripe down its back a bright red. Swing in a circle, a fire orb at the end of the tail, it takes out the guards and their vivosaurs, we running into the tower.

"Now what?" Holt asks.

"We need to get to a room." Xavia says, activating something on her watch, bringing up a holographic map of the tower, one of the rooms near the top highlighted. "That's the Freezing Room, it's where they're trying to re-create the Frigi Fossil."

"And how do we get there?" Rosie asks. "There's no doubt guards everywhere!"

"And it's WAY up there!" Todd tells her.

"We'll be exhausted by the time we get up there!" Rupert agrees, Xavia blinking, her face bland.

"…You guys really expect me to expect y'all to run up several flights of stairs with ease?" She asks.

"Well, we're not you, diga!" Pauleen tells her.

"I know! That's why we're taking the _ELEVATOR!" _Xavia says with a hint of "DUH" in the last word, pointing over at an elevator platform with controls.

"…Oh." Holt sounds, we then running over to it. The doors shut, Xavia pulling a lever which starts it up, we able to see the passing floors through a window.

Then we notice Xavia messing with the wires.

"What are you doing?" Rupert asks.

"Overriding the system so if the Bandits catch on we're using the elevator, they can't stop it." She tells him.

After a minute, the doors open to the floor we need to be on, making the guards jump. I front kick one in the chest, Xavia disarming and subduing the other.

"There they are!" Looking, several more guards are charging us, joined by smaller vivosaurs.

"Silver Fang, Hunter Tactics!" Xavia yells, throwing the Dino Medal, the silver Andrarch showing up in a flash of light, joining Xavia in the charge.

_'WOW SHE'S TAKING CHARGE.' _I think.

_'She's used to this, remember' _Flamethrower reminds me. We fight through the guards, ascending stairs, the temperature dropping even more so I'm forced to pull up my face mask. Ice webs across the walls as we run down a hall, stopping outside a heavily locked door with an _extremely _advanced key pad.

"Can you hack this?" Rosie asks Holt.

"Not a pro-"

Xavia kicks the key pad, breaking it, then rips off the front of it, and tears out a fistful of wires, the door opening.

"…That works too…" Rosie says, we running after Xavia, who opens more doors using a key card she got off one of the guards. Finally, we come into a control room, cold enough to make me shiver. The panels have icicles dangling from them, most looking to be frozen in place.

"Everyone." Rupert says, looking through a spot on a window where he wiped away the frost. "It's not there."

"What?" Todd asks, Xavia running to Rupert, looking through the spot on the window.

"It's not…Ah, of course!" She says, grabbing her head. "I should've know once we stepped foot in here! They practically put the freezer on steroids!" She runs out, we just following her, knowing no to ask any questions.

"This is bad, this is bad…" She says, we boarding the elevator again. "We've lost our momentum, they're going to be waiting for us at the top."

"What do we do, digadig?" Pauleen asks.

"…We go to the top floor." She answers.

* * *

><p>BB Bandits were ready, their Frozensaurs standing by them, ready to attack. The elevator arrived, dinging open.<p>

No one was aboard it.

"…They're supposed to here." One says, another stepping forward and looking around the inside.

"They aren't."

"…Then where-"

_BOOM!_

Heads turned just in time for them to be stormed by the young heroes, who had gotten off at the floor just below.

* * *

><p>I round house one of the BB Bandits, about to web strike the next, when Xavia's stronger-than-steel grip fall on my arm, pushing me towards a stairwell.<p>

"You go get Bullfrog, adventure boy! We'll take on these tadpoles!" She tells me.

I don't question or object, but run straight for the stairs, running up them as fast as I can. At the top, I throw open the door, running out into an icy wind, idle snowflakes swirling around.

In the middle stands Bullwort.

"…"

We're both silent, I standing up straight, and he glaring at me with hatred.

"Here we stand again." He tells me. "At the top of a freezing building, ready to fight for the world."

"And here we stand again." I repeat. "I going to defeat you again."

"HA! You had Igno last time we fought, but not this time, boy!"

"I've beaten you five times, I can certainly do it a sixth!"

"Then meet my newest vivosaur…" He grins, holding up a medal, so cold that frost emits from it. He throws it into the air, a bright flash of light bursting from it, which take the shape of a brachiosaur.

The light fades, my eyes widening.

Frigi stands before me, bigger than I remember him, and much, _much _more frightening. His eyes are black and red, staring through my person with a look as cold and the darkest depths of the ocean.

He looks to be made entirely of ice, the frozen water creating sharp peaks on his back, and white veins of frost webbing all over him, his teeth sharp like icicles.

"BEHOLD MEGA FRIGI!" Bullwort yells, I only able to stare.

_'Why add the mega?' _Cloud Cover asks.

_'Dramatic effect.' _Flamethrower answers.

_'Ugh, villains.' _Air Strike sighs.

"You should count yourself lucky, Red!" Bullwort calls. "Because this wonder is the last thing you'll ever see! MEGA FRIGI, SUB-ZERO STOMP!"

He raises his foot of ice, I stepping back, then jumping to the side to avoid it from crushing me, skidding on the ice.

"Still being brave?" Bullwort asks. "You should learn when to be scared!"

"It's you who needs to do that!" I yell back. "I've fought a flying, body-stealing skull and WON, I'd be shaking in my boots if I were you!"

"FRIGI!" Bullwort yells, the frozen vivosaur swinging its tail straight at me.

_"RED!" _

In a flash of light, my team is before me, colored like fire, and take the blow, forcing them back a bit.

"HOW ARE THEY-?!"

"You think I wouldn't come prepared?" I ask, then getting to my feet. "Air Strike, Fire Mega!"

He charges, bringing his hand down with a trail of fire, hitting Frigi.

He only scratches the ice on him.

"What?" I breathe, Bullwort laughing a booming laugh.

"Did you think I'd allow Frigi to be as weak at those bugs you fought coming up here?" He taunts. "Face it, you're out of your league and big, scary, Igno isn't here to save you!"

"…" I stare intestly, panic welling up inside of me. _'There has to be something.'_

_ 'Both of you are right.' _Flamethrower tells me, his back a medium red and his underside a fiery one. _'Igno isn't here this time, but there has to be something we can-…Oh?'_

_ 'Oh?' _Cloud Cover, Air Strike and I ask in unison, all of us looking at him.

_'…Yes…yes, I see…' _He thinks, though whirling and twirling in his mind.

"Listening to him on giving up?" Bullwort asks, smiling with mock.

_'…I'll try.'_

_ 'Flamethrower, I know you're weird, but what are you talking about?' _Cloud Cover asks, Flamethrower's moth twitch so it looked as if he smirked.

_'I have an idea.' _

"Why don't you surrender now and I won't punish you as terribly when I take over?" Bullwort asks, oblivious.

_'What're we trying?' _Air Strike asks. Instead of replying, Flamethrower twists around to look at me.

_'Red, dig deep into your mind. And I mean __**deep.**__' _

_ '…Uhm…okay?' _I wonder, closing my eyes. Without shutting them out, I retreat back into my mind, aware of memories and feeling that have affected me deeply.

_'Deeper.'_

My mind swims with the consciousnesses of my vivosaurs.

_'Deeper.'_

My brows furrow, the noise around me is gone, I can't feel the cold, but I feel the beat of my heart, and the presence of my vivosaurs are like a galaxy of stars behind my closed eyes.

_'Deeper.'_

Everything is dark.

I am completely isolated and detached, save for the minds of Cloud Cover, Air Strike, and Flamethrower.

My mind drifts along invisible waves of the conscious, thoughts and memories nowhere in sight.

_'What do you feel?'_

_ '…_

_ …_

_ …_

_ …_

_ …_

_ …Warmth.'_

A _click, _and a rush fill my mind, though I am again aware to everything around me, able to hear Bullwort's laugh, which falls silent.

My eyes open, seeing my vivosaur glowing a bright, flaming red color. It increases, and they begin to become white, forcing me to raise my arm to shield my eyes, able to feel heat emitting from them.

A loud _BLING! _and when I move my arm, the first thing I see are their medals at my feet.

_'Guys?' _I asks, picking them up. _'What was-'_

_ 'Hello.' _

I freeze.

Slowly.

Ever so slowly,

I raise my head,

And my eyes meet burning ones.

_'…Igno.'_

* * *

><p><strong>AN-SO I'M NOT DEAD!<strong>

** Anyways, I **_**REALLY **_**sorry on how long this took, I hit a low point and never got around to working on it until recently. I'm really,truly sorry. :(**

**To everyone who's stuck with this story besides that, and to all y'all who reviewed, thank you from the bottom of my heart. (:**


	92. Fire and Ice

**AN – IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOOOOWN, DUNNUNNUH! DUNDUNT-**

**Red: ****_GET TO IT ALREADY!_**

**Magma: 8I**

**And please be sure to go back and read chapter 91 if you haven't.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 92: Fire and Ice<p>

I can't help but stare.

Igno, _Ignosaurus, _is before me once again, this time with a main of fire down his back and his skin a dark, dark red with orange-yellow creeping all over his hide, as if it were cooled and cracking lava.

_'…__Igno.' _I repeat. He seems to smile.

_'__Red. It's good to be back.'_

"HE FADED!" Bullwort yells.

_"__YOU FOOL!" _Igno roars. _"Do you really think a vivosaur just fades away?! When someone like Red, a truly devoted Fighter, someone who loves and cares for his vivosaurs with every fiber in his being, someone who treasures them above themselves, has a vivosaur, they do not just 'FADE'! Their physical form may disappear, but we are held in the heart the Fighter, an unbreakable bond you have never understood! Why do you think you have lost so many times?!"_

"…" Bullwort stares in defiant disbelief, his face suddenly twisting with a horrible anger. **_"THEN I'LL MAKE SURE YOU DON'T COME BACK AGAIN!"_**

"Mega Frigi, Absolute Zero!" He commands, Frigi rearing up and bringing his front feet down at Igno, who jumps to the side.

"Igno, counter!" I yell, Frigi ramming Igno with hit shoulder right after. He holds his ground, biting into Frigi's neck. Frigi roars with pain and attepmts to get away, putting enough room between the two of them for Igno to kick him.

"Igno, Volcanic Combo!" I tell him, Igno surging towards Frigi, biting down on his neck again, then jumping back and jumping forward again, crashing into him and pushing him back, Bullwort frantically retreating, his hair going awry.

"Frigi, Subzero Stomp!" He orders, Frigi lifting a foot, and striking Igno with the flat bottom, making him skid back due to the ice. "Kill him, kill him!"

"Igno, Burning Bite!"

Using his claws on the ice, he charges forward, tucking down his head so he rams right into Frigi's chest, biting the base of the neck, then forces himself up and under so that Frigi is forced to stand on his back legs. He keeps pushing him back, Frigi sliding back due to the ice, I suddenly realizing Igno's pushing him towards the edge.

"CRUSH HIM!" Bullwort yells, his eyes wild and hair blowing everywhere due to the wind.

Frigi digs his feet into the ground, forcing his weight forward, pushing Igno out from under him. Again, he raises his front feet-

"DRAGON'S BREATH!" I yell, Igno opening his maw a roaring, fire joining it, flying forward and enveloping Frigi, his neck and front legs sticking from it, though steam swirls from him in a dance of the wind. The attack makes him roar and fall back, Igno regaining his footing.

Frigi has water streaming down him, though the temperature makes it freeze almost instantly, and he looks up to glare at Igno, his eye black slits.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Bullwort roars, his eyes homicidal and hair like a madman's. "KILL HIM! DESTORY HIM ALREADY!"

Frigi continues to glare.

_"__ARE YOU DEAF?! I SAID-_

_**"**__**EEENOOOOOUGH!" **_Frigi _roars, _slashing his tail at Bullwort, knocking him down, then whipping his head around to look at him. _"I've had it with you, your orders, this tower! I've had it with this brat, I've had it with Igno, I've had it WITH __**EVERYTHING!"**_

_"__Then let's tie." _Igno tells him. _"I won't fight you have no wish to."_

_ "__EXCUSE YOU," _Frigi yells, whipping his head back towards him. _"I said I've had it with EVERYTHING! I didn't want to come back to be this idiot's tool! If he brought me back to rule the world, _**THEN I'LL SEE THAT HE DOESN'T HAVE A WORLD TO DO SO!"**

He turns lighter in color, though the look in his eyes darken, colder than the dead of a moonless winter night. Frost creeps from his feet, the air around him turning white.

* * *

><p>The patrol team finished tying up the last of the Bandits, a loud, piercing beeping sounding. Xavia tore a device from her belt, her eyes flashing over the screen and they grew wide.<p>

"…Oh…oh _no…_" She breaths. "By the FIRES!"

"Xavia?!" Rupert asks, alert.

"WE GOTTA HELP RED!"

"What's wrong?!" Rosie asks.

"NO TI-"

A blaring alarm sounded in the building, red lights flashing brightly. In their binds, the Bandits became fearful and squirmed and pulled in an escape attempt.

"XAIVA, WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Pauleen yells, scared.

"FRIGI!" She yells, holding up the device. "The alternate revival process focused too much on his ability to control ice, to the point where he can create a WIDE-SPREAD, frozen blanket effect if he's pushed past a point!"

"So?!" Holt blurts.

_"__So that means that he's gonna drop the air temperature so low that it'll not only freeze almost this whole world solid, the air particles within the immediate range – THIS __**WHOLE**__ ISLAND - will solidify!"_

Asking no more questions, they ran up the stairs.

* * *

><p><em> '<em>_What's he doing?!' _I ask, the wind picking up and so cold I can feel it as if it was seeping through my layered clothing.

_'__He's going to freeze everything he can.' _Igno tells me, his mane of fire flaring with heat. _'…Red.'_

He turns his head to look at me.

_'__Go.'_

_ '__What?!' _I object. _'I'm not leaving you! Not like this, I fight with my vivosaurs to end!'_

_ '__Red, he will destroy you if you don't go.'_

_ '__I'M NOT LEAVING YOU ALONE!'_

"RED!" Rosie's voice makes my head turn to see her and the others rushing towards me. "We need to go!"

"I'm not leaving Igno!"

"He has to destroy Frigi or else we'll see a second Ice age!" Xavia yells, I looking back at Igno, who's still watching me.

"…" I stare at him, then nod, understanding. "IGNO, SOLAR FLARE!"

_'__Go, and don't look back.' _He tells me, then looking back towards Frigi. Todd grabs my arm, pulling me towards the door, when Holt stops.

"BULLWORT!" He yells, we all looking back at the said man.

He's on his knees, a blank yet wild stare in his hollow eyes, hair an absolute mess.

"BULLWORT, WE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE!" Xavia yells.

"…" He stays silent.

"OH, FOR THE LOVE OF TIME!" Xavia yells, making a beeline for him, grabbing the front of his coat. "_MOVE IT_, BULLFROG!"

We run down the stairs, freeing the bandits, who don't turn on us, but instead just run as fast as they can. We ride the elevator down, the bandits swarming out of the main floor like panicked ants. Escaping to the frozen outside, we run, the bandits dispersing, though Xavia still has a hold on Bullwort's coat.

Helicopter blades sound overhead, and I look up to see Xavia's helicopter coming down, fighting against the wind. It lands, I helping Rosie up into it, Todd doing the same with Pauleen, Holt and Rupert follow, Todd jumping into the compartment. Xavia pushes Bullwort into it, he laying on his back and still staring, legs hanging out.

Xavia grabs my arm, pushing me up into the chopper, I grabbing Bullwort and pulling him in, Xavia pushing his legs in, then jumps in and pulls the door shut.

_"__GO!" _Xavia yells, Parker speeding up the blades to that we lift up, turning away from the tower. I want to look out the window, but Igno told me not to look back.

We join up with the other three choppers, heading away from the island as fast as we can, BB Bandit choppers following suit.

We finally land in a port where the frozen island is a spot of frozen blue and burning orange on the horizon. Jumping out, we're joined by locals and the rest of our crew, including Joe, Stella, Dr. Diggins, Kent, Terry, King Dynal, Raptin, Duna, more Dinaurians, and some staff from the Caliosteo Islands, and Sarisa came as a medic.

Bullwort sits up, staring blankly at the island with the rest of us.

* * *

><p><em>'<em>_I don't care how much heat you put out, I'm going to freeze this place.' _Frigi growls, Igno blinking. Bright orange waves radiated from him, turning the ice into steam, the floor beneath him beginning to glow cherry red.

_'__And I don't care how much you try, I will not let you freeze this planet.'_

_ '__WHAT DOES IT MATTER TO YOU?!' _Frigi roars.

_ '__Red does.'_

_ '__THAT BOY JUST USED YOU!'_

_ '__Do not belittle him!' _Igno yells. _'I wonder; is the reason Bullwort targeted you because he's cold hearted?'_

_ '__What does that have to do with this?!' _

_ '__Red is kind and warm. Bullwort is cruel and controlling. He used his own as pawns.'_

_ '__SO?!'_

_ '…' _Igno sniffed, looking to the dark sky. _'We've made a mistake. Our output is too great to stop now…yet if we don't, the consequences will be catastrophic.'_

_ '__Answer my question.'_

_ '__Bad people make good vivosaurs do bad things.' _Igno tells him. _'You've only know Bullwort in this world. Are you going to destroy just because of a single experience with one bad person?'_

_ '__Oh? So your Red is so wonderful that this world is worth saving just because of him?'_

_ '__No, this world is worth saving because Red has risked his life several times to save it. You don't risk something if it's not worth anything. And Red? Why it's worth so much to him? The people. There are the good, the bad, and the ugly, but people all the same. Red sees them for what they are: complex beings with emotions and a freewill; the same way he sees all of his vivosaurs. The love he gives them is stronger than our two powers combined.'_

_ '__Prove it.'_

_ '…' _Igno blinked, then stepped towards Frigi, who lowered his head and growled. Ignoring it, he continued forward, going around Frigi's neck, and resting his head on his shoulder.

He thought of Red, and tranfered the feeling into Frigi.

* * *

><p>"What's going to happen?" Rosie asks.<p>

"Our best option is that Igno blocks the east and the west." Xavia tells her, we all still watching the island. "The frozen blast will head towards the poles and miss any land and people, but, then we have to worry about how the blast will affect the ocean's balance and ecosystem."

"So either way, something bad is gonna happen." Holt summarizes.

"Preeetty much."

"…What do we do?" I ask.

"…" I feel a hand take mine, and I look to see Rosie the one doing it. I squeeze her hand back, looking back to the island.

_THOOM._

We hear the noise before anything else, and see a disruption in the view, the whole thing convexed. It rushes over us; a blast of air. The trees rustle and people begin to murmur to each other.

Then we hear it:

**_KRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMmmmm…_**

A flash of blinding light joins it, I instinctively shielding Rosie and another blast of air – stronger than the last one – rushes over us. My hair whips because of it, the trees shake violently, and I can hear people reacting, either running away or yelping.

After all movement has stopped and all sounds are silent, I begin to relax.

"…Oh my goodness…" Xavia breaths. I lift my head, Rupert hugging her, the two of them looking out at the direction of the island. "…That has to be the fourth most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

_Forth? _I wonder, looking out at the island.

My jaw drops.

The island is now a gargantuan chunk of ice, though it's not rounded or spiked, but, rather, the ice curls up, so that it almost looks like fire, and even from the distance we are, we can see the pulsating orange that stretches out from the center and veins out into the ice, which is all colors of blue.

"…Oh my Dino…" I breathe.

"…Heh…" We all turn our heads to look at Bullwort, whose face is spaced out with a small, open-mouthed smile, brows furrowed slightly. "…You win again…again…"

"…Are you okay?" I ask, he looking at me with the eyes of a mad man.

"…AGAIN…" He repeats. "For me, Red Ranger means danger…"

He shakily breaths.

"Red Ranger means danger…" He repeats, then beginning to laugh. "Red Ranger means danger." He says again, his laugh deranged.

"RED RANGER MEANS DANGER!" He yells, snapping into a laughing fit. He holds his sides, slams himself down on the floor of the helicopter he's still sitting in, laughing loud and madly.

"…He's snapped." Parker tells us, standing over him. "I believe his obsession with gaining victory became the foundation for his sanity."

"…" I stare at him for a moment, then shiver and look away.

"Parker, take care of him." Xavia tells him, Bullwort's laugh becoming muffled, the sound of a running car growing closer. "Now, let's see what's happened over there."

* * *

><p>I stare out at the icy structure, news helicopters flying around it to get shots of the pulsating ice.<p>

Orange veins under the ice, pulsating to a bright, flaming orange at the same rate of a sleeping heartbeat.

"Up there!" Pauleen yells, pointing up where the top of the tower was, a bright orb of orange there. Parker takes us higher up, until we're eye level with it.

I stare, the jaws of others dropping.

In it, Frigi and Igno are encased in the orb, Igno's head on Frigi's shoulder, Frigi's head turned to look at the vivosaur.

"…What happened here?" I whisper, we all staring in silence.

"We may never know." Xavia answers.


End file.
